~Space Weather Update~ All is Quiet~ [1]

INTERPLANETARY SHOCK WAVE: An interpanetary shock wave possibly associated with the M5-class [2] solar flare of May 17th swept past Earth on May 20th around 0200 UT. The shock's arrival caused geomagnetic activity around the poles, and several outbreaks of high-latitude auroras. Images: #1 [3], #2 [4].

 

FANTASTIC ECLIPSE: The Moon passed in front of the sun on Sunday, May 20th, producing a deep solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth. Sunlight dimmed, the air cooled, ordinary sunbeams turned into fat crescents and rings of light. Here is a sample view from Lake Waconia, Minnesota:

 

[5]

"I drove to the lake, and a couple of fishermen were kind enough to drop their lines in the glitter path of the eclipse," says photographer Tyler Burg. "It was a fantastic composition!"

 

more images: from Mike Theiss [6] of New Mexico; from Sze-leung Cheung [7] of Hong Kong; from Jimmy and Linda Westlake [8] of Sundown, Texas; from Joe C. Olsen [9] of South of Justiceberg, Texas; from Elon Gane [10] of El Dorado Springs, MO; from Randy Shivak [11] of Anthem, Arizona; from Phebe Pan [12] of Xinfeng, Guangdong, China; from Bob Kelly [13] of Story City, Iowa; from Tom Wagner [14] of Waterloo, Iowa; from Jacob Silco [15] of Finger Lakes, NY; from Dennis Mammana [16] of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona; from Brett Nickeson [17] of Walnut, Iowa; from Robert Ball [18] of Albuquerque, NM; from Beth Kaeser [19] of San Diego CA; from Elon Gane [10] of El Dorado Springs, MO; from Raven Yu [20] of Marikina City, Philippines;

 

VENUS TRANSFORMED: Something special is happening to Venus in the evening sky. The second planet is diving toward the sun for a much-anticipated transit [21] on June 5-6. As Venus turns its night side toward Earth, the planet is transforming into a beautifully slender and colorful crescent:

 

[22]

 

John Chumack of Dayton, Ohio, took the picture on May 14th using a 10-inch telescope. "I was blown away by the sight of Venus," he says. "The planet was 14% illuminated, 47 arcseconds in diameter, and blazing at -4.43 magnitude."

 

The crescent shape of Venus is easy to see in good binoculars or small telescopes [23]. No special observing experience is required. Just find Venus in the western sky after sunset (you can't miss it), point and look. A good tripod to hold the optics steady is recommended.

As the evening wears on and Venus sinks toward the horizon, the refractive effect of Earth's atmosphere splits the crescent into the colors of the rainbow. Kevin R. Witman of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, observed the phenomenon on May 11th: "Earth's atmospheric refraction of Venus's ample light made a beautiful image [23] through my 10-inch telescope."

 

more images: from Mark Marquette [24] of Boones Creek, Tennessee; from Philippe Vanden Doorn [25] of Rixensart, Belgium; from Luis Argerich [26] of Buenos Aires, Argentina; from Tomasz Gołombek [27] of Tczew, Poland; from Francesc Pruneda [28] of Palamós, Catalonia (Spain); from Sadegh Ghomizadeh [29] of Tehran, Iran;

 

Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES

Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2 quiet
explanation [39] | more data [40]

Interplanetary Mag. Field
B_total: 2.7 nT
B_z: 1.1 nT north
explanation [41] | more data [42]
Updated: Today at 1646 UT

Coronal Holes: 21 May 12

[43]

There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.