SOLAR MINIMUM CONDITIONS ARE IN EFFECT: The sun has been without spots for 8 consecutive days--a sign that Solar Minimum is underway. Many people think Solar Minimum is uninteresting. Not so. This phase of the solar cycle brings extra cosmic rays, long-lasting holes in the sun's atmosphere, and strangely pink auroras. Aurora Alerts: SMS text, email.
A VISITOR FROM BEYOND THE KUIPER BELT: On Feb. 12th and 13th, Comet Iwamoto (C/2018 Y1) will make a rare visit to the inner solar system, passing by our planet only 0.3 AU (45 million km) away. Last night in Jauerling, Austria, amateur astronomer Michael Jäger photographed the green comet approaching in the constellation Virgo:
Discovered in Dec. 2018 by Japanese amateur astronomer Masayuki Iwamoto, this comet is a visitor from beyond the Kuiper Belt. It comes from the realm of Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects (ETNOs) more than 5 times as far from the sun as Pluto. This means it could be a relative of other strange ETNOs such as Sedna, 2012 VP113 ("Biden"), and 2015 TG387 ("Goblin").
Comet Iwamoto has a highly elliptical 1371-year orbit, so it doesn't visit us very often. Its last passage through the inner solar system was around 648 AD (unrecorded), and its next won't happen until 3390 AD. Therefore, if you want to see the comet, now is the time to look.
Above: Click to view an interactive 3D orbit of Comet Iwamoto, courtesy of NASA/JPL
Shining with an astronomical magnitude of +6.5, the comet is invisible to the unaided eye. Nevertheless, it will be an easy target for backyard telescopes in the nights ahead as it glides through the constellation Leo the Lion high in the midnight sky. If you have a GOTO telescope, use this ephemeris to point your optics--and submit your images here.
ZODIACAL LIGHTS: Tonight, when the sun does down and the glow of sunset fades away, another glow will take its place--the Zodiacal Lights. They stretch upward from the western horizon forming a pale luminous triangle visible from places with exceptionally dark skies. Ruslan Merzlyakov photographed them on Feb. 5th from Lønstrup, Denmark:
"It was a truly magical evening in Lønstrup as the Zodiacal Lights were incredibly visible with the naked eye!" says
Merzlyakov.
When you see Zodiacal Lights, you've seen the backbone of our solar system. Zodiacal Lights are sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust. The pale glow traces the dusty plane through which all planets orbit, known to astronomers as the ecliptic plane. February, March and April are the best months to see evening Zodiacal Lights because the ecliptic plane juts over the horizon almost vertically.
Because Zodiacal Lights are faint, moonlight easily overwhelms them. Nights around the New Moon, therefore, favor their visibility. The next New Moons are due on March 6th and April 5th. Mark those dates on your calendar and label them "Zodiacal Lights."
Realtime Zodiacal Light Photo Gallery
VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Valentine's Day is only 9 days away. Nothing says "I love you" like a gift from the edge of space. Everything in the Earth to Sky Store is 10% off from now until Feb. 14th:
Everything in the store has been flown to the stratosphere onboard cosmic ray balloons, which the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch approximately once a week to monitor atmospheric radiation. All sales support our cosmic ray ballooning program and help launch young scientists into research careers through hands-on STEM education.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery