Hey Everybody....LOOK UP!Two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are heading toward Earth and they could spark strong geomagnetic storms when they arrive on January 16th-17th. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras. The CMEs were blasted into space by M8- and X2-class explosions above giant sunspot 720 on Jan. 15th.
Space Weather News for January 16, 2005
http://spaceweather.com
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Phase of the Moon on 16 January:
waxing crescent with 44% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Sunday
16 January 2005 Central Standard Time
SUN
Begin civil twilight 7:14 a.m.
Sunrise 7:47 a.m.
Sun transit 12:23 p.m.
Sunset 4:59 p.m.
End civil twilight 5:32 p.m.
MOON
Moonset 11:38 p.m. on preceding day
Moonrise 11:15 a.m.
Moon transit 5:55 p.m.
Moonset 12:49 a.m. on following day
Forecast for tonight is crystal clear skies, with 1/2 Moon setting after midnight for optimal skywatching. Low temp of -16 forecast for Minneapolis.
For the last Aurora, we drove 25 miles north on I-35 and found several spots that offered great views with less light pollution, but the best Auroras occurred after we returned to St. Paul. We viewed them from the bluffs at the top of the High Bridge, a spot I recommend.
Other cool Aurora sites:
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/AnimateN.html(the little red arrow indicates NOON)
For current Aurora reports:
http://www.spacew.com/www/auroras.phpFor some *GREAT* pictures, links, and spotting advice:
Must Visit this LinkHappy Sky Watching!