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Showing posts with label celestial happenings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celestial happenings. Show all posts

May 25, 2010

US Air Force space plane X-37B sighted

Space Weather News for May 25, 2010

X-37B SIGHTINGS: Amateur satellite watchers have spotted a US Air Force space plane similar in appearance to NASA's space shuttle circling Earth in a heretofore secret orbit. Known as the "X-37B," it can be seen in the night sky shining about as brightly as the stars of the Big Dipper.

Flyby predictions and more information may be found @ SpaceWeather News.

Would you like to turn your iPhone into an X-37B tracker? There's an app for that: simpleflybys.

AURORA WATCH: A magnetic filament on the sun erupted yesterday (May 24), and the blast hurled a coronal mass ejection in the general direction of Earth. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras around May 27 when the advancing cloud is likely to deal a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for more details.

May 14, 2010

View a 3D movie of the ISS! (no special glasses needed)

May 14 - 16, 2010 will be a good weekend to look up!

Space Weather News for May 14, 2010

Today's edition of SpaceWeather News features a remarkable 3D movie of the International Space Station (ISS) recorded by French astrophotographer Thierry Legault. No special glasses are required to see the ISS pop out of your screen in amazing detail.

The movie will whet your appetite for a weekend of bright spaceships and planets.

On Friday, May 14 at 2:20 pm EDT, space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on its final voyage to the ISS. An on-time liftoff would set the stage for an incredible sky show. On Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16, many observers will be able to see Atlantis and the ISS flying past Venus and the crescent Moon in the evening sky.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for sky maps and more information. Seeing the ISS is easy if you know when to look.

Sign up for SpaceWeather PHONE and we will call you when the space station is about to fly over your hometown.

Oct 10, 2009

Listen to 'Heaven' ~video~Brett Dennen



Just so the video is nearby when I want to hear Brett Dennen's Heaven, here it is for you with a photo slideshow. Mr. Dennen and his band were transcendent on The Late Show Friday evening with David Letterman spotlighting them.

Heavenly Voice

The singer sights emotional waters yet they are navigated successfully by an oar of a higher perspective than one usually encounters during daily or nightly rounds - with or without music.

So what a lovely surprise to discover Mr. Dennen's unique voice which fits the song Heaven like a harmonized round of He's Got the Whole World in His Hand.

He does, you know. The tension between Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (limitation) holds the planets in their courses every nano-second. This phenomenon is aka, Thy rod (Saturn) and Thy staff (Jupiter) they comfort me. In His Hands. The perfect balance to support life on our planet as we know it.

So please watch the video where you can listen to Mr. Dennen who has something honest to say about a core issue for us all. Give the tune a sampling (4 mins.) And if you know what I mean because you've heard Heaven before...then am I preaching to the choir?

Apr 14, 2009

NASA's STEREO looking for ancient planet remains near Earth

NASA's twin STEREO solar observatories are entering a mysterious region of space to search for an ancient planet that once orbited our Sun and which may have collided with Earth and formed our lovely Moon.

Now I admit to a deep preference for the Biblical account - that our Moon was created to give us a lantern during what would have been very dark nights without our Luna, but the article and probe's mission are very interesting all the same.

Even 'Lagrange points' (an astrological term as well) are part of STEREO's search.

In fact, the 'ancient planet collision forms Moon' scenario echoes what some astrologers have said for years concerning possibilities such as a 'missing moon' or a point such as a 'Dark Moon' and other mystery planet potentials. Plus, 'Dark Moon Lilith' and 'Dark Moon w'mat2' come to mind as well.

Scientists think that STEREO's search may turn up remains from what they're calling 'Theia,' a proto-planet whose remains are referred to as 'Theiasteroids.'

And you can help find Theiasteroids by scrutinizing photos from STEREO as they come in!

So check out the STEREO article for tantalizing possibilities.

~:~

No, I'd never heard of hypothetical planet 'Theia' when I rendered Thea identifying with her mask in 2007 for if I had, her name might have been spelled differently! (Please click past the adult content warning if you're age 17+.)

Feb 23, 2009

Comet Lulin and Saturn hooked-up and visible!

The Great Cosmic Coincidence of Feb 24, 2009


Space Weather News for Feb 23, 2009

COSMIC COINCIDENCE: What are the odds? On Tuesday, Feb 24, Saturn and Comet Lulin will converge in the constellation Leo only 2 degrees apart. At the same time, Comet Lulin will be making its closest approach to Earth--the comet at its best!-- while four of Saturn's moons transit the disk of the ringed planet in view of backyard telescopes.

Oh, and the Moon will be New, providing dark skies for anyone who wishes to see the show.The best time to look is around 1 am Tuesday morning (your local time) when the planet-comet combo ascend high in the southern sky.

To the unaided eye, Comet Lulin looks like a faint patch of gas floating next to golden Saturn. Point your backyard telescope at that patch and you will see a lovely green comet with a double tail.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for full coverage including photos, sky maps, and a live webcast.

~:~

'Golden Saturn'!! With my four natal planets ruled by Saturn, I'm suitably behooved to hear the Old Man described so glowingly especially since he has a rather bad rap sheet.

And you know that in the tropical zodiac, which applies for most of us western astrologers, the Lulin-Saturn hook-up is occurring in Virgo, but be that as it may, I have hopes of nabbing a peek at them at 1:00 am est in the morning.

Most comets I've been able to view from my deck, so I figure no matter how cold it is, I can mosey out there and give it a go!

Feb 9, 2009

Feb 9 2009's 'dusky' Lunar Eclipse + Comet Lulin

Space Weather News for Feb 8, 2009

DUSKY LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Monday, Feb 9, the full Moon will pass through the outskirts of Earth's shadow, producing a penumbral lunar eclipse. The event will be visible to the naked eye as a dusky shading of the northern half of the Moon. Maximum eclipse occurs between the hours of 1400 and 1520 UT (6:00 am - 7:20 am PST).

The timing favors observers in east Asia, Australia, Hawaii and western parts of North America.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for a visibility map, animations, and more information.

COMET LULIN UPDATE: The plasma tail of Comet Lulin, torn off by a solar wind gust on Feb 4, has already grown back. Also, observers in dark-sky locations report that the comet is now visible to the naked eye as a pale "fuzzy patch" in the constellation Libra before dawn.

The comet is brightening as it approaches Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter on Feb 24. See the latest images in the Comet Lulin Photo Gallery.

~:~

Speaking of Australia, my heart and best wishes for your safety go out to my friends in Australia, astrology and otherwise, on the worst wild fires in Australian history. And if there are culprits to catch, I hope you catch them! jc

Jan 23, 2009

'Ring of Fire' Eclipse Jan 26, 2009

Space Weather News for Jan 23, 2009

SOLAR ECLIPSE: On Monday, Jan 26, the Moon will pass in front of the sun producing an annular "ring of fire" eclipse. This is not a total eclipse; the Moon will cover only 93% of the sun's surface.

Nevertheless, the Moon's dead-center transit across the solar disk will produce a sight of rare beauty for observers along the "path of annularity."

Best views are to be had from islands in Indonesia where the ring of fire will appear to sink into the ocean at sunset. Meanwhile, in Australia, southeast Asia, southern parts of India and South Africa, observers will experience an off-center partial eclipse. Crescent-shaped sunbeams will dapple the ground while high overhead the Moon takes a curved bite out of the sun.

Please visit SpaceWeather.com for eclipse maps, timetables and photos.

BLUE-SKY FIREBALL: Last week a meteoroid of unknown size hit Earth's atmosphere over Denmark and exploded with a flash so bright it turned the night time sky day time blue.

A video of the remarkable fireball and eye-witness reports may be found at Spaceweather's fireball sighting page. #

Oh dear. And I've been calling Monday's Eclipse the 'New President' Eclipse for obvious reasons. But he is kind of inside a ring of fire, isn't he?

Dec 1, 2008

Moon-Venus-Jupiter photos from Pakistan

Thanks to SpaceWeather.com, I have found my two favorite images of the Dec 1's triple conjunction of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.

Ramiz Qureshi took these photos in Karachi, Pakistan, and said it was "like a great face in the sky."

Check out Ramiz's photos: it is, and it's smiling at the stressed out planet Earth!

Nov 26, 2008

Venus and Jupiter hook-up: the video!


Zeeks! Check out this time-lapse video of Venus and Jupiter in the house of Capricorn! Recorded Nov 25, 2008.

Don't forget their show in the wee hours of Nov 30/Dec 1 as the Moon joins Lady Venus and Guru Jupiter with both planets considered benefic in Astrology.

The world could use a dose of happiness about now!

Aug 15, 2008

Lunar Eclipse weekend's Eclipse Cam!

Space Weather News for Aug 15, 2008

LUNAR ECLIPSE: This Saturday, August 16th, people on every continent *except* North America can see a lunar eclipse. At maximum, around 2110 UT (5:10 pm EDT), more than 81% of the Moon will be inside Earth's shadow, producing a vivid red orb in the night sky visible to the naked eye even from light-polluted cities. The entire eclipse lasts more than 3 hours, so there's plenty of time for gazing, drinking coffee, and taking pictures.

North Americans can watch the eclipse via live webcast beginning 3:30 pm EDT on Saturday afternoon. Eclipse-cam links may be found, along with time tables, visibility maps, and eclipse photo galleries, at SpaceWeather.com.

PERSEID RECAP: The Perseid meteor shower peaked on August 13th with maximum rates exceeding 130 meteors per hour. Despite interference from the bright Moon, it was arguably the best Perseid show in years. Browse the gallery starting here.

Aug 5, 2008

Perseids + Aug 1 Solar Eclipse photos

Space Weather News for August 5, 2008

COUNTDOWN TO THE PERSEIDS: The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks one week from today, on Tuesday, August 12th. The best time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday morning when forecasters expect 50 to 100 meteors per hour. Get away from city lights if you can; plan a camping trip! The darker the sky, the more meteors you will see.

The source of the Perseids is Comet Swift-Tuttle, which has littered the August portion of Earth's orbit with space dust. The dusty zone is broad and Earth is already in its outskirts. As a result, even before the peak on August 12th, you may see some "early Perseids" streaking across the night sky.

Photos of these early arrivals will be featured in the days ahead on SpaceWeather.com as part of our full coverage of the Perseid meteor shower.

BONUS: Last Friday's total solar eclipse is history, but new pictures continue to appear in our photo gallery. Start browsing our Eclipse photo gallery!

Jul 17, 2008

Jupiter, the Moon, and ISS flybys

Space Weather News for July 16 and 17, 2008

PRETTY SKY ALERT: The brightest lights in the night sky are having a get-together. On July 16th and 17th, Jupiter and the nearly-full Moon will be side-by-side in the constellation Sagittarius. The pair rise in the southeast just after nightfall and remain visible all night long.

That's not all: The International Space Station is making a series of evening passes over Europe and North America and it will join Jupiter and the Moon over many towns and cities.

Check the Simple Satellite Tracker to find out when to look: Flybys!

COLLIDING STORM UPDATE: Earlier this month, Jupiter's Little Red Spot got caught between two larger storms (the Great Red Spot and Oval BA), and the Little Red Spot was destroyed. Or was it?

New amateur photos of Jupiter show that the Little Red Spot may be re-forming. Not only that, it seems to be drifting back toward the Great Red Spot for a second collision.

Updates will be posted on SpaceWeather.com as the storms converge anew.

Jun 20, 2008

Summer Solstice and Noctilucents

Space Weather News for June 20, 2008


SUMMER SOLSTICE: Northern summer and southern winter begin today, June 20th, at precisely 23:59 UT (7:59 pm EDT) when the sun ascends to its highest latitude on the celestial sphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, we have the longest day and shortest night of the year, and the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere. The seasons are changing--Happy Solstice!

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Summer is the season for noctilucent clouds and this morning, right on cue, a wave of bright NLCs rolled over the British Isles. Observers in Scotland and Northern Ireland report luminous tendrils of electric blue bright enough to attract the attention of casual passersby.

These glow-in-the-dark clouds are a 100+ year old mystery under investigation now by NASA's AIM spacecraft. Originally confined to arctic latitudes, NLCs have spread in recent years with sightings in the United States as far south as Utah and Colorado.

Check today's edition of SpaceWeather.com for observing tips and the latest photos.#

Astrologically, you'll find this evening's 2008 Summer Solstice chart info by scrolling below to June 18 where there's a link to the Solstice chart with details on my Jude's Threshold blog, if you so wish.

Jun 11, 2008

A somewhat tardy newsletter but still pertinent including this Friday-the-13th, with raspberries going to Jacques DeMolay for the tangle and bother of superstition surrounding the number 13:

Space Weather News for June 10, 2008


DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Wednesday morning, June 11th, at 7:42 am EDT. This means many sky watchers will be able to see the two spaceships flying in tandem, separate but closely-spaced points of light, gliding among the stars on Wednesday night.

Double flybys will continue on Thursday the 12th and to a lesser extent on Friday the 13th, with Discovery returning to Earth on Saturday. Southeastern parts of the United States (e.g., Miami and Atlanta) are favored with some particularly good apparitions.

Check our Simple Flybys tool to find out when you should look: SpaceWeather flybys

MARSWORM: Meanwhile on Mars, Phoenix has photographed a worm-shaped object near one of its feet. No, it is not a Marsworm.

Visit SpaceWeather to find out what really lies at Phoenix's feet and to view the latest 3D images from the Red Planet. #

~~:~~

Interesting! but I may know the identity of the 'MarsWorm' that's been spied...you may have noticed him lurking about the White House lo these many years dropping bombs, destroying the peace, and breaking every treaty he meets with devil-may-care abandon; and, it seems, worshiping Mars, the god of war.

And he speaks as if he longs for Mars' red shores.

Sound familiar? Have you seen this man? Dennis Kucinich has. Hope he socks it to the GOP (and their enablers) before the November elections.

More lessons for proud America!

May 18, 2008

Space Station flybys or watch the movie!

Space Weather News for 18 May 18, 2008


ISS MARATHON: The 2008 "ISS Marathon" gets underway this week when the International Space Station spends three days (May 21-23) in almost-constant sunlight. Sky watchers in Europe and North America can see the bright spaceship gliding overhead two to four times each night.

The ISS is as bright as Venus or Jupiter, so even people in light-polluted cities can see it. Please use our new and improved simple Satellite Tracker to find out when to look:

SpaceWeather flybys

SPACE STATION MOVIE: Today's edition of spaceweather.com features a must-see movie of the International Space Station flying over Germany on May 12. Although it looks like footage from a satellite or high-powered telescope, the movie was made by an amateur astronomer using a backyard 5-inch refractor.

As a result of ongoing construction (every shuttle flight in recent months has added a new piece to the ISS), the space station is now a wide and easy target for amateur-class telescopes.

Catch the show at SpaceWeather.com

May 8, 2008

Noctilucents!

Space Weather News for May 7, 2008


NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: On May 5th, experienced sky watchers in Northern Ireland were surprised by a sudden apparition of electric-blue noctilucent clouds (NLCs). This marks an unusually early beginning to the 2008 NLC season and may herald a spectacular summer of high-latitude "night shining" clouds.

NLCs first appeared in the 19th century mainly around Earth's poles. Since then, for reasons unknown, they have increased in number and range, with sightings in recent years as far south as Utah and Colorado. Visit SpaceWeather.com to see the first photos of 2008 and to learn what to look for in case NLCs visit your part of the world in the nights ahead.

NLC ALERTS: During summer months, subscribers to our Spaceweather PHONE service are alerted whenever bright noctilucent displays are underway.

Sign up at SpaceWeather Phone.

May 5, 2008

Aquarid meteors, the Moon, and the Dem nominee

Oops! this alert is a day late, but timely for Tuesday--

Space Weather News for May 4, 2008

ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER: If you see a meteor flit across the sky tonight, it could be a piece of Halley's Comet. Earth is crossing a stream of dusty debris from Halley and this is causing the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Sky watchers in the tropics and southern hemisphere (where the shower is most intense) could see as many as 70 meteors per hour during the dark hours before dawn on Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6.

The show is diminished at northern latitudes where rates may be 15 meteors per hour or less. Check SpaceWeather.com for sky maps and more information.

MERCURY AND THE MOON: Innermost planet Mercury is emerging from the glare of the sun and putting on its best show of the year. A good time to look is Tuesday evening, May 6, just after sunset when the crescent Moon glides by Mercury in the darkening western sky.

A sky map and photos are available at SpaceWeather.#

~~:~~

With today's New Moon in Taurus (15:22) on the downside by Tuesday, a new cycle of activity is underway and will culminate with the Full Moon of May 19, 29Sco27.

And May 19's Full Moon is at the same degree as Jan 2009's Inaugural Moon, so perhaps Dem nominee results will be known or decided by then, although June has been mentioned in this regard.

Is it possible that someone will know the nom's identity in May, but not spill the beans until June? Timing really is everything, just ask Astrology.

Will Tuesday's 'Primary' Moon (a woman) "glide by" Mercury, the orator, inside the voting booths of Indiana and North Carolina's "darkened skies"?

Stay tuned "just after sunset" to find out--and look up, m'peops, look up!

Apr 30, 2008

European Man, Ferguson + Solar Flares

Space Weather News for April 27, 2008

All items: SpaceWeather.com

STRANGE SOLAR FLARE: No sunspots? No problem. Yesterday the blank sun unleashed a solar flare without the usual aid of a sunspot.

At 1408 UT on April 26th, Earth-orbiting satellites detected a surge of X-rays registering B3.8 on the "Richter scale" of solar flares. That's a relatively minor flare; nevertheless, the blast sent a "solar tsunami" shock wave rippling through the sun's atmosphere and also launched a coronal mass ejection. The CME is expected to reach Earth late on April 28th or April 29th, possibly sparking high latitude auroras when it arrives. Visit SpaceWeather to view images, movies and updates.

Would you like to be alerted when geomagnetic storms erupt? Sign up for Spaceweather PHONE: SpaceWeather Phone #


~:~

And with my tiresome tendency to see As above, so below correlations, I'd say somebody is feelin' his oats this week.

Is someone flaring only to flame out? Is Obama's "Star falling" as is being blogged all over.

Or is this unusual flare descriptive of TV's Craig Ferguson livin' large in America while perpetrating his American Dream along with the best imitation of Prince Charles ever devised by man? It's spot on! And horses horses horses do like their oats, don't they?

And then there's...

The "A Man Unmasked" degree of the current season of Solar Eclipses, the one from early February, 2008, keeps on giving.

We've seen a few varmints unmasked, all right, but we hardly care--we've become as they planned--besotted and benumbed from constant exposure to their perfidies and scandals, and fretting over the troubles under our own noses. Snot to the oppressor!

Such is America. But that's not all she is. And I'm grateful for that.

Oh! and Craig...I speak for many when I say that we didn't want you to host the White House Correspondents' Dinner so you could make 'friends in Washington.' Was a line crossed that night?

You seem to have slept with the enemy and pronounced her good. S'up? Payback for fast-tracked Am-citizenship?

Don't care, I'm just asking. And I'm glad you're here actually. For you do so amuse.

Dec 29, 2007

See emerald-colored Comet Tuttle!

Space Weather News for Dec. 29, 2007

After a 13.6 year absence, Comet 8P/Tuttle is once again traveling through the inner solar system. On Jan 1 and 2, 2008, it makes its closest approach to Earth--only 24 million miles away. The emerald-colored comet will brighten to a predicted magnitude of 5.8, visible to the unaided eye from dark-sky sites and a fine target for backyard telescopes anywhere.

Two nights before closest approach, on Dec 30 and 31, something extraordinary will happen: Comet 8P/Tuttle has a beautiful close encounter with spiral galaxy M33. The comet and the galaxy may even overlap! This is a can't-miss opportunity for astrophotographers around the world.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.#

Emerald green? Very groovy! and since campaign "debates" got no rebuttal, give them up and look for Tuttle!

Dec 12, 2007

Phaethon and the Geminid meteor shower

Space Weather News for Dec. 12, 2007

Earth has entered a stream of dusty debris from asteroid 3200Phaethon and, as a result, the annual Geminid meteor shower is underway. Sky watchers around the world are reporting a slow drizzle of late-night meteors at least as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper.

The best is yet to come: Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Friday, Dec 14th. No matter where you live, watch the sky between local midnight and dawn; people outdoors before sunrise on Friday could see dozens to hundreds of shooting stars. Depending on the details of Earth's encounter with Phaethon's debris stream, the shower could continue into the weekend as well.

Visit SpaceWeather.com for updates and full coverage including sky maps, photos and eye-witness reports.#


Okay, that's astronomy...now for a smidge of astrology to go with it:

Asteroid Phaethon is associated with fated events and is similar in influence to flying-too-high Icarus (an asteroid which is sometimes active in assassinations among other things--yet Lebanon has just had another of those, sad to say, with its endless cycle of retaliation and revenge leading only to more violence.)

Phaethon has its heliocentric North Node at 25Sag--quite near the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto on Tuesday, Dec 11 (28Sag+.) And of course they are still within orb of conjunction with Jupiter's expansion and Pluto's deepening beginning a new 13-year cycle of politics, plutocracy, and powermongering.

Whoop-de-doo.