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NORTHERN LIGHTS:
High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for Northern Lights tonight.
Earth is entering a solar wind stream that could spark geomagnetic
storms around the Arctic Circle. Sensors
in Norway are picking up strong ground currents and this is
a sign that a storm could be in the offing: gallery.
SWEDISH FIREBALL:
A meteoroid of unknown size hit Earth's
atmosphere over Sweden last night (Jan. 17 at 1909 UT) and exploded,
turning the sky "lightning blue and green." Witnesses
say the fireball was brighter than a full moon, casting shadows
and booming like thunder. It was visible from Sweden, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Germany and possibly as far away as Spain. Readers,
if you saw or photographed the event, please submit
a report.
ICE FLOWERS:
Temperatures across much of the United States have plunged to record-low
levels. It's so cold, ice flowers are sprouting from the ground:
"When I went out to get firewood on the morning of Jan. 16th,
I noticed these little luminous beings of ice scattered all around
our yard," says photographer Chyenne
M. Star of Edgemont, Arkansas. "I have never seen them
before - or anywhere in our area."
Scientists have been studying the ice
flower phenomenon for almost two hundred years. Botanists, physicists,
geologists--all have puzzled over the fragile
ribbons of ice that wrap themselves around the stems of some
plants during winter. Over time, the following consensus has emerged:
Liquid water from deep soil flows up into the stems. Linear cracks
in the stems expose the water to freezing air. Water turns to ice,
and the ice extrudes from the cracks in thin sheets: movie.
"It is one of those gifts in the middle of Winter that really
surprises us," says Star. Could more surprises be in the offing?
The chill continues....
more images: from
Richard Reinking of Greenfield, MA
TITAN TRANSIT:
Saturn's rings are almost perfectly edge-on
to Earth and this is giving astronomers a chance to see unaccustomed
things. On Jan. 7th, Christopher
Go of the Philippines photographed one of them--a transit of
Titan:
Titan passes in front of Saturn fairly often, but the transits
are usually hidden from view by Saturn's broad rings. Only when
the rings are edge-on does the giant moon's silhouette reveal itself
to backyard telescopes.
"This type of transit is so rare, the last time it happened
was in 1995," says Go. "After March 12th, the next one
will be in the year 2025. The last four transits of this season
will be on 1/23, 2/8, 2/24 and 3/12. The March 12th transit is the
rarest as it will feature both Titan and it's shadow."
"All of the Titan transits this season are visible only from
the Austral-Asia region of Earth," notes Go. Astrophotographers
in the area, ready your cameras!
more images: from
Roman Breisch of Erdweg, Germany; from
Mark Seibold of Portland, Oregon; from
Stuart Thomson of Melbourne, Australia; from
Stefan Seip of Stuttgart, Germany; from
William Rison of Newburg, Maryland; from
Mike Borman of Evansville, Indiana;
Comet
Lulin Photo Gallery
[sky
map] [Comet
Hunter Telescope]
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