Tropical System Continues to Develop....
A system in the SW Gulf of Mexico continues to slowly organize and is now tropical depression Sixteen with the potential of becoming sub-tropical storm (Nestor) later today or tomorrow. The path of this system will move it toward the NE putting it near the FL panhandle late Friday night and then into central GA and SC Saturday afternoon and night. If so, rain could start in our region before daybreak Saturday with moderate to heavy rain during the day on Saturday into Saturday night and early Sunday morning. This system would also generate strong winds of 30 - 40 mph with stronger gusts within rain squalls (brief periods of heavy rains and strong gusty winds).
More information at the NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER website.

Today however, will cool with filtered sunshine while tonight will be fair and chilly. Tomorrow should start off sunny and cool with increasing clouds later in the day and during the night. See the FORECAST TEMPERATURES for your area.

Weather Discussion:
A complete & comprehensive meteorological discussion is available from the National Weather Service, Charleston and from the NWS, Jacksonville, FL

Heavenly Backyard Astronomy

The Horsehead Nebula
This is one of my favorite deep space objects and is about 1,500 light-years away. The horse's head is mainly a large dust cloud obscuring the stars and nebulous gasses. The red color originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star to the upper right, Sigma Orionis. To the upper left is the "Flame Nebula". Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine. Additional dark gas and dust lie in front of the bright part of the nebula and this is what causes the dark network that appears in the center of the glowing gas. All of this is part of Orion where nearby is the famous Orion Nebula. The very bright star at the top of the photo is "Alnitak" wich is the left star of the triplet forming Orion's belt. Alnitak, a very young star less than a million years old and (compared to our sun which is 4.3 billion years old) and is about 1,260 light-years from earth and is about 20 times larger than the sun, as compared to the bright red giant Betelgeuse in the upper left of the constilation Orion (not in this picture), which is about 287 times larger than our sun. This nebulae is located medium high in the east around 3 am in October and will be high overhead around 1 am in early December.
. ... Click on Picture for full view ...

For more of my astro pics, please visit my astronomy blog. Click on the image for a larger view.

So, what elese is up in the Nighttime Sky Now? Click Here to Gander at the Summertime Nights Sky

- Patrick Prokop (patprokop49@gmail.com) -

Pat's 6 Week Weather Outlook

Radar Views

Doppler Radar Level 3 Data from KCLX, Grays, SC ... NWS Charleston, SC

... Click on Radar for Animation & More Products ...

Doppler Radar Level 3 Data NOAA Radar From KTLH, NWS, Tallahassee, FL

... Click on Radar for Animation ...

Satellite Images / Loops

GOES East Image Viewer

True Color GOES 16 View from RAMMB

NEW ... GOES 17 from RAMMB

GOES East GA/SC View

GOES 16 (College of DuPage)

Color West/East Animation

Tropical Views

Global Satellite Products & GOES-16

MODIS (Polar Orbiters)

Full Earth (DSCORV Satellite)