Can you drop a probe on a comet? A new iPhone game from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory puts you in control of the Rosetta spacecraft as it prepares to intercept Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Download it now. | | |
LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend on the night of April 21-22 when Earth passes through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet's tail sometimes trigger outbursts ten times stronger. This year's peak coincides with a new Moon, which has prompted NASA to attempt an unusual 3D meteor photography experiment. Browse the links for more information: observing tips, meteor radar, NASA chat, 3D meteors, Lyrid video.
SUNSPOT GENESIS: The solar disk is peppered with sunspots and at least three of them are crackling with C-class solar flares. Make that four. A new sunspot, AR1465, has just broken through the stellar surface to join the action. Cai-Uso Wohler photographed the emergence from his backyard observatory in Bispingen, Germany:
NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of an M-class flare during the next 24 hours. As the youngest and least stable of the sunspots, AR1465 is the most likely source. Stay tuned for solar activity. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
more images: from the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project of Washington, DC; from Jim Werle of Henderson, Nevada; from Alan Friedman of Buffalo, NY; from Jett Aguilar of Quezon City, Philippines
INCOMING PLASMA CLOUDS: On April 18th and 19th, a series of minor CMEs puffed away from the sun. Three of them are heading in our general direction. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab have prepared an animated forecast track of the ensemble:
According to the forecast, the clouds are going to hit Mercury, Earth, Mars and rover Curiosity en route to Mars. The impact on our planet, on April 22nd around 00:50 UT, is expected to be minor with auroras likely only at higher latitudes. Aurora alerts: text, voice.
ARCTIC AURORA RECAP: As the midnight sun returns to the Arctic, northern sky watchers are looking back on the 2011-2012 aurora season with pleasure. "There has definitely been increased activity this season as the solar cycle heads toward a maximum in 2013," says photographer Ole C. Salomonsen. "To commemorate the season I have assembled a video from photos I took in northern parts of Norway, Finland and Sweden from fall 2011 to spring 2012." Click to play:
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"This video marks the end of a very exciting aurora season for me," says Salomonsen. "It has made me very excited for the upcoming season (autumn 2012), and what it has to offer in terms of celestial lights and experiences!"
This doesn't mean that auroras are gone for everyone. The Arctic Circle may be brightening with summer sunlight, but lower latitudes still have enough darkness for Northern Lights. Indeed, upper-middle latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on April 20th. NOAA forcasters estimate a 35% chance of geomagnetic activity as Earth enters a region of negative polarity IMF.