November, 2003

Sunday, November 30th, 2003

Return of the Gas Giants

Enough talk about Mars... Jupiter and Saturn are back to reclaim the night sky. These two will wow you in the eyepiece like you never thought possible.

Sunday, November 23rd, 2003

The Moon & The Inner Planets Align

Monday and Tuesday evenings will showcase the Moon with the inner planets, Mercury and Venus. On Monday night, look for the Moon between Mercury and the western horizon shortly after sunset. Then, on Tuesday night, look for the Moon just south of Venus... again about 1/2 hour after sunset. Checkout our Conjunction Pics for views of previous events.

Saturday, November 22nd, 2003

Solar Eclipse in Antarctica Tomorrow

Tomorrow, there will be a Total Eclipse of the Sun. Unfortunately, this rare and beautiful event will only  be visible from Antarctica. Skywatchers in Australia and New Zealand will be able to see a partial eclipse. This gorgeous shot of the June 21, 2001 Total Eclipse of the Sun was made by Mr. Eclipse, Fred Espenak..

Thursday, November 20th, 2003

Here We Go Again. Aurora Watch Tonight!!!

Sunspots #484, #486 & #488 which pelted Earth with CME's a couple of weeks ago have survived their trip around the Sun. They are now moving across the face of the sun again... into position to do it all over again. Sunspot #484 has already launched a small one in our direction that arrived early on Thursday. This CME triggered widespread geomagnetic storms. Skywatchers should be alert for the northern lights throughout the night. Checkout Spaceweather.com for up to the minute info.

Wednesday, November 19th, 2003

Leonid Meteor Shower a Non-Event!

This year's Leonid Meteor Shower turned out to be a sleeper. Here in Park City, only a handful of meteors were spotted streaking across otherwise clear and dark skies. You certainly can't blame us... we were ready. Guess we'll have to hope for better luck next year.

Tuesday, November 18th, 2003

Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight!

This year's Leonid Meteor Shower will be a two part event. Part I involved a small peak on Thursday night (11/13) with skywatchers along the western Pacific being best placed. Part II will peak just after midnight tonight (Tuesday pm/Wednesday am) with skywatchers along the east coast of the United States being favored. Meteor counts could reach 60-100 per hour in some locations. Here in northern Utah, the forecasts are calling for clear skies and meteor counts in the 40-50 range. Checkout Science@NASA for more information.

Wednesday, November 12th, 2003

Disappearing Moon

This spectacular eclipse sequence was taken by Craig Single from the home of Utah Skies subscriber Josh Aversa in West Chester, PA.

Saturday, November 8th, 2003

The Moon Was Eclipsed....By Earth and By Clouds 

This shot was taken moments before totality.. and moments before clouds shut us down :(
Hope your views were spectacular! In case you missed it... checkout this awesome animation by Bob Vanderbei.

Friday, November 7th, 2003

Total Lunar Eclipse Coming Saturday Night!

A total lunar eclipse will occur this coming Saturday night (11/08/03). The event will be visible throughout Europe and North America. Checkout our Lunar Eclipse Gallery for shots of the May 15, 2003 lunar eclipse. Then checkout Science@NASA for info on the upcoming event including times for your area.

Thursday, November 6th, 2003

World's Largest Millimeter Wavelength Telescope Groundbreaking Today

Scientists and dignitaries from Europe, North America and Chile are breaking ground today (Thursday, November 6, 2003) on what will be the world's largest, most sensitive radio telescope operating at millimeter wavelengths. ALMA - the "Atacama Large Millimeter Array" - will be a single instrument composed of 64 high-precision antennas located in the II Region of Chile, in the District of San Pedro de Atacama, at the Chajnantor altiplano, 5,000 metres above sea level. ALMA's primary function will be to observe and image with unprecedented clarity the enigmatic cold regions of the Universe, which are optically dark, yet shine brightly in the millimetre portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Check out the ESO press release for more info...

Wednesday, November 5th, 2003

Voyager Spacecraft Approaching Solar System's Final Frontier

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is about to make history again as the first spacecraft to enter the solar system's final frontier, a vast expanse where wind from the Sun blows hot against thin gas between the stars: interstellar space. However, before it reaches this region, Voyager 1 must pass through the termination shock, a violent zone that is the source of beams of high-energy particles.  Read NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Press Release for more info...

Tuesday, November 4th, 2003

Largest Solar Flare Ever!

The largest solar flare ever recorded was detected by SOHO on November 4th. This came just as things were starting to quiet down after Earth was pounded by a series of big flares that triggered widespread auroral activity. For more information, checkout CNN.com/SPACE.