GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Sept. 15th - 17th when two streams of solar wind are expected to reach Earth. They are flowing from a pair of holes in the sun's atmosphere, and could cause high-latitude auroras when they arrive. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
VENUS IS ABOUT TO BECOME A VERY THIN CRESCENT: Like the Moon, Venus has phases. Yesterday, French astrophotographer Thierry Legault caught them both in crescent form:
A daylight lunar occultation was in progress over Europe when Legault caught Venus emerging from behind the Moon--"two crescents side by side," he says. "It was a beautiful sight."
The Moon will remain a crescent for only a few more days. Venus, however, will retain its shape for the rest of the month--a narrowing crescent more gorgeous every night.
Right now, Venus is 28% lit. By Sept. 22nd the crescent will be 22%; by Sept. 30th, only 15%. At the same time the planet is growing. Its disk will almost double in size to 50 arcseconds by month's end--big enough that observers with good eyesight may glimpse the crescent shape without optics at all.
Venus is very bright near the western horizon just after sunset, and the crescent is an easy target for small telescopes. Take a look!
more images: from Francois Rouviere of Cannes, France; from Shahrin Ahmad of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; from Mohammad Odeh of Abu Dhabi, UAE; from Gadi Eidelheit of Rechovot, Israel; from Javier Manteca Exposito of Madrid, Spain; from Maximilian-Vlad Teodorescu of Magurele, Romania; from Amol Kankariya of Pune, Maharashtra, India
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STARRY NIGHT WINE STOPPER: You can't buy this on Amazon. Only the Earth to Sky Store has the Starry Night Wine Stopper. On March 15, 2026, this impressionist stopper flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $99.95. The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by Vincent van Gogh. Physicists say it accurately depicts Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in the clouds outside his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise. The airtight rubber seal securely plugs bottles of wine or any other beverage.
With your stopper, you'll receive a gift card showing the Starry Night in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere (and back again).
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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