• Venus is approaching the sun in advance of the June 5th Transit

    On June 5th, 2012, Venus will transit the face of the sun in an event of both historical and observational importance. Amateur astronomers who manage to locate Venus in broad daylight will find that the planet has turned into a delightfully slender crescent. This

  • Annular solar eclipse today

    An annular solar eclipse will be visible from a 240 to 300 kilometre-wide track that traverses eastern Asia, the northern Pacific Ocean and the western United States. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, that includes

  • Annual solar eclipse on May 20

    A solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth. A solar eclipse can only take place at the phase of new moon, when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth and its shadows fall upon the

  • A mild (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm is underway

    This is the third day in a row that geomagnetic storms have circled the poles. A mild (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm is underway. It looks like it subsiding now. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. The source of this activity is a high-speed solar wind

  • New sunspot formation

    Solar activity is near moderate levels with C-Class flares being detected around a new sunspot that was quickly formed in the southern hemisphere on Tuesday and was numbered 1462.. Another region is forming just to the west of that location and is currently producing

  • Sunspot 1434 unleashed M1.3 solar flare

    Sunspot 1434 located in the southern hemisphere, produced a rapid M1.3 Solar Flare at 20:39 UTC on March 17, 2012. A Type II Sweep Frequency Event with a velocity of 1140 km/s was detected as well. Analysis of the M1.3 flare is ongoing to determine if it was

  • Amazing March auroras around polar circles

    Sunspot 1429 still gives a thrilling time for night skywatchers. Recent solar activity produced numerous CME impact that sparked aurora displays around polar circles.Aurora tour guide Chad Blakely of Abisko Sweden made a wonderful movie on March 12th with beautiful