Heliophysicist (Sun Scientist) โ€ข Space weather, solar activity, heliophysics missions, eclipses, aurora & more โ€ข Work for NASA โ€ข Tweets my own ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿ’ฅ

Greenbelt, MD, USA
Joined April 2009
Dr. C. Alex Young retweeted
Dave appears unimpressed with the aurora #Shetland #aurora โ€“ at Sandwick, Scotland
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๐Ÿ’ฅ The CME from AR4549's M6.7 flare hit Earth, sparking a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm! โ˜€๏ธโžก๏ธ๐ŸŒ It's eased to G1, but NOAA's warning runs through 23:59 UTC tonight. Look north, aurora hunters! ๐ŸŒŒ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ“ธ Latest: bit.ly/sunactivity
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๐ŸŒŸ The Sun has crossed the equator โ€” the seasons have officially turned! ๐Ÿ‚ Up north: nights now grow longer than days, and the slide toward winter begins. ๐ŸŒธ Down south: daylight is winning, and spring is blooming. But the sky show is just getting started: ๐ŸŒ• The Harvest Moon rises September 26. ๐Ÿช Saturn reaches opposition October 4 โ€” rising at sunset, up ALL night, at its biggest & brightest of the year. Even a small telescope shows the rings! ๐ŸŒŒ And equinox season = supercharged auroras. ๐Ÿ”— All the equinox secrets & skywatching gems: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #SeptEquinox2026 #Saturn #Astronomy
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Happy Fall, Northern Hemisphere! ๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŽƒ๐ŸŒฐ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฅงโ˜•๐Ÿงฃ๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿฆ‰๐ŸŽ Happy Spring, Southern Hemisphere! ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒท๐Ÿฃ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒบ The 2026 September Equinox hits Tuesday, September 22 at 8:05 pm EDT 7:05 pm CDT 6:05 pm MDT 5:05 pm PDT (Wednesday, Sept 23 at 00:05 UTC) ๐ŸŒโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ˜„ MORE: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #equinox #fall #spring #seasons
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It's almost time for a change of seasons!!! Northern Hemisphere Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn! ๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŽƒ๐ŸŒฐ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฅงโ˜•๐Ÿงฃ๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿฆ‰๐ŸŽ Southern Hemisphere Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring! ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒท๐Ÿฃ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒบ The 2026 September Equinox hits Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 8:05 pm EDT 7:05 pm CDT 6:05 pm MDT 5:05 pm PDT (Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 00:05 UTC) ๐ŸŒโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ˜„ MORE: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #equinox #fall #spring #seasons bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026
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๐ŸŒŒ The equinox is an AURORA SUPERCHARGER โ€” and most people have no idea. Around the equinoxes, Earth's tilted magnetic field lines up just right with the solar wind (the Russellโ€“McPherron effect), making northern & southern lights stronger and more frequent! ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’œ With dark nights returning to the north and Solar Cycle 25 still active, aurora-hunting season starts NOW. ๐Ÿ”— Why equinoxes boost the auroras: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #SeptEquinox2026 #Aurora #NorthernLights
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โ˜€๏ธ Equinox Mythbuster: Day and night are NOT exactly equal today! "Equinox" means "equal night" โ€” but Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight (refraction), and the Sun is a disk, not a point. So we see the Sun before it geometrically rises and after it sets. Result: day wins by a few minutes! ๐ŸŒ๐ŸŽฏ The TRUE equal day/night โ€” the "equilux" โ€” comes a few days after the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. ๐Ÿ”— So many sky surprises: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #SeptEquinox2026
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๐ŸŒ… The longest sunrise and sunset on Earth are happening RIGHT NOW. At the South Pole, the Sun is rising. At the North Pole, it's setting. Each takes about FOUR DAYS โ€” the Sun skims sideways along the horizon instead of climbing. And for a brief window around the equinox, BOTH Poles are in daylight at once! โ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธ The polar sunrise kicks off 6 months of daylight in the south โ€” and 6 months of darkness in the north begins. ๐Ÿ”— The weirdest equinox facts: bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026 #SeptEquinox2026 #Astronomy #Seasons
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๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŒธ September Equinox is coming! On Tuesday, September 22 at 8:05 pm EDT โ€ข 7:05 pm CDT โ€ข 6:05 pm MDT โ€ข 5:05 pm PDT โ€” that's Wednesday, September 23 at 00:05 UTC! โ˜€๏ธ The Sun crosses Earth's equator heading south โ€” fall begins up north ๐Ÿ‚, spring begins down south ๐ŸŒธ Fun fact: this equinox happens on TWO different dates โ€” Sept 22 in the Americas, Sept 23 for the rest of the world. Same instant, one planet, two calendar days! ๐Ÿคฏ #equinox #fall #spring #seasons More at bit.ly/sept-equinox-2026
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TONIGHT (Aug 27th, 28th for UTC): Earth's shadow takes 93% of the Moon. ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐Ÿ”ด The deep partial lunar eclipse โ€” the almost-Blood Moon โ€” is finally here. Set your alarms: โฐ The bite begins: 10:34 p.m. EDT / 7:34 p.m. PDT โฐ Maximum eclipse: 12:13 a.m. EDT / 9:13 p.m. PDT โฐ Moon climbs back out: 1:52 a.m. EDT / 10:52 p.m. PDT At maximum, most of the Moon glows deep copper-red while one thin edge blazes white โ€” a sight no ordinary full Moon can give you, and the deepest lunar eclipse until the very end of 2028. No glasses. No telescope. Step outside and look up. If you're watching with kids, the 10:34 start is the moment to catch โ€” a visibly growing dark bite is the part that hooks them. Clouded out? The live stream is on the eclipse page. Wherever you are under this shadow tonight โ€” clear skies. ๐ŸŒŽ๐ŸŒ ๐ŸŒ’ thesuntoday.org/eclipse26082โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #lunareclipse #BloodMoon
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Tomorrow night: the deep partial lunar eclipse. Here's exactly how to watch. ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ— When (US): the umbral bite begins at 10:34 p.m. EDT / 7:34 p.m. PDT on Thursday. Maximum โ€” 93% of the Moon in shadow โ€” comes at 12:13 a.m. EDT / 9:13 p.m. PDT. The Moon climbs back out by 1:52 a.m. EDT / 10:52 p.m. PDT. When (Europe & Africa): early Friday morning, with the Moon low in the west โ€” the farther west you are, the more you'll see before moonset. Check your local moonset time. What you need: nothing. No glasses, no filters, no telescope. Binoculars sharpen the detail, but your eyes are enough. Three tips from someone who's watched a lot of these: 1๏ธโƒฃ Don't look just once. The pleasure is in the change โ€” check in every 20 minutes and watch the shadow's curve move across the disk. 2๏ธโƒฃ The red arrives late. Early on, the bite just looks dark; the color only blooms once most of the Moon is inside the shadow. Give your eyes a minute to adapt. 3๏ธโƒฃ At maximum, notice the stars. As the Moon dims, the sky around it fills back in. ๐ŸŒ’ Exact times for your city: thesuntoday.org/eclipse26082โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #lunareclipse
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Join me tonight on Weather Unfiltered. I will be talking with @realalexwilson and colleagues about new discoveries on the Sun and how space weather affects human spaceflight. weathergroup.com/shows/weathโ€ฆ. We'll chat at 6:40 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25th. weathergroup.com/shows/weathโ€ฆ
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Why does an eclipsed Moon turn red? ๐Ÿ”ด Because on Thursday night, the Moon will be lit by every sunrise and sunset on Earth at once. Here's the physics: as sunlight grazes through Earth's atmosphere, the shorter blue wavelengths scatter awayโ€”that's why our sky is blueโ€”while the longer red wavelengths carry through, bending inward to fill Earth's shadow. Stand on the Moon during the eclipse, and you'd see our planet as a dark disk ringed with fire: the light of every dawn and dusk happening anywhere, all at the same moment. That ring of light is what paints the Moon copper. And Thursday's eclipse adds a twist a total eclipse can't offer. With 93% of the Moon buried in shadow, most of the disk glows deep red โ€” while a thin sliver of the northern edge stays in direct sunlight, blazing white against the copper. The contrast gives the Moon a strange three-dimensional, spotlit look that no ordinary full Moon ever shows. Your eye handles that contrast beautifully. Your camera will struggle. Look first, photograph second. ๐ŸŒ’ Everything about Thursday's eclipse: thesuntoday.org/eclipse26082โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #lunareclipse thesuntoday.org/eclipse26082โ€ฆ
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Three nights from now, Earth's shadow swallows 93% of the Moon. ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ— On Thursday night, August 27โ€“28, the full Sturgeon Moon slides deep into our planet's shadow โ€” a deep partial lunar eclipse, so deep it will look strikingly like a total one. Copper-red across most of the disk, with one thin sliver of the northern edge still blazing white. Sixteen days ago the Moon blocked the Sun over Iceland and Spain. This is the other half of the pair โ€” eclipse season delivering its second act. The Americas get the best seats: the entire eclipse from start to finish, Moon high in the sky. Europe and Africa catch the eclipsed Moon sinking toward the horizon at dawn on the 28th; Hawaii and the central Pacific watch it rise already in shadow. No glasses. No telescope. No travel. Step outside Thursday night and look up. And savor it โ€” after this, the next total lunar eclipse doesn't arrive until December 31, 2028. ๐ŸŒ’ Times for your location, maps and more: thesuntoday.org/eclipse26082โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #lunareclipse #SturgeonMoon
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Today Europe gets its first totality in twenty years. Here's the part people don't realise: the next one is in twelve months. ๐ŸŒ‘ August 2, 2027. Not another twenty-year wait. And it's bigger. Today's totality tops out at just over two minutes. Next August runs up to 6 minutes 23 seconds โ€” the longest totality on land this century. The shadow crosses southern Spain, then Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, passing directly over Luxor, where the eclipsed Sun sits high in a desert sky with famously reliable weather. So if you're getting a deep partial today in London or Paris rather than the real thing, or you're watching a stream from somewhere the shadow doesn't reach โ€” start planning for next August now. Two European totalities in two consecutive summers. Enjoy today first. Then look at the map. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒ‘ ๐Ÿ‘‰ Everything about the August 2, 2027 eclipse: thesuntoday.org/eclipse27080โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #eclipse2027
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๐Ÿšจ IT'S ECLIPSE DAY!!! ๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŽ‰ TODAY the Moon's shadow races from the Arctic across Greenland ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฑ and Iceland ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ to a sunset totality in Spain ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ โ€” Europe's first in 20 years! โฐ Partial phases: from 15:34 UTC. Totality: 16:58โ€“18:34 UTC (Reykjavรญk 5:48 pm local, Spain ~8:30 pm CEST). Glasses on for every partial moment ๐Ÿ‘“ โ€” naked eyes ONLY during totality! Can't be there? Watch LIVE with us ๐Ÿ’ป ๐Ÿ‘‰ thesuntoday.org/eclipse26081โ€ฆ โ˜€๏ธ And tonight: the Perseid meteor shower peaks under a moonless sky! ๐Ÿ’ซ #Eclipse2026 #TotalSolarEclipse
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Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, millions of people across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and beyond will watch the Moon completely cover the Sun in a total solar eclipse โ€” the first over continental Europe since 2006. I can't wait. I'll be co-hosting EarthSky's livestream with Deborah Byrd, starting at 16:30 UTC (12:30 p.m. EDT). The partial phases will already be underway by then; they begin at 15:34 UTC, and totality first touches Earth at 16:58 UTC, so we'll be live for the whole run-up and the main event. ๐Ÿ“บ Watch with us: youtube.com/live/UDHJIJFA908 ๐ŸŒ’ Times, maps and everything else about this eclipse: thesuntoday.org/eclipse26081โ€ฆ Deborah and I write EarthSky's daily sun news update together, so this is a fun one for us โ€” a whole day of Sun, with the corona as the payoff. Wherever you're watching from โ€” Reykjavรญk, a beach in Valencia, a deep partial in London or Boston, or your couch โ€” I hope you get clear skies. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒ‘ #eclipse2026
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Can you see the aurora during totality? I've wondered about this for years โ€” and tomorrow we might finally find out. Dr. Liz MacDonald, founder of Aurorasaurus, is in Iceland for the total solar eclipse to chase exactly that question. ๐ŸŒ‘๐Ÿ’š Iceland sits right under the auroral oval, and for up to two minutes the sky goes dark in the middle of the afternoon. If the Sun cooperates, it's one of the strangest observing opportunities there is. See aurora during totality? Report it at aurorasaurus.org โ€” that's real citizen science, and this is a genuinely open question. Need the eclipse times? ๐Ÿ‘‰ thesuntoday.org/eclipse26081โ€ฆ #eclipse2026 #aurora #Iceland
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๐Ÿ˜ฑ TOMORROW! Eclipse Eve checklist: โœ… Eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2!) ๐Ÿ‘“ โœ… Weather check ๐ŸŒค๏ธ โœ… Clear western horizon if you're in Spain ๐ŸŒ… โœ… Camera charged ๐Ÿ“ธ โœ… Live stream bookmarked for the rest of us ๐Ÿ’ป Timeline for Aug 12: partial phases begin 15:34 UTC, totality sweeps Earth 16:58โ€“18:34 UTC, greatest eclipse 17:46 UTC off Iceland! ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ Sleep well tonightโ€ฆ the Moon won't. ๐ŸŒ™๐Ÿ’ค Everything you need ๐Ÿ‘‰ thesuntoday.org/eclipse26081โ€ฆ #Eclipse2026 #EclipseEve
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