In August of 2017 America went crazy for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse on US soil since 1918 and it provided a great opportunity for scientists and all sky watchers. What was referred to as “The Great American Solar Eclipse” took place on August 21st, 2017 when the moon passed between the sun and earth. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but generally cast their shadows over oceans or remote land masses. If you missed the 2017 total solar eclipse or it turned out to be cloudy in your particular area then there will be another opportunity on Monday, April 8th. This time the Moon's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes.
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In August of 2017 America went crazy for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse on US soil since 1918 and it provided a great opportunity for scientists and all sky watchers. What was referred to as “The Great American Solar Eclipse” took place on August 21st, 2017 when the moon passed between the sun and earth. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but generally cast their shadows over oceans or remote land masses. If you missed the 2017 total solar eclipse or it turned out to be cloudy in your particular area then there will be another opportunity in less than thirty days on Monday, April 8th, 2024. This time the Moon's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes.
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In August of 2017 America went crazy for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse on US soil since 1918 and it provided a great opportunity for scientists and all sky watchers. What was referred to as “The Great American Solar Eclipse” took place on August 21st, 2017 when the moon passed between the sun and earth. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but generally cast their shadows over oceans or remote land masses. If you missed the 2017 total solar eclipse or it turned out to be cloudy in your particular area then there will be another opportunity in just under three months from now on Monday, April 8th, 2024. This time the Moon's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes.
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The Geminid meteor shower is visible from mid-November through Christmas, but it typically peaks in mid-December and the best two nights for viewing should be tonight and tomorrow night. The Geminids first became visible from Earth in the mid-1800s and the meteor shower has increased in visibility since then. The Geminids are bright and tend to be yellow in color and are fast movers with a velocity of 22 miles per second. Sky conditions should be quite favorable both tonight and tomorrow night in the Mid-Atlantic region with generally clear skies (albeit quite cold) potentially resulting in more than a hundred meteors visible per hour if based in dark locations.
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The Earth’s upper atmosphere is an interesting place these days and will be impacted in the near-term by a so-called “cannibal” coronal mass ejection (CME). In addition, there is an on-going stratospheric warming event that can have an impact on winter weather conditions across parts of the nation later in the month of December and possibly well into January as well. The incoming CME can result in some communication problems on Friday, December 1st and it certainly can produce northern lights potentially visible all the way down into the middle latitudes. The unfolding stratospheric warming event can increase the chances for cold air outbreaks to make their way this winter season from the higher latitudes to the middle latitudes.
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2024 was already going to be a very interesting year for sun observers in the US with a rare total solar eclipse visible on April 8th. In addition, it now appears that the current solar cycle 25 (SC25) may reach a peak sometime between January and October of next year which is much earlier than previously anticipated. The peak of SC25 may also be stronger and last longer than previously estimates.
This timing change of the maximum phase for the current solar cycle may actually make for an even better viewing experience of the total solar eclipse coming next April to viewers in the US. The reasoning is that a total solar eclipse provides a rare opportunity to view the sun’s outer atmosphere layer known as the corona and a more active sun will likely result in a more active corona. In addition, dazzling displays of the northern lights may become more frequent in coming months. Just this past weekend, two coronal mass ejections hit the Earth’s atmosphere and the double-blow sparked strong geomagnetic storms and auroras as far south as Texas and Colorado.
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Galileo turned his primitive telescope towards Jupiter in the early 1600’s and saw tiny specks of light with no discernable features. What a difference 400+ years can make as today’s backyard telescopes can resolve Europa’s disk surprisingly well. Europa is now considered one of the most complex and fascinating worlds in the solar system. Cracks, ridges, and chaotic terrain on the moon's icy crust may offer access to one of the largest oceans in the solar system--and a possible abode for aquatic life. NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, due to launch one year from now in October 2024, will conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the moon's surface to help plan future missions including a lander and perhaps even a submarine.
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In August of 2017 America went crazy for the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse on US soil since 1918 and it provided a great opportunity for scientists and all sky watchers. What was referred to as “The Great American Solar Eclipse” took place on August 21st, 2017 when the moon passed between the sun and earth. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but generally cast their shadows over oceans or remote land masses. If you missed the 2017 total solar eclipse or it turned out to be cloudy in your particular area then there will be another opportunity in just about six months from now on Monday, April 8th, 2024. This time the Moon's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes.
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On September 1st, 1859, a ferocious solar storm took place that impacted much of the planet. This ferocious solar storm is now known as the “Carrington Event”, named after the British astronomer, Richard Carrington, who witnessed the largest solar flare from his own private observatory which caused a major coronal mass ejection (CME) to travel directly toward Earth. Recent studies of solar storms have warned that these type of “Carrington Events” may not be quite as rare as once thought (e.g., Hayakawa et al). Many previous studies leaned heavily on Western Hemisphere accounts, omitting data from the Eastern Hemisphere. A super storm of the same magnitude as the “Carrington Event” in today’s world would very likely have a much more damaging impact than it did in the 19th century potentially causing widespread power outages along with disruptions to navigation, air travel, banking, and all forms of digital communication.
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When the sun goes down tonight, go outside and look to the east. The moon will be full for the second time this month meaning this will be considered a blue moon. Typically, full moons occur every 29 days, while most months in our calendar last 30 or 31 days, so the months and moon phases don’t always align. This results in a blue moon about every 2.5 years with the last one occurring in August 2021. The full moon will actually reach a peak at 9:36 p.m. ET on the evening of August 30, but will appear full through Friday morning, according to NASA.
In addition to being a blue moon, this full moon can be considered a supermoon. Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and thus appears larger by about 14% than a normal full moon and also brighter in the night sky. The moon will be 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) away from Earth, nearly 18,000 miles (28,968 kilometers) closer than its average distance. The supermoon may have played a role with the landfalling Hurricane Idalia this morning along Florida’s Gulf coast as it enhances tides and worsens storm surge perhaps by a foot or so. Because of the supermoon’s proximity to Earth, its gravity has a stronger effect on the oceans.
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