[SFDXA] Space Weather News for May 15, 2003

[Bill Marx]

Space Weather News for May 15, 2003

Sky watchers in the Americas, Europe, Africa and parts of Asia can see a
sunset-red lunar eclipse tonight, May 15th and 16th. Today's edition of
spaceweather.com describes a few more things that will appear in the sky
around the time of the eclipse: Iridium flares and a transit of the Moon
by the International Space Station.

IRIDIUM FLARES: Sky watchers in the western and central United States are
favored to see some pleasing Iridium flares during tonight's lunar
eclipse. "Some cities that will have decent flares are Phoenix, Salt Lake
City, El Paso, Minneapolis, Omaha and Missoula," says space scientist Rob
Matson of SAIC, who also forecasts Iridium flares for the International
Space Station. Most of tonight's flares will appear higher in the sky than
the moon. "With a wide field of view camera, however, it may be possible
to capture a flare and the moon in the same field of view," notes Matson.