No stated reason.
LUCY FLYBY OF EARTH TODAY: NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will slingshot past Earth today, Dec. 12th, for a gravity assist en route to the asteroid belt. At closest approach, the spacecraft will fly just 220 miles above the Pacific Ocean. NASA says that astronomers may be able to see the spacecraft at sunset in Hawaii (6:14 p.m. HST) with additional sighting opportunities in Africa and South America a bit later. Full Story.
(Why are they going to the asteroid belt?)
POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS: Arctic skies are filling with color–but it’s not the aurora borealis. A rare outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) is underway. Even Nilsen photographed the display from Troms, Norway:
“My favorite clouds appeared this morning,” says Nilsen. “It’s the earliest in December I have seen them here in Northern Norway. Fantastic sight!”
Polar stratospheric clouds are a sign of extreme cold. Normally, the stratosphere has no clouds at all. PSCs form when the temperature drops to a staggeringly-low -85 C. Then, and only then, can widely-spaced water molecules in the stratosphere coalesce into tiny ice crystals. When sunlight hits these crystals, they blossom with intense iridescent color.
Synchronicity is the Source of Consciousness 