Sorry I'm late with this one, but some in North America might be able to catch it.

Space Weather News for March 25, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

SUNSET SKY SHOW: A month ago, Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon aligned beautifully for evening sky watchers around the world. Tonight it's happening again. On March 25th and 26th, the three will form a bright celestial triangle in the western sky at sunset. Check [spaceweather.com] for photos and observing tips.

I noticed it about 21:00 GMT tonight. The crescent moon was between the 'stars', towards the top 'star'. I am presuming that the brighter 'star' is Venus.

. Ivor



The original and real cat with the swishy tail.
Accept no imitations.

I think that's right, Ive. Glad you got to see it. I have to remember to look for it tonight.

NASA Science News for March 28, 2012

Is it snowing microbes on Enceladus? The idea might not be so far-fetched, say researchers, as evidence mounts for a "uniquely accessible" habitable zone on Saturn's icy moon.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

Space Weather News for March 29, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

SUNSPOT SET TO RETURN: Sunspot AR1429, the source of many strong flares and geomagnetic storms earlier this month, is about to re-appear following a two-week trip around the backside of the sun. Although the sunspot has probably decayed since its heyday, there are signs that it might still be a potent source of solar activity.

Check [spaceweather.com] for images and updates as AR1429 rotates into view during the next ~24 hours.

NASA Science News for April 2, 2012

This week, Venus and the Pleiades star cluster will meet in the evening sky for a rare and beautiful conjunction.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

I'm way behind on these.

NASA Science News for April 13, 2012

One year after the historic tornado outbreak of April 27-28, 2011, researchers say they've learned a few things about deadly twisters. Today's story from Science@NASA presents some of the scientific findings that emerged from the swath of destruction.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

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NASA Science News for April 18, 2012

Astronomers and astronauts are joining forces for an unusual astrophotography experiment during the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower on April 21st.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

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NASA Science News for April 19, 2012

In a unusual twist on space science, students in California have launched a rubber chicken to the edge of space to study a solar storm.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

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Space Weather News for April 23, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

SIERRA FIREBALL DECODED: An explosion over California that rattled homes across at least two states on Sunday, April 22nd, has been analyzed by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office: It was a natural meteoroid the size of a mini-van. Analysts say the space rock exploded in the atmosphere with an energy equal to nearly 4 kilotons of TNT and might have sprayed the Sierra Nevada mountains with meteorites. Visit [spaceweather.com] for more information.

AURORA WATCH: At the time this alert is being written on April 23rd, a minor geomagnetic storm is underway. The storm is likely due to Earth's passage through the wake of a CME that swept past our planet earlier in the day. Sign up for aurora alerts at [spaceweathertext.com] (text) or [spaceweatherphone.com] (voice).

NASA Science News for May 2, 2012

The full Moon of May 5-6, 2012, is a perigee moon, as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]
VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

Space Weather News for May 3, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

Earth is entering a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, source of the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. The shower peaks this weekend on May 5th and 6th. Glare from a perigee full Moon--a "Super Moon"--will interfere with the display. Nevertheless, observers especially in the southern hemisphere could still see dozens of meteors during the hours before local sunrise on May 6th.

More information about the shower and live audio from a meteor radar may be found on [spaceweather.com]

NASA Science News for May 8, 2012

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" beyond our solar system for the first time.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

Space Weather News for May 9, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

RADIO-ACTIVE SUNSPOT: Huge sunspot AR1476 is crackling with M-class solar flares and appears to be on the verge of producing something even stronger. The sunspot's 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field harbors energy for X-class flares, the most powerful kind. Radio operators are recording strong bursts of shortwave static from the sunspot as it turns toward Earth. Visit [spaceweather.com] for sample recordings and forecasts.

SUNSPOT TELESCOPE: AR1476 looks magnificent through a properly-filtered telescope. Explore Scientific's White Light Solar Observing System is perfect for sunspot watching, and it's available now in the Space Weather Store: [www.shopspaceweather.com]

Space Weather News for May 14, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

SOLAR TRANSIT: A photographer in France has caught China's experimental space station, the Tiangong-1, passing directly in front of the sun. The photo shows the winged spacecraft backlit by hot plasma as it flits across the solar disk in the neighborhood of giant sunspot AR1476. Check it out on today's edition of [spaceweather.com].

TIANGONG-1 SIGHTINGS: The Tiangong-1 is much smaller than the International Space Station. Nevertheless, it can be seen with the naked eye shining in the night sky as brightly as the stars of the Big Dipper. Download the Simple Flybys app for sighting opportunities in your neighborhood: [simpleflybys.com]

NASA Science News for May 15, 2012

On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing an annular solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth from China to the United States.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for May 16, 2012

NASA has just released a new count of asteroids that come close to the orbit of Earth and could survive entry through our planet's atmosphere. The data, gathered by an infrared space telescope named WISE, reveal important new information about the origin and make-up of these potentially hazardous space rocks.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

NASA Science News for May 18, 2012

It won't happen again until December 2117. On June 5th, 2012, Venus will transit the face of the sun. The best places to watch are in the mid-Pacific, but travel is not required. The historic event is widely visible around the world, including at sunset from the USA.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]
VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

Space Weather News for May 18, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE: On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing a "ring of fire" solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth from China to the United States. Observing tips, visibility maps, and links to live webcasts may be found at [spaceweather.com].

GET READY FOR THE TRANSIT OF VENUS: Explore Scientific's White Light Solar Observing System offers a great view of sunspots, eclipses, and once-in-a-lifetime planetary transits. It's available now in the Space Weather Store: [www.shopspaceweather.com]

Space Weather News for May 24, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

DRAGON RENDEZVOUS: As SpaceX's Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station for a historic docking on May 25th, amateur astronomers have been taking pictures of the two spaceships converging. Their photos and more information about the Dragon-ISS rendezvous are highlighted on today's edition of [spaceweather.com]

NASA Science News for May 28, 2012

On Monday, June 4th, the Moon will pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a partial lunar eclipse visible across the Pacific from China to the United States.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for May 31, 2012

NASA astronomers announced today they can now predict with certainty the next major cosmic event to affect our galaxy, sun, and solar system: the titanic collision of our Milky Way galaxy with neighboring Andromeda.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

NASA Science News for May 31, 2012

High above Earth, astronaut Don Pettit is about to become the first human to witness and photograph a transit of Venus from space. His images and commentary will be streamed to Earth during the crossing.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for June 2, 2012

What's the best reason to observe the 2012 Transit of Venus? It could be history. Today's story from Science@NASA recounts one explorer's role in "the Apollo program of the 18th Century."

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

RELATED VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

Space Weather News for Sunday, June 3rd
[spaceweather.com]

LUNAR ECLIPSE: On June 4th, the full Moon will pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a partial lunar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of our planet. The eclipse zone stretches from east Asia to central parts of North America. In the United States, the event is visible during the hours before sunrise on Monday morning.

Check [spaceweather.com] for more information and updates.

NASA Science News for June 4, 2012

Astronomers hope to glimpse a "ring of fire" around Venus during its historic transit across the sun on June 5-6. The apparition, if it is seen, could help crack some of the deepest mysteries of the second planet.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

RELATED VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

Space Weather News for June 5, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

TRANSIT OF VENUS: The historic 2012 Transit of Venus commences today, June 5th, at 3:09 pm Pacific Daylight Time (22:09 UT). Spaceweather.com is covering the event with observing tips, a real-time photo gallery, and links to live webcasts from around the world. Extraordinary photos of Venus taken during the hours leading up to the transit are also featured on today's edition of [spaceweather.com] .

SOLAR WIND: A stream of high-speed solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field, stirring geomagnetic activity around the poles. NOAA forecasters estimate a better-than-even chance of high-latitude geomagnetic storms during the next 24 hours. Aurora alerts are available from [spaceweathertext.com] (text) and [spaceweatherphone.com] (voice).

Haven't posted these for awhile...


NASA Science News for June 8, 2012

Scientists have made a biological discovery in Arctic Ocean waters as unexpected as finding a rainforest in the middle of a desert.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]


NASA Science News for June 11, 2012

NASA has narrowed the landing zone for Mars rover Curiosity, which is due to reach the Red Planet in August. The rover will touch down closer to its science target, but also closer to the foot of a mountain slope that poses a landing hazard.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]



NASA Science News for June 15, 2012

A question has been troubling astronomers: Why won't the supernova explode? While real stars blow up, computer models of massive dying stars do not result in much of a bang. NASA has launched a new observatory named "NuSTAR" to seek out the missing physics of stellar explosions.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]



Space Weather News for June 17, 2012
[spaceweather.com]

As predicted, a double CME hit Earth's magnetic field on June 16th. The impact strongly compressed Earth's magnetosphere, exposing geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma and sparking more than 24 hours of geomagnetic storms. (The storms are still in progress as this alert is being written during the middle hours of June 17th.) In the United States, Northern Lights have descended as far south as Wisconsin, Washington, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. Southern hemisphere observers are also reporting colorful aurora australis. Check [spaceweather.com] for photos and updates.

NASA Science News for June 20, 2012

According to data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in Shackleton crater at the Moon's south pole.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

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NASA Science News for June 22, 2012

At the edge of the solar system, Voyager 1 is reporting a sharp increase in cosmic rays that could herald the spacecraft's long-awaited breakthrough into interstellar space.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]
VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for June 28, 2012

Working in tandem, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Swift satellite have caught a distant star blasting one of its own planets with a powerful stellar flare. The eruption stripped thousands of tons of material from the planet's atmosphere.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

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NASA Science News for June 28, 2012

Saturn's giant moon Titan appears to have an underground ocean of liquid water, according to a newly-released analysis of data from NASA's Cassini probe.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

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NASA Science News for June 29, 2012

A NASA-sponsored researcher has developed a way for spacecraft to hunt down hidden magnetic portals in the vicinity of Earth. These gateways link the magnetic field of our planet to that of the sun, setting the stage for stormy space weather.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]
VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for July 13, 2012

While scanning the Pluto system for possible hazards to the approaching New Horizons spacecraft, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a fifth moon orbiting the dwarf planet.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

RELATED VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]

NASA Science News for July 16, 2012

As Curiosity nears Mars for a daring landing on August 5/6, NASA has released a suite of video games and virtual experiences for members of the general public who wish to follow the massive rover across the sands of the Red Planet.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

NASA Science News for July 18, 2012

More than 8 years after landing on the Red Planet, Mars rover Opportunity is still running. Indeed, mission planners say the tireless robot is poised to complete a full marathon--the first ever long-distance race on an alien planet.

FULL STORY: [science.nasa.gov]

VIDEO: [www.youtube.com]