THE MOON AND MARS: Mars is approaching Earth for a close encounter in March. Start looking for the Red Planet now: Tonight it is shining brighter than a 1st-magnitude star beside the waning full Moon. The view through a backyard telescope is dynamite: sky map.
AURORA WATCH: A medium-speed solar wind stream is blowing past Earth and sparking auroras around the Arctic Circle. Last night in Muonio, Finnland, tour guide Antti Pietikäinen made a snow angel--then hopped up and took this picture:
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I took a group 20 km from Hotel Harriniva to find a clear sky," says Pietikäinen. "As soon as we reached a nearby lake, the show was on! Auroras mixed with full moonlight gives some really unique photos."
More lights are in the offing. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40%
chance of polar geomagnetic activity during the next 24 hours as the solar wind continues to blow. Aurora alerts: text, voice.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1KyKcM986A]
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