(Photo by Jason A.G. Enevoldsen)

By the time the first sunset of winter 2024-2025 showed hints of color above the Lincoln Park forest, nearby Solstice Park held an estimated 140 people – possibly the largest crowd yet for educator/skywatching expert Alice Enevoldsen‘s quarterly gatherings.

(WSB photos from here don)

As always, Alice first explained the unique features that make Solstice Park the place for a gathering like this: the paths and markers placed to line up with the setting sun on the solstices and equinoxes each year. (Fun fact: Did you know “solstice” means “sun stop”?) Once she explained them, everyone was invited to walk to the end of the winter-solstice path to see how it lined up with what could be seen of the setting sun:

Once reconvened in a circle where the paths converge, attendees got to hear about, and participate in, the explanation of sun/Earth positions when the seasons change, and where in the sky the sun hits its seasonal high (winter solstice, 19 degrees).

A bonus feature of these always-free events – which Alice has led for 15+ years as a volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador – is hearing about the next big thing in the space/skywatching world. Tonight, Alice explained the Parker Solar Probe, days away from its closest pass around the Sun yet, on Christmas Eve morning. It’s expected to get even closer in a pass next March – a few days after Alice’s spring-equinox sunset watch.

(WSB photo from 2023 winter-solstice sunset watch)

Winter begins at 1:20 am Saturday – that’s the solstice moment. Fourteen hours later (starting around 3:45 pm, to be precise), astronomy educator Alice Enevoldsen will be at Solstice Park (top of the slope at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW) to lead her quarterly change-of-seasons sunset watch. So far the forecast suggests we’ll be between rain spells; truly heavy rain is the only thing that would cause Alice to cancel. Come learn about what “solstice” signifies, see how (if it’s visible) the setting sun lines up with the park’s solstice/equinox markers, and enjoy the relatively balmy (still 50ish) weather.

The waxing crescent moon was part of a sky show again tonight:

If you weren’t looking up around 5:30 pm, this is what you missed. Christopher Boffoli sent the image above, and Robin Sinner sent the image below.

Will we see this again tomorrow? Part of the forecast looks like a rerun – dense morning fog followed by some sun.

(Photo by Sandy Dymale)

Thanks for the photos! Tonight’s moonrise revealed the last supermoon of 2024, the full “beaver moon.” Photographers lined up on the West Seattle shore in hopes of the perfect shot:

(Photo by Doug Eglington)

And then there was this view from Alki, as the moon appeared over the ridge:

(Photo by Michael Ostrogorsky)

If you want to watch for it in the west, Saturday morning’s moonset will be at 8:42 am.

8:45 PM: What a week it’s been for sights in the sky! First the aurora, then that sunset, now … Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)! Thanks to everyone sending photos of the comet, visible around dusk in the west. Above, the first photo we received was from Lars Lindblad, at Me-Kwa-Mooks. Below, from James Tilley, at Alki Beach:

And this one is from Tracey Kipp (of WSB sponsor West Seattle Realty):

The comet’s visibility has been anticipated for months – skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen talked about it at her fall-equinox sunset watch. Meantime, we’re checking the other photos that have come in – we’ll be adding more!

9:40 PM: If the sky is clear, the comet will be visible in the west again tomorrow, Alice tells us – just look west after sunset. … Another photo from tonight, sent by Madison Kirkman:

7:05 PM: As it gets dark, the factors remain promising for aurora visibility again! West Seattle skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen has updated her aurora-viewing tips. West Seattle photographer Kevin Freitas sent a community invitation:

Join me tonight ~8:45pm down on Alki (64th & Alki) for some aurora viewing. This area has a great view to the north that’s relatively dark from city light pollution. Regardless, looking at photos from the east coast and elsewhere, this could be a good one and visible from wherever you are. I’ll be the guy in the bright yellow stocking cap. Bundle up because it could be cold down there!

We’ll update as the evening progresses.

7:54 PM: First photo in, via text, from a Junction-area rooftop:

Geomagnetic activity is currently well into “storm level” per this page.

8:59 PM: Alki seems to be the viewing spot of choice. Carol Ann Joyce sent this photo, one of several we’ve received from people at the beach (thank you!):

9:58 PM: Two more photos from Alki – first, from the VanCooten family:

And from Kevin Freitas, who, as mentioned above, went to the beach to lead a viewing/photo session:

10:14 PM: Also from Alki, Rosalie Miller just sent this:

10:49 PM: The aurora’s out again tonight! Thanks to the reader who just sent that photo, from Fauntlee Hills. Earlier, Cami reported faint colors looking west from Alki. How long will it last? Hard to tell, but here’s one of the forecast sites recommended by West Seattle expert skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen (here’s her aurora-viewing-tips page).

11:12 PM: More photos arriving – thanks! From Lacey:

From Jessica in Fairmount Park:

From Liz in North Admiral:

12:57 AM: And from Jamie Kinney:

Lots of regional chatter about fireballs in the sky overnight. West Seattle photographer Kevin Freitas caught one on his skywatching camera – here’s a screenshot, followed by video:

The American Meteor Society‘s outlook for this week suggests three prime sources of potential meteor activity right now.

(WSB photos)

If there’s a reason to skywatch or stargaze, Alice Enevoldsen is your go-to person in West Seattle. She is a volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador, as well as an astronomy/physics instructor at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). Tonight, as she’s done more than 50 times dating back exactly 15 years, she led a sunset watch commemorating the change of seasons. The sun made only the most infinitesimal of cameo appearances, a glimmer through the Lincoln Park trees to the west:

About three dozen people joined Alice at Solstice Park, even knowing the clouds would keep them from enjoying one of the signature features of these sunset watches – seeing the setting sun line up with the precisely placed paths and stones at the park. But they got to hear, see, and participate in the traditional explanation of equinoxes and solstices, which as always featured young volunteers portraying the sun (while Alice held her Earth globe):

Another fun feature of Alice’s events – info about other upcoming reasons to look skyward. One is 2024 PT5, the name given to a “rock the size of a school bus” that will be orbiting Earth for about two months before returning to its regular orbit of the sun. You won’t be able to see it without a “fairly powerful telescope,” Alice warned, so don’t expect any viewing events.

However, she told attendees, a viewing event might be possible for Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which might become bright enough to be seen without a telescope in the weeks to come. This would require an open southwest view, perhaps from a spot like the Lincoln Park shore. (Otherwise, Westcrest Park is one of her favorite West Seattle places to skywatch, especially when unpredictable sights like the aurora happen. Here are all the places to find her updates.)

NEXT SUNSET WATCH: 3:45 pm December 21st, for the winter solstice, at Solstice Park (upslope at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW).

Autumn officially arrives at 5:43 am Sunday – the equinox moment. A little over 12 hours later, you can greet the new season in a uniquely West Seattle way – the change-of-seasons sunset watch with educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen. She’ll be at Solstice Park (where you’ll find the marker shown above, aligning with the equinox-sunset path), upslope from the tennis courts and P-Patch at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, starting around 6:30 Sunday; sunset will be around 7 pm (earlier than official charts, because of the mountains). Drop in to learn what “equinox” really means, and to hear about any upcoming skywatching events of note.

9:43 PM: That’s the first photo we’ve received of tonight’s aurora – Marina Clough reports, “I got a pic of the aurora with my phone! Couldn’t see this with the naked eye; this was around 8:30. It was when the KP index was around 8!” That means a good possibility of the Northern Lights; West Seattle educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen has a page full of resources, including the forecast for the next half-hour and advice on how/where to watch.

1:11 AM: Watching the maps, the aurora likelihood seems to have faded, so it was fairly fleeting, By the time Manuel got to the beach, he mostly just was able to photograph other hopeful watchers:

Questions about aurora-watching? Alice will be happy to answer them at her equinox sunset watch Sunday, 6:30 pm, uphill at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW).

Thanks to Manuel for the photos! Another sighting of Northern Lights in our area overnight … his photos are from Alki.

(Others around the Sound saw them too.) For tips on aurora-viewing, and links to forecast sites, check out this page on West Seattle skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen‘s website.

Thanks to the texter who sent that photo early this morning after a fleeting aurora appearance! This was the view from Alki looking north after midnight. (Not just here – the National Weather Service noted another regional sighting.) By the time we heard, we checked the online forecast and the chances of another sighting had receded. But if you want to be on the lookout for the next one, skywatching expert/educator Alice Enevoldsen has tips and links here.

10:07 PM: West Seattle’s expert skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen just alerted us to the possibility of aurora viewing tonight: “We’re flirting with Kp7 which is ‘go outside and look NOW, maybe go somewhere nearby and dark” numbers.” She recommends Westcrest Park. Here are Alice’s viewing tips and aurora’forecast links.

12:44 AM: Thanks to the commenters who’ve posted images from their sightings!

The sunset was the big draw, but another star got some attention at Alice Enevoldsen‘s one-day-delayed summer-solstice sunset watch Friday night, attended by more than 40 people at Solstice Park.

(Our report is delayed too, after breaking news overnight and early today.) Alice of course explained the solar system positioning that the solstices and equinoxes represent, with the help of young assistants, this time J.J. and Decker:

And Alice – an educator and volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador who has led these events for 15+ years – answered questions, including whether any celestial phenomena were imminent. Besides the annual summer meteor showers, here’s something to watch for: A nova from the constellation Corona Borealis. Yes, that’s correct, Corona Borealis, not to be confused with the aurora borealis.

As explained in this Earth.com report, one of its stars is about to have an explosion known as a nova, something it does every 80 years or so, though exactly how soon, nobody knows. Alice advises loading a planetarium app on your phone to help you know where to look once it happens – which may be before her next sunset watch, on fall-equinox evening, 6:30 pm Sunday, September 22.

(WSB photos from Alice’s 2023 solstice–sunset watch)

If you were planning on celebrating the change of seasons by attending NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen‘s quarterly sunset watch at Solstice Park – note that she’s having it one day later this time. Due to a conflict, Alice will be gathering sunset-watchers at 8:30 pm next Friday (June 21) rather than on the actual solstice date Thursday. The setting sun will still be visible in line with the park’s marker – assuming the forecast holds. If you haven’t been before, this is in upper Solstice Park, upslope from the tennis courts at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW. (Actual sunset time is just after 9 pm, but the sun will drop behind the Olympics about 10 minutes before that. And the actual solstice moment, for the record, will be 1:50 pm Thursday.)

9:05 PM: You might have heard about the solar storm that’s led to a strong possibility of the aurora – aka Northern Lights – over our area tonight. West Seattle’s expert skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen has a standing page of links you can use to check the forecast – including one that points to this:

That should be the newest image from the NOAA site, looking ahead about half an hour; also note that UTC is seven hours later than our time. Alice’s page also has viewing advice; let us know what you see – we’ll be watching too, and updating.

10:14 PM: Haven’t heard/seen any WS reports yet, but the National Weather Service office up on Sand Point says they’ve got a bit of color in the sky.

10:52 PM: In comments, Liz reports seeing it. And via Twitter/X, so does Alicia.

10:58 PM: Texter says this is what they’re seeing from the West Seattle Golf Course:

11:03 PM: Another texted photo, looking toward downtown from Blair DeWeese:

11:14 PM: Now getting lots of reports. People are seeing it from Hamilton Viewpoint (Blair’s pic above) and Myrtle Reservoir parks, among other places. Here’s one just texted from Myrtle:

11:29 PM: From Hoa Vong at Delridge/Brandon:

11:52 PM: Many more photos in comments below (thank you!).

EARLY AM NOTE: We’ve received more pics in email too and will add some here later this morning. And we’ll be on watch to see if the aurora returns tonight, given that the solar storm apparently isn’t over yet.

Kevin Freitas sent this comet photo in early April; we decided to save it for a stretch of clear nights – which we’re experiencing now!

Kevin wrote: “This is comet 12P/Pons-Brooks as viewed with a small digital telescope from our deck here in West Seattle. This beauty can be seen with binoculars after sunset as it heads out of the inner solar system not to return for 71 years. An app like ‘Night Sky’ or various websites will show you where to look for this green gem currently in our night skies.” In fact, Space.com reports that Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is reaching peak brightness this weekend.

ADDED THURSDAY: From Kevin – “For anyone interested I’ll be down at Emma Schmitz Overlook by 8:30 pm tonight to try to photograph the comet again. Bring your binoculars and let’s see what we can see!” Look for him across from Me-Kwa-Mooks.

(WSB photos)

11:15 AM: With unbroken clouds overhead, expert skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen is hosting her solar-eclipse-viewing event inside Olympic Hall at the south end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, room 105. She’s tuning in feeds from other areas of the nation/hemisphere (so far, Texas, Missouri, Mexico, Canada) that are seeing a total eclipse (even if we weren’t socked in here, we’d be seeing only 20 percent coverage).

11:27 AM: Alice has sent out scouts to check outside every few minutes. Still “totally socked in.” (If that changes, though, she promises, “we’re going outside.”) The feeds onscreen have varied from totality in Mexico to “just getting started” in Maine (where totality is a little over an hour away).

(Maine feed shown onscreen – this is close to what it peaked at here, above the clouds)

11:45 AM: If you could see through the clouds here, we’d already be more than 15 minutes past the partial-eclipse peak here, so this is definitely remaining an indoor viewing event. Alice, who is an instructor here at SSC, has explained that one of the feeds is from a North Seattle College instructor, Tracy Furutani, who traveled to Missouri to see it and provide a livestream.

12:04 PM: The Missouri location dimmed noticeably on the live feed and is now coming out of totality. (One total-eclipse image also revealed a couple of planets, too, which Alice jumped up to point out.) Other areas are still heading for complete coverage so Alice will be here a while longer; we’re moving on.

Current forecast for midday Monday is mostly cloudy – but things can change, so here’s the place to be for guided viewing of the partial solar eclipse, if there’s a break in the clouds. Educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen – who gave away eclipse-viewing glasses at her spring-equinox sunset event (photo at right) – will be at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), in the grassy field near Olympic Hall on the south end of the campus. She’s planning to be there 10:35 am-12:25 pm Monday (April 8), with the maximum eclipse – 20% coverage – expected at 11:29 am. See the eclipse page on her Alice’s Astro Info website here. And wherever you’re looking from. remember, do it safely (Alice’s page explains how).

Thanks to everyone who sent photos of this morning’s moonset,seen over the Olympics before 7 am. Here are some of them! The top photo was texted anonymously; next one is from Stephanie Bruno on Atlas Place:

From Michael Burke in Fauntlee Hills:

And from Patricia, just before it went out of view:

Again, big thanks! Best way to send us photos if you can is westseattleblog@gmail.com – texting to 206-293-6302 also works, especially if it’s urgent (breaking news).

P.S. The current moon phase is part of the info on our West Seattle Weather page (recently added at a reader’s suggestion).

West Seattle skywatching expert/educator Alice Enevoldsen was looking ahead to eclipses as well as the spring equinox during her change-of-seasons sunset watch tonight at Solstice Park. The upcoming solar eclipse will peak at 20 percent coverage in our area, and unless the day/time (11:29 am Monday, April 8) arrives with heavy rain/fog, she’ll be leading a viewing event somewhere. (Here’s the eclipse-info page on her website.) She brought special viewing glasses to tonight’s event. Alice also talked about an upcoming lunar eclipse, overnight next Sunday to Monday (March 24-25) – explained here by Space.com, which says it’ll be “underwhelming” because it’s a shadow eclipse, not total coverage. Now, back to the spring equinox (which officially arrived less than an hour after tonight’s sunset):

As tonight’s attendees got to see firsthand, Alice hosts her gatherings at Solstice Park because of its unique features – paths and stone markers that line up with the setting sun at equinoxes and solstices, as seen in this photo (which also shows the globe she uses to explain planetary positions at those season-change moments):

The setting sun will be in almost the same path tomorrow night too – but likely not visible, as the forecast says clouds are on their way back.

Welcome to the first full day of winter! Three hours before the season started with the solstice moment at 7:27 pm Thursday, more than 50 people joined educator/expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen for her 59th change-of-seasons sunset watch. This time, those gathered at Solstice Park saw the sun slip behind the tall trees of Lincoln Park across the way:

Key attributes at upper Solstice Park are the paths and stones that align with the sunset on the solstices and equinoxes, so checking out those views was popular just before sunset:

Then it was time for a centerpiece of the sunset watches – Alice’s interactive explanation of the earth’s tilt at solstices and equinoxes, with young volunteer Meredith at the center of the circle, portraying the sun:

Alice also explained how your views of constellations change during the year, responding to an attendee’s question, and talked a bit about the solar eclipse coming up on April 8th – only 20 percent coverage or so in our area, “but a nice partial eclipse,” she said. But before then, her 60th quarterly sunset watch will mark the arrival of spring – be at Solstice Park at 6:30 pm March 19,