EarthSky News - Sept 20 - Equinox Ahead, Dust Devils, Zap!

September 20 Equinox Ahead Dust Devils  Zap! by:

All you need to know: September equinox The equinox is Friday. Happy autumn (or spring)! Dust devils on Earth and Mars Researchers spent 5 years studying dust devils. They did it by placing 2-sided sticky tape on long pipes and running into dust devils. Hear their results and see cool images, here. Zap! Biologist measures eel's shock on his own arm More dedication to science! This biologist stuck his arm into an eel tank - 10 times - to get an accurate measure of an eel's shock. He said it felt "like touching a horse fence." Earth will give this spaceraft a gravity boost Friday A NASA spaceraft - OSIRIS-REx - bound for an asteroid will sweep in close to Earth on Friday. How to participate in a Wave to OSIRIS-REx campaign. Plus, how to see the craft in the sky and where to submit your images.

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Sun over Earth's equator at equinox On Friday, the midday sun will be straight overhead seen from Earth's equator. It'll be crossing the equator, moving from north to south. Image by Tau'olunga via Wikimedia Commons.

Daytime occultation of Mercury yesterday Venus, Mars and Mercury were all occulted, or covered over, by the moon on September 18. Here is the daytime occultation of Mercury, caught from Hong Kong by Matthew Chin. See more photos or ... read more about the occultations. It was the first time since March 5, 2008, that 3 planets were occulted by the moon in less than a day. Next time: July 24, 2036. Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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