Tonight after sunset (yes, I know, it's already too late for many of you; oops), look low in the sky to the southwest (I know, terribly northern-hemispheri-centric of me -- where the sun just set? look thataway) and you may see an attractive first-magnitude celestial triangle formed by the (apparent, from Earth) convergence of red Mars, blue Spica ( Read more... )

The annual delta Aquarid shower -- best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, but also offering occasional northern viewing opportunities -- is expected to peak tonight, just before dawn. (So, early on Sunday 29 July.) Well, tonight and last night, but barring time travel ( Read more... )

The Interplanetary Magnetic Field (the other IMF)  varies a bit in strength and orientation -- it is not the same in all places or at all times -- but generally tends northward. That works out well for us in general, because when the IMF's orientation is northerly, the field's interaction with the magnetic field of Earth protects us from the solar ( Read more... )

The CME was late, late, late! At about 1800 UT (1400 EDT) it finally hit, according to SpaceWeather.com, which adds ( Read more... )

Aside from Ludvig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Gudtav Holst's The Planets Suite, what astronomically inspired songs or tunes or symphonies come to mind?

I often think of the Cheryl Wheeler / Janis Ian song "Orbiting Jupiter", an eerie, astrologically inspired folk-rock-ballady thing recorded by Wheeler on her album Driving Home and ( Read more... )

After sunset this evening, the crescent Moon will be passing close to the left of the crescent Venus, according to SpaceWeather.com.

This celestial event will be the last time this year the two come so close in the evening sky. The Evening-and-soon-to-be-Morning Star is setting within 1 to 2 hours after sundown for most of us, as the June 5/6 ( Read more... )

The annual eta Aquarid meteor shower is due to peak in the pre-dawn hours of this Sunday, May 6, at a rate of maybe 30 visible meteors per hour. (More might be visible, if not for that night's competing full "super moon ( Read more... )

Result? Above the clouds, above the sky, the ISS no doubt flew by.

But maybe your luck will be better.

If you want to give it a whirl, and don't have one of those nifty apps for Android or iGadgets, then check out the Flybys page on SpaceWeather.com. This is more helpful for folks from the USA or Canada, who can enter their postcode to get a ( Read more... )

The solar wind is picking up. The geomagnetic field is reacting; we are now edging into "storm" territory, with a Kp of 5, one notch short of last night's high of 6 (and two short of the "lucky" 7 that I am hoping to see sometime soon). And! the interplanetary magnetic field (the non-banking IMF) is exhibiting a southward swirl, which means it'll ( Read more... )