Pennsylvania's little-known, but much-beloved (by amateur astronomers) Cherry Springs State Park has been named an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. It is only the second park to win that honor. The first (last year) was Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah.

The best thing about Cherry Springs is that it is so far east, perhaps the last best refuge of the natural night sky east of the Mississippi. Almost everywhere else, Baltimore included, urban light pollution has washed out the star-choked night sky that our ancestors knew so well. Few of today's children have ever seen what the night sky really looks like. Ask your kids of they have ever seen the Milky Way. Ask yourself.

While it's not exactly an easy day trip for Marylanders, Cherry Springs is only a five-hour car ride away, in north-central Pa. And there's plenty to do once you get there, even with that pesky sun in the sky. And once night falls, the view on a clear night is stupendous. And the park folks have worked hard for years to keep it that way. It's a real astro-tourist draw. The photo of the Milky Way at left was shot by Jeff Ball at Cherry Springs. A long exposure exaggerates its beauty, but you won't be disappointed.

Here's the full release on the new dark-sky kudos for Cherry Springs Park:

Continue reading "Pa. park wins "dark sky" designation" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Okay, Space Cadets, this is an iffy one. The International Space Station will fly high (like, 240 miles high) over Lake Superior tonight, then southeast over New York City and out to sea. That's easily close enough to be seen from the Baltimore area if the weather cooperates.

The forecast isn't great - mostly cloudy and a chance of thunderstorms.  But hey, we might get lucky. It's a nice pass and well worth looking for if we're not totally socked in. Remember - the ISS just got a big new module, delivered from Japan to orbit courtesy of the space shuttle Discovery, which remains docked to the station. That means the whole gigantic Tinker Toy assembly is brighter than ever as sunlight reflects off all that added surface area. So it may even be visible through haze and thin clouds.

Here's the skinny: Watch for the space station to rise out of the northwestern sky, rising above the horizon at about 9:59 p.m.  Look for a really bright, steady, star-like object. If it blinks or has multiple or colored lights, it's an airplane. Keep looking. Better yet, take a kid along. Young eyes are great at this.

By 10:02 p.m. the station will be 56 degrees above the north-northeast horizon - more than halfway between the horizon and the zenith (straight up).

From there it will slip off toward the east, passing just above the bright star Vega, apex of the Summer Triangle. ISS, Discovery and their combined crew of 10 will then slip into the Earth's shadow and disappear from view at 10:03 p.m.

If you miss this pass, or we get clouded out, there are two more almost-as-bright flybys this weekend, and the weather looks more promising. We'll have details on The Sun's print Weather Page Saturday and Sunday. (Also available at MarylandWeather.com).  And, you can calculate your own ISS flyby predictions for your location at Heavens-Above.com,  source of the map below.

See you out there.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Marylanders should have a decent and improving chance to see the International Space Station Thursday and Saturday evenings as skies begin to clear up in the wake of the latest round of May rain showers. Grab the kids, the neighbors, the neighbors' kids, and amaze them all with your knowledge of the night sky.

The first good opportunity will come Thursday evening as the ISS makes its way along an orbit taking it about 240 miles over New Orleans, Baltimore and Nova Scotia. The forecast here calls for partly cloudy skies. But the station will be reflecting plenty of sunlight, and should be bright enough to spot, even if you have to catch it between the clouds, or through thin clouds, or amid urban light pollution.

Watch for a bright, star-like object rising above the southwestern horizon at 9:30 p.m. If it's blinking, or sports colored or multiple lights it's an airplane. Keep looking. Skipping along at 17,500 mph, the ISS will climb past the closely-paired planet Saturn and bright star Regulus, in the constellation Leo. It will rise 75 degrees above the northwestern horizon at its highest by 9:32 p.m.. That's almost directly overhead as seen from Baltimore.

From there the station and its crew will pass directly "through" the stars of the Big Dipper, and head off toward the Northeast, disappearing at 9:35 p.m.

Saturday's flyby will follow a very closely parallel orbit, tracking north and east up the East Coast of the United States.

The forecast is better than Thursday's. Watch for it rising again above the southwestern horizon - this time at 8:39 p.m. It will pass midway between Saturn and Mars and zip once again through the stars of the Big Dipper at about 8:43 p.m. Then it will fly off toward the northeast, disappearing at 8:45 p.m.

You can get your own ISS predictions - and more - from Heavens-Above.com  They're customized for your location. The Heavens Above sky map here shows the ISS's Thursday path across the sky as seen from Baltimore.

Remember to stop back here after the show and share the experience with those who just don't GET it.

Shuttle astronauts are preparing for another visit to the station, with launch of the shuttle Discovery set for May 31 - next Saturday.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Okay Space Cadets ... here's your assignment for tonight. Our long nightmare of endless overcast is over, and the planet Mercury is making one of its best appearances of the year. I want you all out there after sunset tonight to look for it.

It can be tricky. This is no project for the easily discouraged stargazer (or, in my case, Stargeezer). Mercury is the nearest planet to the sun, so it never strays far from the glare of Old Sol. When we see it at all, it is shortly before sunrise, or shortly after sunset.

Throw in air pollution and clouds, which can obscure the view low on the eastern or western horizon, and the trees and buildings that often block our view, and catching a glimpse of Mercury can be difficult. That's why the planet is so often described here as "the elusive" planet Mercury. Here's how Mercury looked on Friday when a very young crescent moon moved in alongside it.

But my Clear Sky Alarm went off this morning, indicating favorable viewing conditions this evening around Baltimore. So I will be out there to get another firsthand look at the planet that scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab have ben studying with NASA's Messenger spacecraft.

Find a spot with a clear view of the western sky, with as little clutter - trees, garages, hills - on the horizon as possible. Look for a small, steady, star-like point of light hovering over the horizon. Here's an article from Sky & Telescope, with a sky map (below) to guide you.

Take the kids. Take a pair of binoculars. The kids and their sharp eyes will help you spot it. The binoculars will get you a little closer. 

Oh, and while you're out there, raise your eyes a little higher and find Mars, Pollux and Castor (the two bright stars in Gemini) all in a row, left to right, above the southwestern horizon. Mars will be in the news in two weeks as NASA attempts to land the Phoenix spacecraft in the Martian arctic to search for water. 

Then turn left a bit toward the south and look for a close pair of "stars." The brighter of the two is actually Saturn, where NASA's Cassini spacecraft continues to orbit and send back spectacular images of the ringed planet and its moons. The dimmer of the pair is Regulus, the bright star in the Constellation Leo.

When you're done, come back here, leave us a comment and share the experience. Good luck!  

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Dennis Barnes is setting up a beautiful instrument in his garden in Abingdon. It's called an armillary Galileo sundial. He wrote to me yesterday because he is preparing to "set" the sundial today, taking advantage of the fact that today - April 15 - is one of only four days on the annual calendar when solar noon - the moment when the sun is highest overhead - is the same as noon according to "mean solar time," or clock time.

To astronomers, it's the day when the "equation of time" equals zero. At other times of the year, the sun can be as much as 14 minutes "fast" or 16 minutes "slow" relative to clock time.

But of course this is astronomy, so nothing is as simple as we'd like.

Here's Dennis's problem: First, the equation of time (the difference between mean sun time and clock time) is only zero today along the "standard meridian" in each time zone. For us here in Eastern Time, that's 75 degrees west longitude, which runs north and south just off the beaches at Ocean City. So, all of Maryland is actually west of the standard meridian. Solar noon reaches us late as the sun moves across the sky from east to west.

Still with me? Dennis was aware of the problem, but he wasn't sure how far west of 75 degrees he is, or how that would affect his "local solar noon." I took the question to Geoff Chester, at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington. He told me that the sun is about 4 minutes "late" for every degree of longitude west of the standard meridian. 

Continue reading "Noon today is REALLY noon" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

It looks vaguely familiar, but somehow odd...  Our familiar gray skies seem to have turned an odd shade of blue this afternoon. And some sort of brilliant orb has appeared - a blinding yellow disk that gives off infrared radiation - heat.

So take cover. Venture outdoors only at your peril. And by all means, do NOT look directly at this freakish apparition. Astronomers assure us it will disappear in time, probably by 7:40 p.m. if not sooner.

Maybe it has something to do with this hole in the clouds over central Maryland. If so, it should pass. The gray will return. Be calm.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Skies over Baltimore look a bit more promising tonight - at the end of a disappointing week for those who like to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station as it flies over Maryland with our money. And this time, the sharp-eyed among us may get a bonus - a glimpse of the European Space Agency's Jules Verne automated transport vehicle - a cargo drone on a test run to the ISS this weekend. That's it at left. Here's more, with a video.

The forecast says partly cloudy. I guess we'll have to wait and see which part is cloudy, and whether we get enough of a break to spot the ISS. The station itself is plenty bright to be visible in hazy, twilight skies, but the Jules Verne is much smaller and therefore dimmer. And, it will be flying within about 10 miles of the ISS, so we may not be able to separate the pair except perhaps with binoculars.

Anyway, here are the specifics for tonight.

Watch for the ISS to rise above the western horizon at about 7:57 p.m. It will look like a bright star, except that it will be moving briskly toward the northeast. It will climb as high as 47 degrees above the northwestern horizon - that's about halfway between the horizon and the zenith (straight up) at 7:59 p.m. At that moment the station will be about 300 miles northwest of Baltimore.

From there is will zip off toward the northeast, passing above the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia, and north of the Big Dipper. It will disappear from view at about 8:04 p.m. If you spot it, come back and leave us some comments.

Here's a link to more information about the Jules Verne. This will be our last shot at the ISS for a while. The forecast ahead looks rainy, and evening passes by the ISS will be very brief and low on the horizon, at least through April 7.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

No promises here. The forecast is still not very encouraging. But if we get lucky, the International Space Station should be visible over Baltimore just after 7:30 this evening.

Here's the scoop:  The ISS, with three astronauts on board, will be tracking northeast tonight, from North Florida to Cape Hatteras, and then out to sea. It may sound geeky, but lots of people have gotten a kick out of watching their tax dollars zip across the sky. Drag the kids away from their video games and get them to help you watch for the flyover. They're often the first to spot it. Young eyes.

As seen from Baltimore, the ISS will first appear above the southwest horizon at 7:34 p.m. Watch for what looks like a steady bright star, moving brisky toward the east. If it has multiple, or colored lights, it's an airplane. Keep looking.

It will reach it's highest point - about halfway between the southeast horizon and the zenith (straight up) at 7:37 p.m. From there, the station will track toward the northeast, appearing to pass very close to the planet Saturn and the bright star Regulus, which are side-by-side above the eastern horizon at that hour. The ISS will then disappear on the southeast at about 7:40 p.m.

Regular satellite watchers say the ISS has become very much brighter since astronauts have added new modules, solar panels and radiators. It can be the brightest object in the night sky.

After watching the flyover, come back here and leave us a comment, and share the experience with those who missed it. If this one is clouded out, we'll have a better shot tomorrow night. Stay tuned.

Remember, you can calculate ISS predictions for your own location at Heavens-Above.com

Posted by Frank Roylance at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

And here I thought I'd have a nice series of bright flyovers by the International Space Station to enjoy during my vacation. Alas, the arrival of a cold front tonight - and forecasts that it will stall over the region with clouds and showers for the rest of the week - have washed out those plans.

The astronauts aboard the ISS will be flying over a solid deck of clouds. And we'll be beneath it. We might even have caught a glimpse of the shuttle Endeavour, which has undocked from the ISS in preparation for the ride home.

Had the forecast been for clear skies over the next few nights, we could have enjoyed nightly, early-evening flyovers. Instead we get this. 

That's the cold front - the blue line draped along the Ohio Valley on this weather map. It extends from a low now over eastern Canada. Once it gets here, it will hang around way too long. There's no sunshine predicted again until Sunday.

Our temperatures will depend on which side of the front we find ourselves on. Could be in the 60s. Or, not.  The forecast discussion suggests there is a "potential for a huge bust in temperature forecast given usual uncertainties with exact position of front..."

Bummer. I'm takin' a nap.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The forecast isn't perfect, but we've got a good shot at clear skies for two fine passes by the International Space Station in the next few days. All you need is a willingness to roll out of bed earlier than anyone should have to on a weekend, or a Monday morning.

UPDATE at 5:15 p.m. Friday: Actually, the Saturday morning forecast has deteriorated. They're calling for snow or rain before noon. Too bad. Monday still looks good. Earlier post follows.

The ISS is brighter than ever these days, thanks to the shiny new Columbus module transported to the station this month by astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, and new solar panels and radiators added in other recent flights. Here's a cool video, shot by amateurs from the ground, of Atlantis approaching the station.

And here, speeded up by time-lapse video, is how it looks to the naked eye.

Even at ranges of several hundred miles, the station can be nearly the brightest object in the night sky, except for the moon. It's not hard to see even in the fading light of dusk, or the brightening skies before dawn. And it's always a kick to watch it soar over Baltimore, with three crew members on board, at about 17,500 mph. So much money spent; so few people paying any attention. 

The ISS is visible early every morning for the next week, but most of the flyovers appear low on our horizons, making them difficult, or inconvenient to watch. But two will be especially bright, and high over Maryland skies.

Here are the specifics:

Continue reading "Space Cadets! Rise and shine for ISS passes" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The Clipper has moved offshore, and skies over Baltimore have cleared. So throw on a coat and head outside for a fine view of tonight's total lunar eclipse. It's the last one we'll see until Dec. 21, 2010. And we may get clouded out for that one.

So don't miss it. Take the kids out. They'll never forget it. Bring the binoculars. You can even watch from any east-facing window. The partial phase began at 8:43 p.m. or so, and the Earth's shadow is already creeping across the moon's disk. Totality will last from 10:00 p.m. until 10:52 p.m., and the event will be over by 12:09 a.m. For more information, check out the earlier posts and links.

When you come back in, leave a comment here and share the experience with everyone who figured it was snowing and went to bed without getting to see this celestial spectacular. Total eclipses of the moon, visible from start to finish under clear skies at a convenient hour are rare. Don't miss this one.!

Enjoy!

Posted by Frank Roylance at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
                    

If tomorrow's predicted "Clipper" storm gets through the area in time, we could get enough clearing to catch at least part of the total lunar eclipse ocurring during much of the evening.

Wednesday's Sun will include a story on the event. For now, here are some online resources you can use to learn more about eclipses in general, and this one particularly.

Here is NASA's eclipse page, with loads of data on this eclipse and many others in the past and future. NASA has also posted a page and some videos explainers for this event. Click here. 

Never seen a lunar eclipse before? Here's a gallery of photos of past eclipses.

Have you heard about the lunar eclipse that saved Christopher Columbus and his crew? You can read all about it here.

And, if we;re clouded-out here, you can watch the eclipse live through the magic of Web video  - and explore a lot more eclipse lore - at SpaceWeather.com.

This is the first total eclipse of the moon visible from Maryland from start to finish since October 2004, and the last visible anywhere until Dec. 21, 2010. (That's 12/21/2010 for you numerologists.)

Lunar eclipses occur when the sun, the Earth and the moon line up, in that order. The full moon, in its orbit around the Earth, slides into the Earth's shadow and gradually grows dimmer and reddish in color. The transition moves from one side of the moon's disk to the other as seen from Earth. After a period of totality, the moon begins to emerge again from the shadow, and slowly regains its usual brilliance.

Here are the important times to remember fo this event: The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 8:43 p.m. EST. The moon will begin to slide into the Earth's "umbra," the darkest core of the shadow the planet casts into space. Over the next hour and a quarter, the moon will be gradually swallowed up by the shadow, and grow dimmer.

At 10 p.m., the moon's disk will be totally in shadow, taking on an eerie, reddish glow and strikingly spherical appearance. Binoculars will enhance the view.

Totality will last until 10:52 p.m., when the moon will begin to emerge again from the Earth's shadow. It will be restored to full, direct sunlight by 12:09 a.m. Thursday morning.

A number of local astronomers, groups and observatories are planning public viewing events. Here are some links to information:

Howard Astronomical League

Maryland Science Center

Maryland Space Grant Observatory at Johns Hopkins

Baltimore's Streetcorner Astronomer Herman Heyn will set up in the 3100 block of St. Paul St., in Charles Village, at 9 p.m., weather permitting. Here's hoping.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The predictions for tonight's flyover by the doomed USA-193 spy satellite have changed a bit from the times we published in the paper on Saturday. This is not unexpected, since the satellite's orbit is decaying rapidly. It is losing altitude, and speeding up enroute to a plunge into the atmosphere on or about March 11 - unless the Navy blasts it apart before then. The photo shows USA-193 at launch in December 2006. It failed soon after.

The weather forecast calls for "partly cloudy" skies tonight and tomorrow, so we have at least some chance of seeing this thing amid the clouds. Wednesday and Thursday look "mostly cloudy" from here, so our chances diminish as the week goes by.

So here are the latest times from Heavens-Above, calculated for Baltimore. To be sure not to miss it, be out there looking at least 5 minutes on either end of the sequence, just in case. Those who have already spotted USA-193 say it is brighter and faster than they anticipated. Good luck.

Tonight: (Monday) Look for USA-193 to appear above the southern horizon at 6:19 p.m., climbing more than halfway up the southeastern sky to pass straight through the constellation Orion at 6:21 p.m. From there it slips off to the northeast, disappearing at 6:23 p.m.

Tuesday: This will be a challenging observation, as the spy sat passes low to the horizon from west to south between 6:08 p.m. and 6:12 p.m. It will never get more than 18 degrees above the horizon.

Wednesday: USA-193 will rise above the western horizon at 6:04 p.m., move about halfway up the northwestern sky - just below Cassiopeia - by 6:06 p.m., then fly off toward the Big Dipper in the northeast.

Thursday: Another difficult pass, low in the northwest. Look for USA-193 to rise above the western horizon at 5:56 p.m., climbing no more than 27 degrees above the northwestern horizon by 5:58 p.m. From there it will slide off to the northern sky, and through the Dipper's handle by 6 p.m. This is the day the Navy plans to take its first shot at USA-193, so it may be space litter before this flyby.

If you spot it, please come back here, leave a comment and let us know what you saw. Thanks.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

When it rains, it pours. If the clouds part at the right times in the next few days, Marylanders will have an opportunity to observe not only the very big, very bright and easily spotted International Space Station during passes over Baltimore, but also USA 193 - the now-notorious, formerly "secret" spy satellite.

USA 193 is out of control, and the Pentagon said yesterday it has elected to try to shoot it down in the coming weeks, using a modified missile. They're hoping to break the thing up so that it doesn't fall, whole, on people - a risk estimated at 1 percent. Critics worry that by blasting the satellite apart, the military will instead be creating thousands of smaller but still dangerous fragments that will plague satellites and manned spacecraft for years to come.

Whatever. The rest of us can only hope to get a glimpse of these space toys as they glide across our evening sky in the next few days. Here's how.

Continue reading "Space station, spy satellite, to buzz Baltimore" »

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

My clear-sky alarm went off this morning, alerting me to good star-gazing conditions in Baltimore after 9 p.m. tonight. Unfortunately, the International Space Station will not be in our skies, so we will NOT have an opportunity to watch the ISS and the shuttle Atlantis soar over Baltimore one after the other.

Still, the clear weather offers us a good chance to see Mars again - high overhead, still a bright, ruddy "star" in the evening sky. And pale-yellow Saturn is rising earlier each night. It's low in the east by 9 p.m., moving toward opposition on the 24th. At that point it will be rising at sunset, and climbing high in the sky by midnight. By month's end, Saturn will be as close as it will be all year, prime time once again for viewing the majestic planet and its rings through backyard, streetcorner or observatory telescopes. You'll never forget your first look at this iconic orb.

In any case, these cold, crisp winter evenings are always a great time to go outside and re-acquaint ourselves with the bright stars and constellations of the northern winter sky. Orion, left, with its easy-to-spot three-star "belt" and, just below it, the fuzzy smear (red in this image; binoculars help) of the Orion nebula; brilliant Sirius (the brightest true star) below and to the left of Orion; lonely Procyon higher and more to the left; the twins of Gemini, Castor and Pollux.

For those who have come to enjoy watching $100 billion of your hard-earned tax dollars at play in the night sky, the International Space Station and attached shuttle will make several convenient evening passes over Baltimore next week, between the 13th and the 16th. If NASA uses Atlantis to boost the station's orbit, as expected during this mission, the flyby times will change somewhat from their current predictions. So watch this space next week for details.

The weather? Look for a chance of showers tomorrow, and a sharp, quick cold snap Sunday night and Monday. But before and after that, we can expect mostly seasonable temperatures. There is some talk of snow showers to our north and west, but nothing to worry about down here in the urban corridor. Still no real winter in sight.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Okay, Space cadets... I have my doubts about whether this storm will clear out in time, but here are the specs for tonight's Baltimore flyover by the International Space Station. If we can see it, it will be a very fine pass. The ISS will follow the same track as Wednesday's flyby, but this time it will be brighter, and it will be visible across the entire sky.

If the clouds part, look for a bright, star-like object rising above the southwest horizon at 6:07 p.m. and climbing almost two-thirds of the way up the northwestern sky. (If it has multiple lights, colored lights, or a blinking strobe, it's an airplane. Keep looking.)

The ISS will pass through the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia at about 6:10 p.m., and head off toward the northeast, disappearing from view near the Big Dipper at 6:13 p.m.

The station, with three people on board, is orbiting the Earth at 17,500 mph, just over 200 miles above the surface. As we pick it up here, it will be high over northern Alabama, passing northwest of Baltimore and moving off toward coastal Maine, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Here's the ground track map, from http://www.heavens-above.com

Posted by Frank Roylance at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Attention Space Cadets! The forecast is beginning to look more hopeful for a clear view of tomorrow evening's flyover by the International Space Station.

It's not an ideal situation. Although it is an evening event, making it more convenient for most people, the flyby is comparatively late in the evening, which means the Earth's shadow is high in the sky. So, the ISS will fly into the shadow near the highest point in its passage and disappear abruptly from our view. So expect a short view. A much better flyby is expected Friday evening, but the weather looks problematic.

So, here are the details. You should leave the house a few minutes early, to allow for any inaccuracies in your clocks, or in the orbital predictions:

The ISS will appear above the western horizon at about 7 p.m. Look for a bright, star-like object moving briskly toward the northeast. It will rise to more than halfway up the northwestern sky, and head for the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. There, at about 7:03 p.m., it will suddenly disappear from view. To an astronaut on board, the sun will appear to set, the windows will go dark, and the ISS will move into the "night" side of the Earth.

We'll watch for the forecast for Friday, and if it looks promising, we will post ISS viewing details here. The map below shows the path the ISS (red arrow) will take Wednesday evening. You can calculate ISS flyover predictions for your location at www.heavens-above.com

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

If you're out in the cold tonight, and if the skies clear off enough, look for a striking conjunction of the moon and the planet Mars, high in the eastern sky after sunset (and almost directly overhead in the late evening hours).

The two orbs will be separated by less than a half-degree. That's less than the width of your finger held at arm's length.

Mars is only a month past its closest approach to the Earth for this year, and still very bright, and still rather reddish compared with the bright, white stars of the winter constellations. Imagine - sunlight streams outward from the sun, bounces off the surface of Mars, gets tweaked by the iron oxide in the dirt up there such that the reflected light we see - 60 million miles away - appears slightly reddish. Amazing.

If you miss it tonight, or if skies are too cloudy, try again Sunday night. The moon won't have moved too far east of the moon and, while not as striking as tonight's view, it will still be worth a look. Here's more.

Several faithful readers emailed me last month after they spotted a similar - though not so close - conjunction of the full moon and Mars on Christmas Eve. This one is better, even though the moon is not quite full this time. Enjoy.

Posted by Frank Roylance at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)