GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED: NOAA forecasters say there is a 45% chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms on Nov. 3rd when a stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a large hole in the sun's atmosphere. During G1-class storms, auroras can descend as far south as a line from Maine to Washington in the USA. Free: Aurora Alerts.
THE TAURID METEOR SHOWER IS UNDERWAY: Last night in Arizona, a piece of Comet Encke burned up over Tucson. Hitting the atmosphere at 65,000 mph, the meteoroid flashed twice before it completely disintegrated ~60 km above the ground. Eliot Herman's all-sky meteor camera recorded the fireball:
"It came directly out of the constellation Taurus," says Herman. "Taurid meteors tend to be bright at this time of year."
Indeed, every year in early November, Earth passes through a broad stream of debris from Comet Encke. The resulting drizzle of meteors emerging from the horns of Taurus is remarkable, not for its quantity, because Taurid meteor rates tend to be low, but rather for its luminosity. Comet Encke produces fireballs--meteors so bright that they can cast shadows on the ground.
Astronomers monitoring Taurids over the years have concluded that the debris stream is rich in particles bigger than usual comet dust grains. They're about the size of pebbles or small stones. Some of these gravelly meteoroids travel in swarms that cause outbursts of fireballs every 7 years or so, most recently in 2015.
Encke's debris stream may be unusual because it is actually detritus from the breakup of a much larger comet some 20 to 30 thousand years ago. At least two small asteroids (2015 TX24 and 2005 UR) share the approximate orbits of Taurid gravel swarms, and there may be other small space rocks hiding in the stream as well. It all bespeaks a catastrophic event in the past--and potentially spectacular fireballs in the future. Every night in the next two weeks is a good time to look as Earth crosses the zone of debris. [sky map]
FLY ME TO THE MOONSTONE: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Nothing says "I love you" like a moonstone from the edge of space. On June 12th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this moonstone wrapped in a sterling silver Celtic love knot 34.1 km (111,877 feet) above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $149.95. The students are selling these pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. Sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education