SOLAR MINIMUM CONDITIONS ARE IN EFFECT: The sun has been blank (no sunspots) for 55 of the past 60 days. This is a sign that Solar Minimum is underway. During this phase of the solar cycle, sunspots and solar flares are rare, but we get plenty of holes in the sun's atmosphere and lots of extra cosmic rays. Solar Minimum conditions are expected to continue mostly uninterrupted for the remainder of 2019. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SMALL ASTEROID EXPLODES OVER CANADA: Yesterday, July 24th, with no warning, a small asteroid traveling 45,000 mph hit Earth's atmosphere over Canada. The resulting explosion at 2:44 Eastern TIme was as bright as a full Moon, and scattered meteorites across the countryside near Bancroft, Ontario. An array of all-sky cameras belonging to the University of Western Ontario recorded the fireball:
According to a NASA analysis of the video, the asteroid was about 12 inches (30 cm) wide, it came from the asteroid belt, and disintegrated only 18 miles (29 km) above Earth's surface.
"This meteor got very deep into the atmosphere," says Prof. Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario, "so we think there are probably rocks on the ground. We'd love for people to get out and maybe find some of these meteorites." This map shows the fall zone where meteorites might be found.
Meteorite falls are the next best thing to space missions. Extraterrestrial material comes to us, instead of the other way around. "Meteorites are of great interest to researchers as studying them helps us to understand the formation and evolution of the solar system," says Brown.
Meteorites can be recognized by their dark, often scalloped exterior. Usually they will be denser than a 'normal' rock and will often be attracted to a magnet. If recovered, it is best to place them in a clean plastic bag or wrap them in aluminum foil. Meteorites should also be handled as little as possible to help preserve their scientific value.
In Canada, meteorites belong to the owner of the land upon which they are found. If individuals plan to search, they should always obtain permission of the land-owner before venturing onto private land. If you have found a suspicious rock that may be from this event, please contact Kim Tait of the Royal Ontario Museum at ktait@rom.on.ca
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ALBERT EINSTEIN AT THE EDGE OF SPACE: What would Einstein think!? On June 8, 2019, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. This Albert Einstein bobblehead went along for the ride:
Albert contemplated the curve of the Earth for almost 3 hours as the balloon ascended 111,222 feet above the Sierra Nevada Mountains of central California.
You can have him for $99.95. The students are selling these bobbleheads 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.
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