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A "SECRET LAYER"
OF THE SUN: NASA researchers are preparing
to launch an experimental telescope that can see a "secret
layer" of the sun thought to be the birthplace of space weather.
Get the full
story from Science@NASA.
RELENTLESS KASATOCHI:
Nearly a month after the eruption of Alaska's
Kasatochi volcano, the volcanic sunsets continue. Doug Zubenel of
De Soto, Kansas, sends this snapshot taken at the end of the day
on Sept. 4th:
"A cold front moved through our area during the past 24 hrs,
leaving very clear skies at sunset," says Zubenel. "The
aerosols from Kasatochi, however, were in great evidence, painting
the twilight sky pink and orange!"
The message; Get used to it. Kasatochi's stratospheric ash cloud
has circumnavigated the northern hemisphere and might not disperse
for months. When the sun goes down (or comes up) look for subtle
pink waves, dramatic
purple rays and campfire-red
horizons. They won't appear every day, but even a single visit
from Kasatochi can be unforgettable.
more images: from
Jim Werle of Las Vegas, Nevada; from
Jeff Hapeman flying 11,000m over southern Greenland; from
Gary Honis at the Chery Springs Dark Sky Park in Cherry Springs,
Pennsylvania; from
Mark E. Peter of Highland County, Ohio; from
Hugh Helmick of Inyokern, CA; from
Tadd Parris
of Minneapolis, Minnesota
AURORA WATCH: "Last
night's Northern Lights were by far the most incredible I've seen
this year," reports Remi
Boucher in Dawson City, Yukon. "They were bright and moved
very quickly." He took this picture looking straight up:
Similar displays could appear tonight. A solar wind stream is buffeting
Earth's magnetic field, causing intermittent geomagnetic storms.
Sky watchers in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia should be
alert for auroras.
UPDATED: September
2008 Aurora Gallery
[Past Septembers: 2007,
2006, 2005,
2004, 2002,
2001]
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