[MIham] CONVERGING PLANETS & NORWEGIAN FIREBALL

[FSK Lists]

Space Weather News for June 14, 2006
http://spaceweather.com

CONVERGING PLANETS:  Mars and Saturn aren't super-bright, but they will
catch your eye after dark because they are so close together.  The two
planets are converging, forming a tight pair in the western sky. Look for
them just after sunset on the evenings of June 15th through 17th.  The view
is best on June 17th, when Saturn and Mars are closest together, but it's
also fun watching them converge on the two nights before.

PHOTO-OP:  June 15th is special because, en route to Saturn, Mars will glide
in front of the Beehive star cluster. Using binoculars or a small telescope
you can easily see the ensemble: it will look like a red supernova (Mars)
has gone off among the stars of the Beehive.  Astrophotographers, prepare
your cameras!

SPACE STATION SIGHTINGS:  At this time of year, near the June solstice, the
International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting in almost continuous sunlight.
It's a great time to see the ISS flying brightly-lit through the night sky.
Would you like to be alerted when the ISS is about to fly over your
backyard?  Sign up for SpaceWeather PHONE: http://spaceweatherphone.com .


Space Weather News for June 16, 2006
http://spaceweather.com

NORWEGIAN FIREBALL:  A spectacular fireball that flew over Norway last week,
causing sonic booms and making the ground shake when a meteorite presumably
hit the ground, was not quite as spectacular as first reported. Researchers
now estimate the kinetic energy of the event as 300 tons of TNT, far short
of the Hiroshima-like blast described in some news reports.

Space rocks with this much energy hit Earth more often than is commonly
supposed--once a month or so.  Most go unnoticed because they enter the
atmosphere over uninhabited stretches of our planet, or during broad
daylight when fireballs are difficult to see, or at late hours of the night
when would-be sky watchers are asleep.  This one was seen (and by some
accounts felt), so it made a bigger "splash" than usual.  Searchers are
still scouring the countryside for possible fragments of the meteorite.

MARS AND SATURN:  After passing through the Beehive star cluster last night,
Mars is on a collision course with Saturn--at least it looks that way.  The
two planets will not collide, but they will have a pleasing close encounter
in the evening sky on Saturday night, June 17th.  Look west after sunset.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and further information.

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