Jupiter-Moon Conjunction--Tonight!

Source - Space Weather News for May 7, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

JUPITER-MOON CONJUNCTION: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southeast. You'll see Jupiter and the waxing gibbous Moon rising together in the constellation Virgo, only couple of degrees apart. If possible, try to catch the tight pair before the sky fades completely black. The sight of these two bright celestial bodies framed by twilight blue is beautiful indeed. Sky maps and photos @ Spaceweather.com.

STAR WARS DAY CME: On May the 4th (Star Wars Day), unstable magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere shifted and hurled a CME into space. The cloud's velocity was relatively low, and it might take 6 whole days to cross the sun-Earth divide. NOAA forecasters expect the CME to arrive on May 10th, possibly causing geomagnetic activity around the poles. Stay tuned to Spaceweather.com for updates

Sunspot Counts Drop to 7-Year Low

Source - Space Weather News for March 19, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

SUNSPOT COUNTS HIT 7-YEAR LOW: The face of the sun has been blank (no sunspots) for 13 consecutive days. The last time this happened was in April of 2010, near the end of an historically deep Solar Minimum.  The current stretch of blank suns heralds a new Solar Minimum expected to arrive in 2019-2020.  What does this mean for space weather? Answers may be found on today's edition of Spaceweather.com

VENUS AT INFERIOR CONJUNCTION: This week, Venus will pass almost directly between Earth and the sun--an event astronomers call "inferior solar conjunction."  As it turns its night side to Earth, the planetary disk of Venus is transforming into an exquisitely slender crescent easily seen through small telescopes or binoculars.  Visit Spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Spectacular Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 27, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SPECTACULAR CONJUNCTION: This weekend, Jupiter and Venus are having a spectacular conjunction in the sunset sky. Separated by only a fraction of a degree, the two brightest planets almost look like they're going to touch. This heavenly meeting is easy to see from the southern hemisphere, but much more challenging from the north.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and the latest images.

  

Bright planets over Brisbane, Australia, on Aug. 27, 2016. Photo credit: Stephen Mudge.

Dawn Triangle of Planets

Source - NASA Science News for Oct. 24, 2015

Look east before sunrise in late October for a beautiful conjunction of bright planets.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/24oct_dawntriangle/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://youtu.be/OCuQXGCuiPo



Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

Rare "Gigantic Jets" erupt from Hurricane Hilda

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 14, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

GIGANTIC JETS OVER HURRICANE HILDA: A rare form of upward lightning that reaches almost to the edge of space has been observed shooting up from Hurricane Hilda as the storm approaches Hawaii.  See the video and learn more about these "gigantic jets" on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS:  The planet Venus is turning into a whisper-thin crescent as it passes almost directly between the Earth and Sun this weekend.  Photos and observing tips are available on http://spaceweather.com

Incoming CME could spark solstice auroras

Source - Space Weather News for June 19, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

SOLSTICE AURORA WATCH: On June 18th, the sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two months.  The M3-class explosion caused a brief low-frequency radio blackout over North America and hurled a CME into space.  A glancing blow from the CME is likely on June 21st , possibly sparking a geomagnetic storm and solstice auroras.  Check http://spaceweather.com for updates.

SUNSET PLANETS:  When sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west.  Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon are having a lovely conjunction in the sunset sky.  Photos @ http://spaceweathergallery.com

Bright Planet Conjunction

Source - Space Weather News for August 17, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

WOW! MORNING CONJUNCTION:  Jupiter and Venus are converging in the eastern sky for a spectacular pre-dawn conjunction.  Closest approach is Monday morning, August 18th.  The event is highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

MINOR STORM WARNING:   Minor geomagnetic storms are possible during the late hours of August 18th when a faint CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field head-on. 

Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Beautiful Morning Conjunction

Source - NASA Science News for August 15, 2014

Set your alarm for dawn! Venus and Jupiter are converging for a spectacular conjunction in the early morning sky.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/15aug_conjunction/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK57BMj2Vj4&feature=youtu.beVIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK57BMj2Vj4&feature=youtu.be 



License: Standard YouTube License

Amazing Pictures of Venus Passing by the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 11, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

VENUS AT INFERIOR CONJUNCTION: Today, Jan. 11th, Venus is at inferior conjunction. That means it is located almost directly between Earth and the sun. Around the world amateur astronomers are taking special precautions to avert eye damage as they photograph Venus passing by the sun in broad daylight.

Visit http://spaceweather.com to see their amazing photos.

Better than Coffee: Planets Align at Dawn

Souce - NASA Science News for May 9, 2011

No coffee? No problem. To wake up any morning this week, all you need to do is look out the window for a beautiful dawn conjunction of planets.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09may_morningplanets/

Solar Activity Surges on the Eve of South Pacific Eclipse

Source - Space Weather News for July 10, 2010: http://spaceweather.com

A LIVELY SOLAR ECLIPSE: Fast-growing sunspot 1087 is crackling with C-class solar flares. A spectacular eruption recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory is featured on today's edition of Spaceweather.com. This surge in activity comes on the eve of a total eclipse of the sun over the South Pacific. Will eclipse chasers see material blasting away from the sun when the Moon hides the blinding stellar surface? It's a possibility. Stay tuned to http://spaceweather.com for updates and pictures from the path of totality.

SUNSET CONJUNCTION: Look west at sunset. Venus is passing by 1st magnitude star Regulus. They're only a little more than a degree apart. Bright Venus catches the eye first. As the glow of sunset fades, Regulus pops out of the twilight a little below Venus. The view through binoculars is superb.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Did you miss the last big solar flare or geomagnetic storm? Don't let that happen again. Turn your cell phone into a full-featured space weather alert system: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Weekend Sky Show

Source - NASA Science News for April 24, 2009

On Sunday, April 26th, the crescent Moon, Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster will line up in the western sky for a beautiful sunset conjunction.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/24apr_eveningsky.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

New Year's Eve Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for Dec. 29, 2008: http://spaceweather.com

NEW YEAR'S EVE: What a way to end the year. On Dec. 31st, Venus and the slender crescent Moon will gather together high in the southwestern sky for a beautiful conjunction visible for hours after sunset. The two brightest objects in the night sky can be seen through city lights and even fireworks--so everyone can enjoy the show. Meanwhile, closer to the horizon, Mercury and Jupiter are converging for their own Dec. 31st conjunction. This one is not so easy to see, but rewarding for those who make the effort to find the two planets shining through the rosy glow of sunset.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and photos of the converging planets.

BONUS: Is Venus really bright enough to cast shadows? The answer is yes, and the proof may be found on today's edition of Spaceweather.com. A French photographer has captured rare images of Venus casting a shadow and he has even made a movie of the shadow in motion.