12-31-2004, 11:44 PM
QUADRANTID METEORS: On Monday morning, January 3, 2005, Earth will glide
through a cloud of dusty debris trailing asteroid 2003 EH1, causing a
brief meteor shower over central and western parts of North America. The
best time to look is during the hours around 4 o'clock in the morning PST
(6 a.m. CST or 12:00 GMT). Observers with dark skies might see a meteor
every one or two minutes. Astronomers call this annual shower "the
Quadrantids" because it radiates from the extinct constellation Quadrans
Muralis.
SOLAR ACTIVITY: A new sunspot emerged this week and, with it, solar
activity has increased. The active region, named NOAA 715, is crackling
with M-class solar flares. So far the explosions have not hurled any CMEs
directly toward Earth, but this could change in the days ahead as the
'spot rotates to face our planet.
GREEN COMET: Now that the full moon is fading, sky watchers are seeing
Comet Machholz again. It looks like a faint and fuzzy green star in the
constellation Taurus. You can see it with the unaided eye--or use a
telescope to view the comet's two tails.
Visit [url "http://spaceweather.com"]http://spaceweather.com[/url] for sky maps and more information.
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through a cloud of dusty debris trailing asteroid 2003 EH1, causing a
brief meteor shower over central and western parts of North America. The
best time to look is during the hours around 4 o'clock in the morning PST
(6 a.m. CST or 12:00 GMT). Observers with dark skies might see a meteor
every one or two minutes. Astronomers call this annual shower "the
Quadrantids" because it radiates from the extinct constellation Quadrans
Muralis.
SOLAR ACTIVITY: A new sunspot emerged this week and, with it, solar
activity has increased. The active region, named NOAA 715, is crackling
with M-class solar flares. So far the explosions have not hurled any CMEs
directly toward Earth, but this could change in the days ahead as the
'spot rotates to face our planet.
GREEN COMET: Now that the full moon is fading, sky watchers are seeing
Comet Machholz again. It looks like a faint and fuzzy green star in the
constellation Taurus. You can see it with the unaided eye--or use a
telescope to view the comet's two tails.
Visit [url "http://spaceweather.com"]http://spaceweather.com[/url] for sky maps and more information.
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