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IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ECLIPSE: Today, the staff of Spaceweather.com and students from Earth to Sky Calculus are traveling to a remote location in Nevada where they will launch two high-altitude balloons during the Oct. 14th solar eclipse. Their goal is to photograph the Moon's shadow from the stratosphere. Any significant solar activity will be covered on this website as usual. However, updates about minor events may be postponed or even ignored. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
RING OF FIRE SOLAR ECLIPSE--THIS WEEKEND: If you're in the Americas, you can witness a solar eclipse this weekend. The action begins on Saturday morning, Oct. 14th, when the Moon's shadow makes landfall in the Pacific northwest corner of North America; it ends at sunset in Brazil. This animation shows the progress of the eclipse zone:
Animation courtesy Peter Zimnikoval of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
Inside the red circle, the Moon will pass directly in front of the sun, producing an annular eclipse. The sun will look like it has a black hole right in the middle of it. Within the gray zones, the eclipse is partial; the sun will look like a crescent.
You must have eclipse glasses to view this event. The eclipse is not total. The lunar disk will be a little too small to block the whole sun, so even at maximum coverage a ring of fire will be visible--very cool, yet at the same time potentially dangerous to stare at.
Here's something fun. Try looking down:
Beneath a leafy tree, you might be surprised to find hundreds of crescent or ring-shaped sunbeams dappling the grass. Overlapping leaves create natural pinhole cameras, each one casting an image of the crescent-sun onto the ground beneath the canopy. You can also use your fingers to create sunbeams; note the turkey. Solar eclipse shadow play is safe and lots of fun.
Visit GreatAmericanEclipse.com for more information and observing supplies.
Realtime Eclipse Photo Gallery
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HANDMADE SOLAR ECLIPSE PENDANT: The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are about to try something never done before--to photograph the shadow of an annular solar eclipse from the stratosphere. On Oct. 14th, they'll launch a cosmic ray research balloon equipped with cameras to photograph the shadow zone of an eclipse over Nevada. You can support the flight by buying a handmade Annular Solar Eclipse Pendant:
It's yours for $129.95. The students launched this pendant from the eclipse zone in a Nevada test flight on Sept. 24, 2023. Floating at an altitude 118,767 feet above Earth’s surface, it made contact with space, experiencing temperatures as low as --59 C.
Buy the pendent now and for no additional charge we will fly it back to the stratosphere during the annular eclipse. Just make a note in the COMMENTS BOX of your shopping cart: "Fly my pendant again!"
Note: We have photographed the shadow of an eclipse before. Here's what the total eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, looked like from the stratosphere over the Nebraska-Wyoming border:
Total eclipses make deep black shadows, in this case blacking out more than 70 miles of terrain. What does the shadow of an *annular* eclipse look like? We hope to find out. It should be fuzzier around the edges, and not nearly as dark in the middle. An overview from the stratosphere could provide a unique picture.
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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 Oct 12, 2023, the network reported 7 fireballs.
(6 sporadics, 1 Orionid)
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 October 13, 2023 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
|
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) |
2023 SA1 | 2023-Oct-08 | 17.9 LD | 5.9 | 26 |
2023 TL4 | 2023-Oct-08 | 12.6 LD | 34.5 | 341 |
2023 TA1 | 2023-Oct-08 | 9.3 LD | 8.4 | 18 |
2018 ER1 | 2023-Oct-08 | 12.5 LD | 5.3 | 25 |
2023 TS5 | 2023-Oct-08 | 9 LD | 7.5 | 9 |
2023 TJ8 | 2023-Oct-08 | 10.4 LD | 8.1 | 12 |
2023 TX6 | 2023-Oct-09 | 1.2 LD | 8.4 | 5 |
2023 TL | 2023-Oct-09 | 8.3 LD | 13.9 | 44 |
2023 TW | 2023-Oct-09 | 2.1 LD | 7.7 | 12 |
2023 TZ5 | 2023-Oct-09 | 6.1 LD | 13.5 | 17 |
2023 TR | 2023-Oct-09 | 4.1 LD | 7.5 | 21 |
2023 TO | 2023-Oct-10 | 3.8 LD | 10.7 | 20 |
2023 TA7 | 2023-Oct-10 | 12.4 LD | 10.4 | 39 |
2023 TM3 | 2023-Oct-10 | 0.4 LD | 11.5 | 15 |
2023 TG8 | 2023-Oct-10 | 3 LD | 12.5 | 9 |
2023 TZ4 | 2023-Oct-10 | 10.8 LD | 8.7 | 30 |
2023 TH8 | 2023-Oct-10 | 2.5 LD | 29.5 | 19 |
2023 TF2 | 2023-Oct-11 | 9.5 LD | 19 | 28 |
2023 TE | 2023-Oct-11 | 4.2 LD | 5.6 | 15 |
2022 UX1 | 2023-Oct-11 | 3.1 LD | 8.6 | 9 |
2023 RD11 | 2023-Oct-11 | 12.8 LD | 9.5 | 42 |
2023 TF4 | 2023-Oct-11 | 6 LD | 8.7 | 16 |
2015 KW120 | 2023-Oct-12 | 18.2 LD | 13 | 22 |
2023 TP1 | 2023-Oct-12 | 13.9 LD | 13.2 | 41 |
2023 TV3 | 2023-Oct-12 | 0.2 LD | 14.2 | 11 |
2023 TL8 | 2023-Oct-12 | 9.2 LD | 9.8 | 35 |
2023 TF3 | 2023-Oct-12 | 11.1 LD | 19.6 | 26 |
2023 TC1 | 2023-Oct-13 | 10.6 LD | 8.1 | 15 |
2023 TB4 | 2023-Oct-13 | 6.8 LD | 10.6 | 15 |
2023 TJ1 | 2023-Oct-13 | 19.6 LD | 9.1 | 32 |
2023 TE8 | 2023-Oct-13 | 17.2 LD | 12.3 | 22 |
2021 NT14 | 2023-Oct-13 | 18.6 LD | 8.6 | 256 |
2023 TU5 | 2023-Oct-13 | 4.6 LD | 8.3 | 9 |
2023 TD4 | 2023-Oct-13 | 5.6 LD | 6.4 | 13 |
2023 TO4 | 2023-Oct-14 | 1.9 LD | 16.8 | 11 |
2023 TD7 | 2023-Oct-14 | 0.4 LD | 10.1 | 5 |
2023 TQ3 | 2023-Oct-14 | 3.8 LD | 11.3 | 27 |
2023 TD8 | 2023-Oct-14 | 5.6 LD | 9.9 | 9 |
2023 TC7 | 2023-Oct-15 | 1.7 LD | 6.8 | 17 |
2023 TZ6 | 2023-Oct-15 | 11.1 LD | 12.5 | 19 |
2011 GA | 2023-Oct-15 | 6.8 LD | 16.6 | 230 |
2007 SQ6 | 2023-Oct-15 | 19.4 LD | 6.5 | 128 |
2023 TA4 | 2023-Oct-16 | 7.3 LD | 4.1 | 11 |
2019 UZ3 | 2023-Oct-16 | 9.6 LD | 8.3 | 14 |
2023 TT8 | 2023-Oct-16 | 5.8 LD | 7.9 | 18 |
1998 HH49 | 2023-Oct-17 | 3.1 LD | 14.8 | 193 |
2023 TF8 | 2023-Oct-17 | 5.5 LD | 20.1 | 14 |
2022 UO10 | 2023-Oct-19 | 7.8 LD | 9.8 | 16 |
2023 TH4 | 2023-Oct-19 | 5.5 LD | 5.4 | 13 |
2023 TP7 | 2023-Oct-19 | 8 LD | 11.7 | 26 |
2020 UR | 2023-Oct-20 | 5.8 LD | 12.9 | 9 |
2023 TW4 | 2023-Oct-22 | 6.4 LD | 10.5 | 27 |
2023 TX2 | 2023-Oct-22 | 13.2 LD | 7.5 | 30 |
2023 TV4 | 2023-Oct-23 | 5.1 LD | 5 | 33 |
2023 TC6 | 2023-Oct-23 | 13.4 LD | 8.5 | 38 |
2020 FM6 | 2023-Oct-23 | 15.5 LD | 15.9 | 149 |
2019 HH4 | 2023-Oct-24 | 13.3 LD | 20 | 381 |
2023 TE6 | 2023-Oct-24 | 17 LD | 4.2 | 18 |
2023 RA4 | 2023-Oct-24 | 8.4 LD | 3.9 | 47 |
2023 SO11 | 2023-Oct-25 | 3.3 LD | 2.5 | 16 |
2023 TR7 | 2023-Oct-26 | 19.3 LD | 11.4 | 29 |
2021 SZ4 | 2023-Oct-26 | 14 LD | 30 | 289 |
302169 | 2023-Oct-26 | 12.7 LD | 25.7 | 374 |
525229 | 2023-Oct-30 | 10.6 LD | 17.4 | 200 |
2023 TW6 | 2023-Oct-31 | 19.3 LD | 24.7 | 97 |
2013 UV3 | 2023-Nov-01 | 14.7 LD | 15.4 | 15 |
2016 WY | 2023-Nov-02 | 9.1 LD | 3.9 | 5 |
363505 | 2023-Nov-02 | 13.7 LD | 8 | 709 |
2022 JF | 2023-Nov-03 | 15.2 LD | 17.2 | 39 |
2023 QP8 | 2023-Nov-03 | 17.1 LD | 8.8 | 180 |
2016 VW2 | 2023-Nov-03 | 10.1 LD | 8.1 | 20 |
2019 UH7 | 2023-Nov-04 | 9.9 LD | 5.9 | 11 |
2023 TZ2 | 2023-Nov-12 | 19 LD | 2.8 | 24 |
2014 BA3 | 2023-Nov-13 | 15.7 LD | 2.7 | 8 |
2021 TN3 | 2023-Nov-15 | 17 LD | 6.3 | 31 |
2019 VL5 | 2023-Nov-16 | 8.5 LD | 8.2 | 24 |
2019 LB1 | 2023-Nov-18 | 15.8 LD | 4.2 | 14 |
2016 DK1 | 2023-Nov-19 | 5.3 LD | 6.8 | 12 |
2022 VR1 | 2023-Nov-19 | 8.1 LD | 6.1 | 39 |
2019 UT6 | 2023-Nov-24 | 9 LD | 13.2 | 141 |
2019 CZ2 | 2023-Nov-25 | 2.8 LD | 5.8 | 44 |
2013 UB3 | 2023-Nov-27 | 18.5 LD | 5.4 | 25 |
1998 WB2 | 2023-Dec-03 | 11 LD | 14.2 | 151 |
2013 VX4 | 2023-Dec-04 | 5.1 LD | 6.6 | 60 |
139622 | 2023-Dec-06 | 14.4 LD | 6.7 | 719 |
2020 HX3 | 2023-Dec-10 | 9.8 LD | 15.7 | 13 |
2010 XF3 | 2023-Dec-11 | 19.4 LD | 4 | 46 |
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 |
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