SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS: NOAA forecasters say there is a chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms on March 29th when Earth enters a stream of high-speed solar wind. The gaseous material is flowing from a long, narrow hole in the sun's atmosphere. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SUPERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS: Looking for Venus? Don't. It's at superior conjunction, perilously close to the edge of the sun. Normally, astronomers avoid pointing their optics at Venus during superior conjunction. But on March 26th, Joerg Schoppmeyer did just the opposite:
Using a complicated system of offsets, filters, and sunshades (described here) Schoppmeyer safely observed Venus at its closest approach to the sun. "I was able to visually observe the exact moment of the conjunction when Venus was 65 arcminutes from the solar limb," says Schoppmeyer. "Extreme care was required!"
Soon, observing Venus won't be so risky and difficult. The second planet is passing by the sun en route to the evening sky, where it will emerge from the twilight in May. Then, stepping outside and looking west is all you'll need to do see Venus's silver light piercing the rosy glow of sunset. A date of special interest is May 28, 2021, when Venus and Mercury have their closest enounter until 2033. Mark your calendar!
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RARE MR. SPOCK MUG: It's the logical way to wake up in the morning: Coffee in a rare Mr. Spock mug. On March 21, 2021, this ceramic collector's item flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You cannot buy these mugs anywhere on the internet--not even Amazon. But you can have one from Earth to Sky Calculus for $170.10. That's the serial number of the Enterprise divided by 10. The mug comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again. It's a great gift for any Trekkie!
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