LIMB SHOTS: The sun's southeastern limb is hopping with activity. New sunspot AR1492, which just rotated onto the Earthside of the sun, is crackling with C-class solar flares and hurling plumes of plasma off the stellar surface. Click on the image to set the scene in motion:

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the movie during the late hours of May 25th. According to the 3D Sun app, another active region is approaching just behind this one and could boost solar activity even more when it emerges in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

more images: from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany

CONTINUED QUIET: For the fourth day in a row, solar activity remains low. None of the sunspots on the Earthside of the sun pose a threat for strong flares. NOAA forecasters put the chances of an X-class eruption at less than 1%. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

DRAGON RENDEZVOUS: SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, May 25th, making it the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS. Last night, Dave Blanchard photographed the Dragon chasing the space station across the night sky over Flagstaff, Arizona:

"While the ISS was very bright and clearly visible in this image, the Dragon was very dim," says Blanchard. "It can be seen as a faint streak just below the ISS."

QUIET SUN: With no sunspots actively flaring, the sun's x-ray output has flatlined. Solar activity is very low, and likely to remain so for the next 24 hours.

SUNSET CONJUNCTION: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. An exquisitely-slender crescent Moon is passing to the left of Venus. A small telescope pointed at Venus shows that it is a crescent, too. [sky map]

NOON CONJUNCTION: Mercury, Jupiter and the Pleiades are converging for a beautiful three-way conjunction. Unfortunately, it's happening in broad daylight. The two planets and the star cluster are only a few degrees from the sun. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) photographed the encounter on May 22nd:

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:

"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!"

2012 TRANSIT OF VENUS: It won't happen again until December 2117: On June 5th, 2012, Venus will transit the face of the sun. The best places to watch are in the mid-Pacific, but travel is not required. The event is widely visible around the world, including at sunset from the USA. [full story] [video]

SOLAR ECLIPSE THIS WEEKEND: On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing an annular solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth. The path of annularity, where the sun will appear to be a "ring of fire," stretches from China and Japan to the middle of North America:

Image credits (left to right): Hans Coeckelberghs, Fred Espenak, Dennis Mammana