Space Weather News for March 17, 2002 http://www.spaceweather.com AURORA WARNING: An explosion on the Sun hurled a coronal mass ejection toward Earth late on Friday, March 15th. The CME could sweep past Earth as early as Sunday night and trigger auroras. High-latitude sky watchers -- e.g., those in northern Europe, Canada, and the northern tier of US states -- should remain alert for Northern Lights after sunset on Sunday and perhaps again on Monday. It's possible that auroras might extend to lower latitudes as well; the crescent Moon will not overwhelm faint auroras. No matter where you live, the best times to watch will be during the hours around local midnight. Stay tuned to SpaceWeather.com for updates. PHOTOGENIC COMET: In recent weeks star gazers have enjoyed watching Comet Ikeya-Zhang, whose faint blue color and turbulent tail have made it one of the most photogenic comets in years. On March 18th the comet's orbit will bring it only 0.5 AU from the Sun -- its closest approach to our star in nearly four centuries. Solar heating could further brighten the comet, which glows now like a 4th magnitude star, and cause more dusty debris to evaporate from its icy nucleus. March 18th will be a good day to look as the comet lines up in the western sky with 3 planets and a crescent Moon. Visit SpaceWeather.com for details....