This is an AI Free Zone! Text created by ChatGPT and other Large Language Models is spreading rapidly across the Internet. It's well-written, artificial, frequently inaccurate. If you find a mistake on Spaceweather.com, rest assured it was made by a real human being. | | |
THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of debris from "rock comet" 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Last night, Dec. 11-12, NASA cameras recorded 23 Geminid fireballs over the USA. Many more are coming. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Dec. 13-14 with as many as 100 meteors/hour visible from dark sky sites. More: Observing tips; sky map.
THE BETELGEUSE OCCULTATION--WHAT HAPPENED? As reports trickle in from Europe and the Middle East, a consensus is emerging: The occultation of Betelgeuse by asteroid Leona may have been less dramatic than expected. "Observing with the naked eye, the drop in brightness was barely visible," reports Fabrizio Melandri from Terranova Da Sibari, Italy. Using his camera, he made a 1 minute star trail exposure to illustrate the change:
"You can notice the modest and brief drop in brightness of the star about halfway through the shot," says Melandri.
In Bursa, Turkey, astronomer Tunç Tezel says Betelgeuse dimmed by "two full magnitudes at least, but did not disappear. Apparently this was some kind of an annular eclipse, as Leona could not cover Betelgeuse completely."
Mohamad Sol positioned himself near the centerline in Hondón de las nieves, Spain, and took this video:
"With my naked eye, I could see a reduction in light from Betelgeuse for a maximum of two seconds," says Sol. "As the video shows, however, the star did not disappear."
Betelgeuse was supposed to dim at least 3 magnitudes when Leona passed in front of it. However, the rotating asteroid has an iregular shape, and probably did not cover as much of the star as expected. Stay tuned for reports from other observing sites. (Did you observe the occultation? Submit your images here.)
more images: from Antonio Piras of Assemini, Sardinia, Italy; from Sebastian Voltmer of Almodóvar del Río, Spain; from the Sormano Astronomical Observatory in Italy
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
Carried aloft by giant helium balloons, these unique gifts have flown above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out.
Don't forget to enter coupon code "BUZZALDRIN" at checkout for a 10% holiday discount.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
SUNDIVING COMET: By the time you finish reading this, the Solar System will have one less comet. SOHO coronagraphs caught the dirty snowball diving into the sun on Dec. 11th:
Note: The comet briefly dims when it passes behind a mechanical arm, which supports the coronagraph's occulting disk
The kamikaze comet is a member of the Kreutz sungrazer family. Named after a 19th century German astronomer who studied them in detail, Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a giant comet at least 2000 years ago. Several of these fragments pass by the sun and disintegrate every day. Most are too small to see. This fragment is a big exception.
By now the comet has been vaporized. The next batch of SOHO data will probably show a small cloud of debris and a decapitated tail emerging from behind the sun. R.I.P. comet!
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Every night, a network of
NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On Dec 12, 2023, the network reported 40 fireballs.
(21 Geminids, 14 sporadics, 5 sigma Hydrids)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (
PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding
new ones all the time.
On December 12, 2023 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
|
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) |
2023 XD | 2023-Dec-07 | 1.9 LD | 9.9 | 14 |
2023 XT | 2023-Dec-07 | 2.1 LD | 8.4 | 6 |
2023 XS10 | 2023-Dec-07 | 3 LD | 12.7 | 25 |
2023 XG2 | 2023-Dec-07 | 1.5 LD | 4.3 | 5 |
2023 XY | 2023-Dec-07 | 14.4 LD | 8.3 | 20 |
2023 XH | 2023-Dec-07 | 4 LD | 6.2 | 16 |
2023 XQ1 | 2023-Dec-07 | 2.6 LD | 11.9 | 12 |
2023 XE2 | 2023-Dec-08 | 13.3 LD | 5.9 | 18 |
2023 VF12 | 2023-Dec-08 | 13 LD | 4.1 | 22 |
2023 XQ10 | 2023-Dec-08 | 0.6 LD | 10.6 | 20 |
2023 XU5 | 2023-Dec-08 | 1 LD | 8.6 | 13 |
2023 XD3 | 2023-Dec-08 | 2.1 LD | 5.2 | 14 |
2023 WG | 2023-Dec-08 | 17.6 LD | 6.6 | 33 |
2023 XR | 2023-Dec-08 | 14 LD | 15.6 | 25 |
2023 XT3 | 2023-Dec-08 | 2.1 LD | 14.9 | 10 |
2023 XC | 2023-Dec-08 | 2.1 LD | 5.8 | 7 |
2023 XW5 | 2023-Dec-09 | 0.2 LD | 5.9 | 6 |
2023 XS3 | 2023-Dec-09 | 11.9 LD | 6.2 | 22 |
2023 XB4 | 2023-Dec-09 | 0.8 LD | 10.1 | 8 |
2023 XW2 | 2023-Dec-09 | 6.5 LD | 9.6 | 13 |
2023 XP2 | 2023-Dec-10 | 5.8 LD | 10.3 | 19 |
2023 WH | 2023-Dec-10 | 11.9 LD | 8.9 | 39 |
2020 HX3 | 2023-Dec-10 | 9.8 LD | 15.7 | 13 |
2020 XC3 | 2023-Dec-10 | 20 LD | 14.6 | 111 |
2023 XH3 | 2023-Dec-10 | 4.6 LD | 15.1 | 14 |
2023 XT4 | 2023-Dec-10 | 4.4 LD | 8.9 | 16 |
2023 XP1 | 2023-Dec-11 | 15.2 LD | 9.6 | 40 |
2023 XH2 | 2023-Dec-11 | 5 LD | 10.1 | 19 |
2010 XF3 | 2023-Dec-11 | 19.4 LD | 4 | 46 |
2023 XN3 | 2023-Dec-12 | 13.8 LD | 8.4 | 15 |
2023 WO3 | 2023-Dec-12 | 9.3 LD | 9.3 | 42 |
2023 XZ2 | 2023-Dec-12 | 3.4 LD | 6.7 | 10 |
2023 XO1 | 2023-Dec-12 | 4.3 LD | 7.2 | 14 |
2023 XH7 | 2023-Dec-13 | 2.5 LD | 19.8 | 11 |
2023 XU4 | 2023-Dec-14 | 3.9 LD | 6.2 | 12 |
2023 XO10 | 2023-Dec-14 | 10.5 LD | 16.5 | 18 |
2023 XB3 | 2023-Dec-14 | 13.9 LD | 9.9 | 15 |
2023 XL4 | 2023-Dec-15 | 11.4 LD | 6.5 | 22 |
2023 XK10 | 2023-Dec-15 | 17.7 LD | 13.6 | 46 |
2023 XY2 | 2023-Dec-15 | 9.6 LD | 13.4 | 34 |
2023 XK4 | 2023-Dec-15 | 3.4 LD | 4.2 | 15 |
2023 XV2 | 2023-Dec-15 | 15.9 LD | 6.5 | 22 |
2023 XJ10 | 2023-Dec-17 | 8.4 LD | 16.1 | 28 |
2023 XH1 | 2023-Dec-17 | 15.2 LD | 5.4 | 18 |
2023 XF2 | 2023-Dec-19 | 9.8 LD | 8 | 22 |
2016 XD2 | 2023-Dec-19 | 18.8 LD | 6.9 | 59 |
2023 XS | 2023-Dec-19 | 11.5 LD | 9.1 | 31 |
341843 | 2023-Dec-20 | 16.5 LD | 5.3 | 344 |
2018 YJ2 | 2023-Dec-21 | 18.4 LD | 13.1 | 154 |
2022 YG | 2023-Dec-22 | 11.2 LD | 5.1 | 17 |
2023 VD6 | 2023-Dec-23 | 10.6 LD | 15.5 | 159 |
2023 XN10 | 2023-Dec-23 | 18.4 LD | 9.9 | 67 |
2020 YO3 | 2023-Dec-23 | 3.6 LD | 16.6 | 42 |
2010 UE51 | 2023-Dec-24 | 9 LD | 1.3 | 7 |
2020 YR2 | 2023-Dec-25 | 13.8 LD | 8 | 8 |
2023 XJ3 | 2023-Dec-25 | 16.5 LD | 9.2 | 55 |
2020 KT4 | 2023-Dec-25 | 13.4 LD | 7.3 | 76 |
2023 XO7 | 2023-Dec-26 | 6.3 LD | 6.7 | 23 |
2021 AM6 | 2023-Dec-31 | 18.3 LD | 6.6 | 17 |
2019 KK5 | 2024-Jan-03 | 10.6 LD | 20.9 | 98 |
2002 AY1 | 2024-Jan-08 | 15.2 LD | 17.3 | 230 |
2020 AC1 | 2024-Jan-11 | 19.3 LD | 5.3 | 7 |
2023 WZ3 | 2024-Jan-11 | 16.2 LD | 4 | 35 |
2021 CZ2 | 2024-Jan-16 | 8 LD | 14.3 | 113 |
2021 BL3 | 2024-Jan-23 | 17.2 LD | 23.4 | 41 |
2017 BG92 | 2024-Jan-25 | 11.8 LD | 6.3 | 6 |
2011 CQ1 | 2024-Jan-26 | 11.3 LD | 4.6 | 1 |
2007 EG | 2024-Jan-30 | 16 LD | 8.6 | 43 |
2008 OS7 | 2024-Feb-02 | 7.5 LD | 18.2 | 285 |
2019 CC5 | 2024-Feb-04 | 19.2 LD | 15 | 139 |
2023 SP1 | 2024-Feb-07 | 14.3 LD | 11.8 | 256 |
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. | Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere |
SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 7 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (July 2022): Atmospheric radiation is decreasing in 2022. Our latest measurements in July 2022 registered a 6-year low:
What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.
.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.
Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.
| The official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| 3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory |
| Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
| current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page |
| Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
| from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. |
| from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| the underlying science of space weather |
| When looking for casinos to play online when the weather is bad, you can try the SkyCity Online Casino if you are located in New Zealand. If you are not from NZ you can try the Swedish page Svenska casino online to find suitable games, check out svenskacasinoonline.net. Always check your local laws before playing with real money.. |
| BestCSGOGambling is the best site for everything related to CSGO gambling on the web |
| These links help Spaceweather.com stay online. Thank you to our supporters! |
| | | | | |