• A Lucky Catch of Celestial Beauty

    A Lucky Catch of Celestial Beauty

    It wasn’t easy (I can personally attest to that), but some managed to get a glimpse of the comet known as Pan-Starrs.  The even luckier ones were able to capture it on camera.  Our thanks to Russ DeHoedt for sharing this picture with us he snapped near Vinton, IA.  Russ [...]

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  • IMPACT!

    IMPACT!

    A little bit behind schedule, this afternoon, a coronal mass ejection, or CME, struck the earth’s atmosphere.  It is anticipated that a geomagnetic storm will follow this initial impact over the next several hours.  The hope is the storm will still be raging after sunset tonight – giving some in [...]

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  • Could Iowa Get a Special Show in the Skies?

    Could Iowa Get a Special Show in the Skies?

    If this picture above looks a little “otherworldly,” you’d be right.  This is a scan on the surface of the sun.  Using specific filters, this is a sunspot that today, ejecting a massive solar flare right at the earth.  This flare reached the X-level of intensity which is reserved for [...]

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  • No Thunderstorms but Solar Storms Possible

    No Thunderstorms but Solar Storms Possible

    And you thought the sun only threw heat rays at us?  Not so.  In fact the sun throws all kinds of rays at the Earth, and the storms that could hit the planet in the coming days, weeks and months could cause real damage. To explain, the sun has entered [...]

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  • Sun Delivering More than Heat to Earth

    Sun Delivering More than Heat to Earth

    Although things haven’t been stormy down here on earth, they sure are up on the Sun.  Our primary source for heat and light is in a period of active instability, producing large explosions of material known as Coronal Mass Ejections.  These CME’s can throw a lot of radiation at us, [...]

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  • Looking for Something in the Sky to Capture

    Looking for Something in the Sky to Capture

    This has been a relatively tranquil severe weather season here in Iowa.  With the summer months now upon us, the “prime time” for tornadoes has come and gone with little fanfare.  Of course severe weather is still possible between now and October, but the threat begins to shift to a [...]

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  • What a View!

    What a View!

    Iowa didn’t get the best seat in the house for Sunday’s solar eclipse, but it still was a pretty good one.  As the sun set, the clouds parted and the moon got into position.  Before the sun dipped below the Iowa horizon, we got a chance to snap a few [...]

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  • Bask in the Glow of the Super Harvest Moon

    Bask in the Glow of the Super Harvest Moon

    Summer officially comes to end tonight at 10:09pm.  If clouds stay away, you might notice some unusual brightness tonight.  That’s because the harvest moon arrives tonight.  It’s unusual for this annual full moon phase to come as summer comes to an end.  The moon will reach maximum brightness just a [...]

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  • INCREDIBLE View of Our Beautiful Planet

    INCREDIBLE View of Our Beautiful Planet

    Take a look at this video below.  It was captured by NASA Astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Stations. The switch from day to night, city lights to bright white clouds is unbelievable.  And let’s not forget the breathtaking view of vivid auroras in the atmosphere above the surface. [...]

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  • Night Owls Prepare for A Show From Above

    Night Owls Prepare for A Show From Above

    It’s that time of year again, the time when star gazers and night owls head out to their favorite dark place to look for shooting stars. This week marks the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.  Tonight and tomorrow night should be the best nights to view it.  Here in [...]

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