VENUSIAN RAINBOWS

Space Weather News for Jan. 4, 2006
http://spaceweather.com

VENUSIAN RAINBOWS: Venus is hanging low in the southwestern sky at
sunset. Amateur astronomers who've looked at it lately have noticed
something extraordinary: Venus looks like a tiny crescent-shaped
rainbow. Using binoculars or a backyard telescope, you can see this
phenomenon yourself. But don't wait, because Venus will soon
disappear into the glare of the Sun, not to return to the evening sky
until Dec. 2006. Check http://spaceweather.com for a sky map, photos
and an explanation.

EARTH AT PERIHELION: Don't look, but the Sun is bigger than usual this
week. That's because Earth is at perihelion, the closest point in our
planet's orbit to the Sun. In the dead cold of northern winter, we're
almost 2% closer to the Sun than the annual average. Strange but true.

ISS FLYBYS: The International Space Station (ISS) will be flying over
the United States this month during evening hours when it is easy to
see. Would you like a phone call to alert you when the ISS is about to
fly over your home town? Sign up for SpaceWeather PHONE:
http://spaceweatherphone.com