Fireball Witnessed Over UK 3rd March 2012
Fireball Witnessed Over UK 3rd March 2012
Sky Show: March 2012
The night sky for March 2012 Credit: hubblesite.org
Venus, Jupiter and the Crescent Moon Conjunction 26th February 2012
Tonight, just after sunset, Venus, Jupiter and a thin crescent Moon will line up and form a close thin triangle in the evening sky.
If you have clear skies, this spectacle will almost be impossible to miss after the Sun has set.
See the below diagram for positions of the crescent moon, Venus and Jupiter – They will be an awesome sight!
What Is The International Space Station (ISS)
The International Space Station
The international space station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. It is the latest and largest in a line of previous space stations such as Skylab and Mir.
The ISS is a modular structure and the first module was launched in 1998 and many more modules, trusses, solar arrays and other elements have been added since.
The station is just over 72 m long by just over 108 m wide and 20 m high; it is maintained at an orbital altitude of between 330 km (205 mi) and 410 km (255 mi) it travels at an average speed of 27,724 kilometres (17,227 mi) per hour and completes 15.7 orbits per day. (more…)
Beginners Guide To Aurora
Beginners Guide To Aurora
Credit: Aurora Sky Station
Here is a very quick beginners guide to explaining aurora
Aurora = The Northern (or Southern) lights/ Aurora Borealis/ Australis
Usually seen near the poles of the Earth, but can be seen further South in the UK or USA.
So how and where does it come from?
“Coronal Mass Ejection” = A load of solar material hurled out of the Sun. A big one can contain billions of tons of “plasma”.
Plasma hits Earth’s “magnetosphere” causing “geomagnetic storms” = Aurora, also known as the Northern or Southern lights.
Geomagnetic storms are measured using a scale called the “Planetary Kp index” ranging from 1 to 9. 1 being low and 9 being a very heavy storm.
The higher the Kp index the higher the likelihood of Aurora and the further South it can be seen. 5 = Scotland 8+ Southern England.
Geomagnetic storms and aurora are very unpredictable and forecasts can be very vague, we don’t know the intensity or where the aurora can be seen from until it hits.
Here is a link to NOAA Space Weather Scales
To watch the aurora, you only need your eyes, just like watching meteors or the International Space Station. Look North and low down on the horizon, it may be faint at first.
Solar Flare
