KOLD Climate Community Blog

Lunar Eclipse On Saturday

A partial lunar eclipse takes place on Saturday.  Unfortunately, we won't be able to see it in the sky as it is occuring on the other side of the world, but with the power of our modern technology we can see it live on-line.  You can catch a live webcast from the Canary Islands beginning at 1 PM Arizona time.  A live webcast from Norway begins at 1:30 PM.  For an animated timetable of the eclipse click here.  This animation breaks down what happens during the eclipse.  The photo to the right is from the August 28th 2007 lunar eclipse. This photo was taken in New Zealand by James Tse.  Have a good weekend! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Spacecraft Skirts Past Saturn Moon

The University of Arizona lends their expertise to quite a few spacecraft missions.  One such mission is that of Cassini.  The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer team of this particular spacecraft is based at U of A.  That means they decipher the images that the spacecraft sends back from it's high-tech color camera. 

Last night Cassini flew within 30 miles of the surface of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus.  Scientists are collecting data on south pole fissures that are ejecting a mix of debris and water vapor.  These materials and gasses supply one of Saturn's rings.  Scientists want to know if liquid water is the driving force behind the ejections from the fissures. 

You can see the raw data by clicking here.  But you may want to wait for the VIMS team to take a look at the images and color correct them, making for easier interpretation.  You can get the latest Cassini news at NASA.gov.  Also, check out the Cassini blog by clicking here. 

First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid Meteor Shower can already be seen in the night sky.  You can see the shooting stars in the northeastern sky after 11 PM with the best viewing during the pre-dawn hour at around 4 AM.  On Tuesday morning the meteor shower peaks with 50 to 100 meteors streaking across the sky each hour.  Click here for an animated map of the meteor shower. 

The meteor shower comes from the earth passing through a path of dust left by the Swift-Tuttle comet.  As the earth moves around the sun, it moves through this debris field every August. 

Enjoy this free show! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

View from Space

On Monday August 14 NASA's Cassini spacecraft will come within 30 miles of Enceladus. Enceladus is one of the many moons of Saturn. It interests NASA because it is geologically active. The main purpose of this close flyby is to have very detailed images of this interesting moon. NASA wants to learn more about how eruptions, tectonics, and seismic activity alter the moon's surface. To read this whole article click here.

Unusual Clouds Caught On Film

The following article is from the NASA Earth Observatory.

Polar mesospheric clouds (also known as noctilucent, or “night-shining” clouds) are transient, upper atmospheric phenomena that are usually observed in the summer months at high latitudes (greater than 50 degrees) of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They appear bright and cloudlike while in deep twilight. They are illuminated by sunlight when the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the darkness of Earth’s shadow.

This astronaut photograph of polar mesospheric clouds was acquired at an altitude of just over 200 miles (about 321 kilometers) in the pre-dawn hours (18:24:01 Greenwich Mean Time) on July 22, 2008, as the International Space Station was passing over western Mongolia in central Asia. The dark horizon of the Earth appears at the bottom of the image, with some layers of the lower atmosphere already illuminated by the rising Sun. The higher, bluish-colored clouds look much like wispy cirrus clouds, which can be found as high as 60,000 feet (11 miles) in the atmosphere. However noctilucent clouds, as seen here, are observed in the mesosphere at altitudes of 250,000 to 280,000 feet (about 47 to 53 miles).

Water on Mars

The Phoenix Mars Lander has found water on the surface of Mars. The water was 2 inches under the surface and required heating from one of the instruments to find the water. This news is exactly what the NASA scientists and University of Arizona wanted to hear. In addition to finding water, the mission has been extended by 5 weeks. Originally the mission was supposed to be finished at the end of August, but now the mission will be done at the end of September. Click here to read the complete article. –Dustin Pittman First Alert Intern

Video & Photos of the Solar Eclipse

The photo to the left is of the total solar eclipse that occurred today.  It wasn't visible in this part of the world but was seen in parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia, Mongolia, and China.  Many other countries saw a partial solar eclipse.  Click here to see more images from NASA.  There is also edited video of the eclipse on the NASA website.  You can see solar flares in parts of the video.  The next total solar eclipse is on July 22, 2009.  The total solar eclipse will be seen across the central Pacific and into Asia.  Many other places, including Hawaii, will see a partial eclipse. 

Total Solar Eclipse Friday Morning

This eclipse is taking place early Friday (Arizona time) and can only be seen in the skies on the other side of the world.  However, southern Arizonans can view this eclipse live on-line.   Click here for more information and a link to the viewing.  Just remember that many people will be logging on through the morning to view this eclipse so try to get on-line early.  Sometimes the servers have trouble if too many people log on at once.  If you are having trouble try the Exploratorium website or try the NASA website.  The live telescope feed begins at 3 AM and ends at 5:15 AM.  Set your alarm clocks to get up a bit early in the morning on Friday!  I know I'll be up and watching. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Bright Lights In The Sky

Tonight and Thursday night the nearly-full moon and Jupiter will be side by side.  The two bright objects in our southern Arizona sky rise in the southeast at nightfall and track across the sky all night.  The moon is officially full at 1 AM Friday morning.  With the monsoon action taking a bit of a break, stargazing conditions will be good through the weekend. 

Check out spaceweather.com for more details and the latest astronomy news. 

You can also catch the International Space Station flying by twice on Thursday!  Look to the NNW about half way up in the sky at 5:05 AM and then go back out at 9:28 PM and look to the WSW about 1/3rd the way up in the sky.  For more tracking information click here and then scroll down. 

Happy viewing! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

The Solar System’s 4th of July Show

Fireworks will not be the only lights visible in the sky this weekend. Starting Friday July 4^th, Mars, Saturn, and the Moon begin to merge into a line in the nighttime sky. The Moon will be a crescent, but Mars and Saturn will be quite visible. This is a first magnitude event that will occur. 1^st magnitude stars are the brightest in the sky and easiest to see. The two planets and the Moon will be quite easy to spot.

This Friday you will only be able to see Mars and Saturn next to each other. Look to the west and you will see the two planets near the constellation Leo. The Moon will be located just west of the constellation Cancer. Click here to view a map.

On Saturday, the crescent Moon joins Mars and Saturn in the western sky. The three solar objects will be west of the constellation Leo near the star Regulus and appear even brighter in the sky. With a small telescope you will be able to view the rings on Saturn, the surface of the Moon, and Mar's red disk. Click here to view the map.

Sunday gives another opportunity to view the three objects together. They will be at the same location, but the Moon will be farther west than Mars and Saturn. View it here.

After Sunday night the Moon leaves the line of celestial objects, but Mars and Saturn will still be there. On Thursday July 10^th, Mars and Saturn will be ¾ of a degree apart. This is the closest the two planets will come aligned in the next 14 years. They will be close enough to cover both of the planets with your pinky finger at arm's length away. Click here to view a map.

Dustin Pittman - First Alert Intern