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Storm
Mountain News
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Local News
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Friday, December 8th
- Aurora Watch...
Sky
watchers, be alert for auroras commonly known as
the northern lights. A coronal mass ejection (CME)
is expected to brush past Earth tonight, sparking
a mild geomagnetic storm.
The
display will probably favor high latitudes such as
Scandinavia, Canada and Alaska, but it could
descend as well to northern-tier US states such as
Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Colorado.
The
source of the CME is sunspot 930, which has been
exploding regularly since it first appeared on
Dec. 5th. The "angry sunspot" is slowly
turning to face the Earth. As it does, it might send
more CMEs our way, and they would hit head-on
rather than merely brushing past. By next week,
Northern Lights could reach deep into the United
States.
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Tuesday, December 5th
- Full "Cold" Moon...
During this month the winter cold fastens its
grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest
leading to the name, Cold Moon, for December's
full moon. December's full Moon is also sometimes
called the Moon before Yule.
The term Long Night Moon is a doubly
appropriate name because the midwinter night is
indeed long, and because the Moon is above the
horizon for a long time.
The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory
across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
The full "Cold Moon" occurred
officially at 5:24PM MST on Monday, December 4th.
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Sunday, December 3rd
- Photo Of The Week...
This week's photo features a young American Elk resting in the grass along
the side of Highway 36 in Estes Park, on Tuesday
morning. It was one of a herd of around fifty that were resting near the museum
in town.
Elk in Estes Park are a very common sight particularly in the winter
months. Large herds come down from the high country in search of food and to
enjoy the more moderate temperatures of the Estes Valley. It is not unusual to
have fifty or more Elk lying your yard, driveway or wherever they chose.
The Elk are docile by nature and seldom attack people. However, the bulls
are at times aggressive during rutt (mating) and the females during calving. While
they may seem tame, these are wild animals and should never be approached
carelessly.
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