FLYBY ALERT! Would you like a phone call when the International Space Station (ISS) is about to fly over your back yard? Sign up for Space Weather PHONE. | | | AURORA OUTLOOK: Sky watchers around the Arctic Circle should be alert for auroras on April 25th and 26th. That's when a solar wind stream is due to hit Earth, possibly sparking high-latitude geomagnetic storms: gallery. SUNSPOT ALERT: With little warning, a new double-sunspot is rapidly emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. "It's quite lovely," says Pete Lawrence who sends this picture from his backyard observatory in Selsey, UK: "The [wavy] lines between the spots remind me of iron filings sprinkled onto a piece of paper on top of a bar magnet," he remarks. The comparison is apt. Sunspots are islands of not matter but magnetism floating on the surface of the sun. The dark cores in this particular spot are North and South magnetic poles laid out in the manner of a classroom bar magnet. The only difference is, this bar magnet is five times wider than Earth itself. Readers, if you have a solar telescope, keep an eye on this fast-growing spot. more images: from Malcolm Park of London, England, UK; from Stephen Ames of Hodgenville, KY; from Jan Haltenhof of Kiel, Northern Germany; MOONDUST AND DUCT TAPE: Going to the Moon? Don't forget your duct tape. Thirty-six years ago when Apollo 17 astronauts found themselves a quarter million miles from home with a damaged moonbuggy, a roll of "good old fashioned American gray tape" saved the day: full story. 3D BONUS: Grab your 3D glasses and examine the Apollo 17 moonbuggy: Credit: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Erik van Meijgaarden The fenders, which appear vividly in this 3D representation, were a source of trouble during the Apollo 17 moon landing. Shortly after unloading the rover from its storage compartment in the lunar lander Challenger, astronaut Gene Cernan accidentally snagged one of the rear fenders with a hammer. Half of the fender was torn off and he was forced to make impromptu repairs using "good old-fashioned American gray tape." The movie of Cernan tearing tape from a roll in thick spacesuit gloves is a must-see. April 2008 Aurora Gallery [Aurora Alerts] [Night-sky Cameras] |