THE NEXT GEOMAGNETIC STORM: As Earth exits one stream of solar wind, another stream is on the way. Estimated time of arrival: Nov. 18th. The gaseous material is flowing from a relatively small hole in the sun's atmosphere. Polar geomagnetic activity and Arctic auroras are possible this weekend. Free: Aurora Alerts
RADIO LASERS ON JUPITER: Did you know that Jupiter has radio lasers? It's true. They occur naturally as a result of plasma instabilities in the giant planet's magnetosphere. On Nov. 13th, amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft of New Mexico tuned into Jupiter, and recorded the shortwave static that results when one of those lasers "paints" the Earth. Click to listen to a sample at 19.2 MHz:
"Some have said these bursts can sound like gravel being poured on a metal roof," says Ashcraft. "The sound may not be very dramatic, but it does come all the way from Jupiter!"
Usually, Jupiter's laser-like radio emissions are relatively weak. Only spacecraft near the planet can detect them. Occasionally, however, electrical currents flowing between Jupiter's upper atmosphere and the volcanic moon Io boost the emissions to power levels easily detected by ham radio antennas on Earth. That's what happened on Nov. 13th.
"Jupiter is approaching the sun for a conjunction on Nov. 25th," notes Ashcraft. "So when I pointed my antenna at Jupiter, the sun was in the beam, too. Just before the Jovian radio storm, I coincidentally recorded a radio burst from the sun." Astronomers classify solar radio bursts into five types; Ashcraft's recording captured a Type III. "It was a lucky day here at the observatory," he says.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
A GIFT FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Don't just see the Northern Lights, wear them! To support their cosmic ray balloon program, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus have flown a payload of Northern Light Pendants to the edge of space. This one reached an altitude 109,908 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $79.95. The students are selling these pendants to pay their helium bill. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. All 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
GREEN COMET HAS A BLUE TAIL: Astrophotographers, take note. Comet Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto (C/2018 V1) has a long blue tail. Michael Jaeger of Jauerling, Austria, photographed it on Nov. 13th:
"This is a long-exposure LRGB image taken yesterday morning from a dark mountain location," says Jaeger. "I used a 10-inch telescope."
The comet's tail is blue because it contains ionized carbon monoxide (CO+), a gas which fluoresces blue in the near-vacuum of interplanetary space. Solar wind is blowing the gaseous material into a straight line pointing away from the sun.
Comet Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto was discovered just last week by amateur astronomers in Arizona and Japan. A first-time visitor to the inner solar system, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth (0.67 AU) on Nov. 27th. At that time, it might be visible to the naked eye--emphasis on might. Fresh comets are hard to predict. At the moment it shining like an 8th magnitude star in the constellation Virgo, an easy target for backyard telescopes in the pre-dawn morning sky.
Resources: 3D orbit; ephemeris; orbital elements; sky map.