SUNSPOTS GALORE

[Whitters]

SUNSPOTS GALORE:  Only a few days ago the sun was completely blank, but now it is peppered with fast-growing sunspots.  So far these active regions have produced no strong solar
flares, but this could change if their dynamic growth continues.  Visit spaceweather.com for movies of the growing 'spots and safe solar observing tips.

REMINDER:  Far from Earth, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft is about to poke a hole through the crust of Comet Tempel 1.  When? July 3rd at 10:52 p.m. PDT  (July 4th at 0552 UT).  A
plume of gas and dust emerging from the hole could cause the comet to brighten so much that sky watchers on Earth can see it through binoculars or even with the unaided eye from
dark-sky sites. Observers in the western United States, Hawaii, Mexico and  parts of Central and South America are favored.  From those places the comet hangs in the southwestern
sky after sunset on July 3rd--at the right place and time to view the impact.  If the comet does brighten, it will look like a faint fuzzy smudge not far from the bright star
Spica.  Visit spaceweather.com for a sky map and observing tips.

[Rick]

Ah, if only the cloud would part, and let us take a peek...