Space Stuff for July (Geek Alert!)

Some interesting astronomy events happening this month... and that's astronomy, NOT astrology, for all you crystal ball folks...

Tomorrow, July 9th, Jupiter will be at its closest to Earth for 2008, which means it's at its biggest and brightest. Just look southeast after sunset and you can't miss it. (Well, I know some who can, but... they aren't reading this anyway.) For those with telescopes, you may be able to see some of Jupiter's moons and the Great Red Spot.

Which brings me to the next interesting event: About one week ago, the Great Red Spot collided with the Little Red Spot (LRS). Most astronomers thought the LRS was destroyed (great photos here). However, scientists now think the LRS may have survived the collision and is re-forming. Considering that the "Little" Red Spot is actually about the size of Mars, it figures that it would be a tough contender.

Also, a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole in the sun should reach Earth around July 13th. Solar wind streams tend to trigger geomagnetic storms, which means an increased chance of amazing Aurora displays even in more southern regions of the U.S.A. Or, for those who are "EMF sensitive", it means a flare of weird symptoms!!