I might veer off into China's efforts at climate manipulation, but we have a Breaking Astronomy Story to post to the APOD thread!
From SpaceWeather.com;
RARE NAKED-EYE NOVA: Yesterday, a star in the constellation Ophiuchus exploded. Although it is 5000 light years away, the blast is bright enough to see with the unaided eye after sunset. Get the full story with observing tips at @ Spaceweather.com.
RARE NAKED-EYE NOVA: Every 20 years or so, a thermonuclear explosion occurs on the surface of RS Oph, a white dwarf in the constellation Ophiuchus. Yesterday it happened again. On Aug. 8th, the brightness of the tiny star increased 600-fold, from magnitude +12 to +5. Keith Geary of Ireland was the first to notice. Hours later, Italian astronomer Ernesto Guido and colleagues photographed the outburst using a remote-controlled telescope in Australia:
(I know...useless without a star chart! More information the rest of the story and a chart at the link! (No...not very big, but its visible now.)
(Slide back to APOD!)
