http://spaceweather.com/
Spaceweather.com is fun and extremely helpful-it's got lots of stuff pertaining to the Sun, astronomical events, etc.
And... I thought I'd share a story about auroras that I wrote. It is a myth-and yes, it is a fanfic written for the Chronicles of Narnia.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia, nor do I own auroras.
Peter Pevensie was well educated, and had nothing against science. At time, he even enjoyed it.
Everything about Narnia was mired in mystery. It was like a different world, yet in their world. Peter had accepted that science could not explain it. Susan, on the other hand, was always trying to make sense of it. She shielded her inquiries from the Narnians, but not from Peter. Peter was always able to persuade her that science could not and would not explain it.
This led to quarrels and plenty of food for thought. Susan wasn't exactly the best at science, but she was old enough to want to solve things logically.
Most of the questions posed the pair would never be answered. Questions like, "Does Santa exist in the real world?"
One time, Lucy overheard them passing questions back and forth. "You just have to believe! It's magic!" She exclaimed.
As much as they would love to be content with that, they couldn't. Susan and Peter kept debating anything that came to mind. It was always a waste of air; for five minutes they would debate and eventually fall silent.
One time, Susan came up with a question she was positive they could answer. "Does Narnia have auroras, Pete?" She asked him earnestly.
Frankly, Peter was surprised. It was a strange question for his sister to ask. "What is that, again?"
"The Northern Lights!" She said, exasperated. "We saw them on holiday with mum a few years ago, remember?"
"I remember," he said bleakly. "Why would Narnia have them?"
Susan rolled her eyes. "I don't know. But it would be interesting to find out."
"At least we'll be able to figure this one out," Peter grinned. "Just keep your eyes peeled."
Weeks passed. Not a trace of the lights were found in the sky. Susan and Peter moved on to much more productive things- such as ruling Narnia.
As Lucy got ready for bed, something in the window caught her attention. Poking her head out into the cool night air, she called for Susan.
"The aurora!" Susan said, awestruck.
"You've seen them before?"
"We all did; once. You were too young to remember." Susan quickly filled her in. "Peter, Edmund, come quick!"
Edmund stomped in, closely followed by Peter. "What is it?"
They all leaned out the window to watch in amazement as ribbons of green and purple frolicked across the sky in a beautiful, erratic dance. "It's beautiful," Lucy breathed.
"I've never seen them here before," Edmund frowned.
"That's because they didn't come when the White Witch was here." Mr. Tumnus appeared in the doorway, respectfully bowing to the young Kings and Queens.
"Why is that?" Susan asked.
"They are the spirits of all those who fought for freedom from the White Witch. While we were under her rule, they didn't dance. Who would dance for the 'Queen' of Narnia?" He scoffed. "Then you saved
us, they celebrate."
Susan looked puzzled. "That's not how it happens… back in London."
Lucy looked at her, and then laughed. "No, silly! This is Narnia!"
Not my best work, but I'm proud of it. :DOn Friday (3.5.10.) my Dad and I saw the International Space Station. We tried to set up the telescope ten minutes early, but it's so hard to calibrate with all the trees in our yard. It was easy to see with the naked eye- I'd say a little smaller than a plane and a little brighter than your average star... though few stars are average, I think. It about 2 minutes to get across the sky-slow enough so that when it disappeared behind trees I could chase it up the street.
Sometimes I'll notice a little blob of haze below Orion's Belt...
that couldn't be the Orion Nebula, could it? But it's always there on a good night. What else could it be?
Up next: The Sun, dark matter, and my bea-uti-ful telescope!
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