CORONAL MASS EJECTION: Decaying sunspot AR2837 (N17W36) erupted on July 7th, hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space: movie. Most of the CME is heading away from Earth, but it still might affect us. NOAA analysts are looking into the possibility of a glancing blow by the CME's flank a few days from now. Stay tuned. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
DEEP SUNSET PLANET SHOW: The Evening Star is back. Venus has emerged from the glare of the sun and is now shining through twilight at the end of the day. Yesterday evening, Jan Koeman photographed the second planet from Domburg, the Netherlands:
"Roughly one hour after sunset, it is Venus's turn to set," says Koeman. "I caught our sister planet shining among hundreds of windmill-redlights in the North Sea."
Venus is about to have company. On July 10th through 12th, the crescent Moon will glide by Venus, forming a striking sunset tableau. Photo-op: Short exposures are sufficient for brilliant Venus (magnitude -3.9) and the Moon; longer exposures will reveal faint Mars (magnitude +1.8) only half a degree from Venus. It's a great way to end the day. Sky maps: July 10, 11, 12.
THE LUNAR ANALEMMA: You've probably heard of the solar analemma. It's the figure 8 shape you get when you photograph the sun every day at the same time. Now let us introduce you to the lunar analemma:
Last month, Matthew Chin of Hong Kong photographed the Moon every day, and found that it also traces a figure 8. "[The trick]," he says, "is to photograph the Moon 50 minutes and 29 seconds (1.035028 days) later each day when the Moon is in the same part of the sky." Then the figure 8 reveals itself.
"New Moon days are on upper left, while Full Moon days are on bottom right side," he points outs. "Note the red Moon; it is the lunar eclipse of May 26th."
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APOLLO 11 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider this: On July 20, 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing), the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this rare proof silver dollar to the stratosphere:
The US Mint created Apollo 11 coins to celebrate the first Moon landing--but you can no longer buy them from the Mint. You can, however, get one from Earth to Sky Calculus. The students are selling the collector's item for $229.95 to support their cosmic ray ballooning program.
The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's iconic footprint on the Moon. Included is a greeting card showing the coin in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
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