FARSIDE CORONAL MASS EJECTION: Something just exploded on the sun. The debris, a coronal mass ejection (CME), is billowing over the sun's eastern limb: image. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory did not record a flare or other eruption on the nearside of the sun, so this is probably a farside event. The CME is expected to miss Earth. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
COMET ATLAS DIVES PAST THE SUN: Remember Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4)? For a while last month, astronomers thought it might become spectacularly bright, rivaling Venus, until ... the comet fell apart. Solar heating will do that to a big fragile ball of ice. IN late May, NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft watched the comet's disintegrating remains dive past the sun:
Karl Battams of the Naval research Lab in Washington DC created the movie using frames from STEREO-A's Heliospheric Imager, a sensitive camera that can see stars, planets and comets near the sun. Gaseous material blowing from the left is the solar wind. Yes, the Heliospheric Imager is so sensitive, it can even see the wind!
"In the images showing Mercury, you may have spotted an unusual feature," says Battams. "Mercury has a tail much like a comet. It is caused primarily by sodium atoms being kicked off Mercury's surface by intense sunlight."
"As Comet ATLAS moves away from the sun, it will technically be observable low in the sky from the southern hemisphere," adds Battams. "However, the comet had already fragmented by the time STEREO-A saw it, and it was fading even more by the time it left the Heliospheric Imager's field of view. Comet ATLAS is unlikely to be seen again other than by powerful telescopes."
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS FROM 39,000 FEET: We've seen pictures of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) from the ground. And we've seen noctilucent clouds from space. Now, here they are halfway in between. Jared Aicher took the pictures on June 12th while flying 39,000 feet over the North Pacific Ocean:
"As an airline pilot, I have been treated to astronomical displays from a vantage point few are able to experience," says Aicher. "I’ve seen Northern Lights dance in the breeze of the solar wind as we crossed the North Atlantic, witnessed meteor showers with no earthly obstructions to block the view, and enjoyed a magnificent view of the Southern Cross while flying over the South Pacific Ocean. Last night’s sky east of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula treated us to the largest display of NLCs I’ve ever seen."
NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space 83 km above the ground. The clouds form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up to the mesosphere, allowing water to crystallize around specks of meteor smoke. This year is shaping up to be a big year for NLCs as record-cold temperatures in the mesosphere are boosting their formation.
"I first noticed them in the twilight of the midnight sun north of our position," adds Aicher. "As we continued northbound, the high altitude clouds were visible over a large area of the northern sky with Capella shining brightly behind them. The view was absolutely amazing. My low quality pictures do not do them justice."
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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APOLLO 11 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): Are you looking for a far-out Father's Day gift? Consider this: On July 20, 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing), the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this rare proof silver dollar to the stratosphere:
The US Mint created the coins to celebrate the first Moon landing--but you can no longer buy them from the Mint. You can, however, get one from Earth to Sky Calculus. The students are selling the collector's item for $229.95 to support their cosmic ray ballooning program.
The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's iconic footprint on the Moon. Included is a greeting card showing the coin in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
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