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"This week, Jupiter is so bright, it is outshining every star in the night sky--even Sirius--as the giant planet makes a close approach to Earth. Jupiter's cloud belts, moons, and giant thunderstorms are easy to see through backyard telescopes."
https://spaceweather.com/
Originally Posted by: Roger Parsons
It was actually clear as well for once. Managed a photograph with my mirrorless camera. Involves a very long lens and stacking and processing the best frames from a video but I got my best ever image which I was happy with for no telescope.
Originally Posted by: fairweather
Can't seem to see full size here but on Flickr you can see Europa and Gannymede. Io just touching bottom left corner and Callisto is out of frame.
Nice .
Current conditions (personal WS)
When I saw corruption, I was forced to find truth on my own. I couldn't swallow the hypocrisy.Barry White
Barry White
It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) - R.E.M.
https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/
West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire
Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.
William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrwdxpljyxo
Chichester 12m asl
Great Spacweather photo of Venus Prismatic Mirage...
https://spaceweather.com/images2024/26dec24/twinkle_strip2.gif
Clear skies? 🙄
"Moderate (G2) to strong (G3) geomagnetic storms are possible on Dec. 31st when a CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The CME was hurled into space yesterday by the eruption of a magnetic filament connected to sunspot 3939. If a strong storm materializes, Northern Lights could descend to mid-latitudes in the USA and Europe."
Update:
Space Weather News for Dec. 30, 2024
https://spaceweather.com
STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED: Two CMEs are heading for Earth, due to arrive on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The one-two punch to Earth's magnetic field could spark a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm with mid-latitude auroras in the USA and Europe
Amber alert: possible aurora
Amber alert for Aurora - if skies are clear.
Mine's just flagged up as 'red'
Martin
Home: St Helens (26m asl) Work: Manchester (75m asl)
A TWO addict since 14/12/01
"How can wealth persuade poverty to use its political freedom to keep wealth in power? Here lies the whole art of Conservative politics."
Aneurin Bevan
Originally Posted by: Saint Snow
Yes, Aurora Watch has ticked into the red now. Hopefully it will last until it properly turns dark as it would be a nice way to start the year.
Blackrod, Lancashire (4 miles south of Chorley) at 156m asl.
My weather station
Originally Posted by: Bolty
It certainly would be! Cloud and light pollution permitting. 😬
It's good having a "live" activity data feed so you can see it change. I like the Magnetogram and Stackplot pages too!
You might get a meteor or two if you're lucky.
Quadrantids peak 3-4 January 2025.
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide
Some good photos of it from a bit further inland on FB
"A strong geomagnetic storm is in progress on New Year's Day. Auroras have been sighted as far south as Arizona in the USA and Italy in Europe. Sparked by the impact of a CME on Dec. 31st, the storm is set to persist and might even intensify in the hours ahead."
Some got lucky...
Aurora shines across the UK in first display of 2025
https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cn4xndx93pgo
Interesting Spaceweather piece: Not all of the auroras were actually auroras.
Yesterday's severe geomagnetic storm produced widespread Northern Lights as far south as Mexico. However, not all the lights in the sky were auroras. Many observers photographed red arcs from a completely difference process.
https://spaceweather.com/images2025/01jan25/sar_strip.jpg
New Year's Day's Northern Lights caught on camera
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2nmkkm1z4o
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observing-news/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-january-3-12/
"Don't be surprised if there's a strong solar flare today. The sun has already produced three intense X-flares this weekend and shows no sign of slowing down. So far the effects have been limited to shortwave radio blackouts, but CMEs and geomagnetic storms could be in the offing as the underlying sunspot turns toward Earth."
https://spaceweathergallery2.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=218990
The Moon-Venus conjunction I mentioned above. 3rd Jan.
Moon and Venus visible here in the SW sky now, but not as stunning as the 3rd Jan conjunction...
Venus and crescent Moon stun stargazers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rqe2ndl0lo
A comet that has taken astronomers by surprise could shine as brightly as Venus in the night sky as it passes by Earth over the next few days.
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was spotted in April last year by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System when it was more than 600 million kilometres from Earth. Astronomers initially assumed it wouldn’t survive its orbit close to the sun, but later observations suggested that the comet is taking a different path that will allow it to survive and perhaps even remain intact for a flyby of Earth.
Comet that could shine as bright as Venus set to be visible from Earth
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2463620-comet-that-could-shine-as-bright-as-venus-set-to-be-visible-from-earth/
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/moon-pleiades-jupiter-orion-january-2025