Jan 8 - Electric-Blue Clouds

January 8 Electric-Blue Clouds by:

NASA spacecraft spies electric-blue clouds over Antarctica These noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds are seeded by debris from disintegrating meteors. They glow electric blue when they reflect sunlight. Before dawn Tuesday … Moon near Spica, planets Still close after Sunday's conjunction, bright Jupiter and Mars appear near the bright star Spica - and the moon - Tuesday morning. Where's the moon? Last quarter The moon will be showing us half of its lighted half, or day side. Ocean plastic killing marine turtles   Hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash - such as plastic 'six pack' holders and discarded fishing gear - in oceans and on beaches.

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Before dawn Tuesday … Moon near Spica, planets Watch before dawn this week, and you'll see the moon sweep down - past Spica - and then past Mars and Jupiter. This motion of the moon in our sky is because the moon is orbiting Earth!

Miss Jupiter and Mars? Photos here Brighter object Jupiter, fainter one Mars, on Sunday morning - the day of their spectacular conjunction - via Jenney Disimon in Sabah, North Borneo. On that morning, these 2 planets were about half a moon-diameter apart. Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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