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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
You can see a giant 'hole' shoot across Saturn this summer — and it won't happen again until 2040
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Over the next few months, there will be several chances to see a giant "hole" shoot across the surface of Saturn, as the shadow of its largest moon passes across the ringed planet's Earth-facing surface. The rare spectacle will not be visible again until 2040 — and we'll tell you how to see it from your backyard. Every 15 years, Saturn and Earth become perfectly aligned so that the gas giant's rings face our planet head-on. In March, this alignment was so perfect that the planet's super-thin rings completely disappeared from view, Live Science's sister site previously reported. In 2032, the opposite will occur, and we will be able to see the entirety of the dusty disks in a perfect circle around the fifth planet from the sun. Saturn's current orientation also means that the planet's largest moon, Titan, circles it in a way that causes its large shadow to repeatedly transit the planet's surface, similar to how the moon's shadow races across Earth during a lunar eclipse. The same phenomenon also happens to some of Saturn's other major moons, including Mimas and Rhea. However, their respective shadows are smaller and lighter than Titan's, making it harder to see them. Titan orbits Saturn roughly every 16 days, meaning that there will be a total of 10 transits visible while Earth is still aligned with the ringed gas giant. Three of these transits have already happened, most recently on June 16. But there are still seven more occasions when the spectacle could be visible between now and mid-autumn, depending on your location and weather conditions at the time. The remaining transits will occur on July 2, July 18, Aug. 3, Aug. 19, Sept. 4, Sept. 20 and Oct. 6, according to Sky & Telescope. For exact times, check the table below. Related: Saturn gains 128 new moons, giving it more than the rest of the solar system combined Titan will also be visible during these transits, although its position relative to the shadow changes with each viewing, as Saturn continues to circle the sun. But it will be slightly smaller than the shadow it casts. To see the spectacular transits for yourself, you will need a good telescope with at least 200x magnification. From North America, most of the transits will start and end before sunrise. To find where Saturn will be in the night sky, you can use websites such as However, we recommend that you don't leave it to the last minute, because adverse weather conditions could completely obscure your view. As you can see from the table below, the length of transits will also decrease each time, which means you will have to be more precise with your timings later in the year; On Oct. 6, the shadow will only be momentarily visible when Titan is exactly at mid-transit. Date Transit start (EST) Mid-transit (EST) Transit end (EST) Transit duration (minutes) July 2 03:40 06:35 09:03 323 July 18 03:00 05:44 08:05 305 Aug. 3 02:25 04:52 07:04 279 Aug. 19 01:52 04:01 06:00 248 Sept. 4 01:25 03:09 04:50 205 Sept. 20 01:09 02:20 03:34 145 Oct. 6 N/A 01:32* N/A 1 But even if you miss the impressive shadow over the next few months, you will still be able to see Titan pass in front of Saturn every 16 days, up until January 2026, when it will stop transiting the planet until 2040. RELATED STORIES —There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused. —Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas may have an underground ocean scientists never believed could exist —There's a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus If you are lucky enough to see the stunning celestial spectacle, be sure to keep in mind that Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system, behind Jupiter's behemoth satellite Ganymede. At more than 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) across, it is also slightly bigger than the planet Mercury and 50% wider than Earth's moon. It is also the only one of the solar system's moons, other than Earth's, that has been visited by a human-made spacecraft. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe landed on the Saturnian satellite in 2005 — and it is still there today.
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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Science
- Scotsman
The best time to see the Bootid meteor shower will likely be before dawn or just after dusk on June 27.
Here's the date the Bootid meteor shower peaks and when the best time to look for it is. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the International Meteor Organisation, the Bootid meteor shower is active from June 22 to July 2. says: 'Shooting stars associated with the comet may be observed emanating from a point of origin - known as a radiant - located in the constellation Bootes, from which the shower received its official designation.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When is the best time to see the Bootid meteor shower? The best time to see the Bootid meteor shower will likely be before dawn or just after dusk on June 27. A meteor flashes across the night sky. | Getty Images Bootid meteor shower 1998 The Bootid meteor shower is normally weak, however some years have provided bigger displays. For example, in 1998, there was a strong outburst with the zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) reaching 100.
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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Science
- Scotsman
The best time to see the Bootid meteor shower will likely be before dawn or just after dusk on June 27.
Here's the date the Bootid meteor shower peaks and when the best time to look for it is. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the International Meteor Organisation, the Bootid meteor shower is active from June 22 to July 2. says: 'Shooting stars associated with the comet may be observed emanating from a point of origin - known as a radiant - located in the constellation Bootes, from which the shower received its official designation.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When is the best time to see the Bootid meteor shower? The best time to see the Bootid meteor shower will likely be before dawn or just after dusk on June 27. A meteor flashes across the night sky. | Getty Images Bootid meteor shower 1998 The Bootid meteor shower is normally weak, however some years have provided bigger displays. For example, in 1998, there was a strong outburst with the zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) reaching 100. Have you got a video you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your footage will appear on our website.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Science
- Time Out
The Aurora Borealis could be seen in 14 U.S. states tonight—is yours one of them?
Our fascination with the Northern Lights is never-ending, perhaps because we all crave a deeper connection to nature. Seeing the sky do something so unusual and breathtaking reminds us that we are part of a universe whose mysteries we don't completely understand. So it's great news that tonight, folks in 14 U.S. states may be able to see the stunning Aurora Borealis IRL, according to Get yourself to a remote location without light interference, pour a glass of wine and lie back—the show will hopefully be spectacular. The Northern Lights will, of, course be visible from our most northern state Alaska, as is typically the case. But folks as far south as South Dakota may also be able to see them. A hole has opened up in the sun's atmosphere, which is causing heavy geomagnetic activity. What does that mean, exactly? Science moment brought to you by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center and summarized as best as possible by an English major: The sun gives off electrically charged particles that collide with nitrogen and oxygen in the earth's upper atmosphere. When enough of these collisions occur, nitrogen discharges a blue light, and oxygen emits a greenish-yellow or even red one. The other colors you see are from these lights blending. And that's the Aurora Borealis! Earlier this year, there were 17 states in America that had the chance of seeing the Northern Lights during a similar geomagnetic storm (sorry, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Nebraska: you fell off the list this time!) Tonight, you can increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights by finding a north-facing vantage point in a dark space without light pollution. Try looking around 1 a.m. your local time. So which U.S. states can you expect or hope to see the big display tonight? They are: 1. Alaska 2. Minnesota 3. North Dakota 4. Montana 5. Maine 6. Michigan 7. Wisconsin 8. Vermont 9. New Hampshire 10. Washington 11. Oregon 12. Idaho 13. New York 14. South Dakota
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Updated northern lights forecast has Washington in 'view line' tonight, June 25
A spectacular light show in the night sky may be visible in Washington today (June 25) and June 26, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts. NOAA's updated northern lights forecast map shows much of Washington state – including Seattle, Spokane, Everett, Tacoma, Bellevue and Bellingham – inside the "view line" for the aurora borealis on June 25. The "view line" reflects the "southern-most locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon," according to NOAA. This viewing zone shifts farther north on June 26 but still includes a wide section of Northern Washington. Washington is among more than a dozen states that could witness the phenomenon. Other areas in the Pacific Northwest region that might get a glimpse of the show include northeastern Oregon, North Idaho, and Montana. Here's what to know. The best time to potentially see the northern lights in Washington will be from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. PT when the night sky is darkest, according to recommends 1 a.m. "Remember, auroras can be fickle," the article stated. "Sometimes they can appear much farther south than predicted, and other times they barely show up at all. There are many conditions that have to align for the perfect show. It is possible that many more states could witness auroras tonight, or perhaps far fewer will." The biggest thing to keep in mind is that light pollution from cities will lower your chances of seeing the northern lights in the night sky. Those hoping for a glimpse of the aurora borealis should find a north-facing area far away from city lights, suggested. Cloud cover also affects visibility, though the aurora might still be able to be seen through scattered clouds, reported. The National Weather Service's sky cover forecasts indicate that cloudy skies on the night of June 25 may hamper sight lines for hopeful stargazers in Western Washington and Eastern Washington. Central Washington is predicted to have the clearest skies, according to the weather agency. The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The phenomenon is caused when electrically charged particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere and collide with molecules and gases like oxygen and nitrogen, causing the atmospheric particles to gain energy. To return to their normal state, the particles release that energy in the form of light, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon. As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that have fascinated humans for millennia. Whether hues of green, red, blue and even pink dance about in the sky depends on the altitude where the collisions occur, as well as the composition and density of the atmosphere at the time. Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY Network This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Washington is in NOAA's northern lights 'view line' forecast tonight
