CME IMPACT POSSIBLE THIS WEEK: On July 19th, a faint CME left the sun. NOAA analysts believe the plasma cloud could graze Earth's magnetic field on July 24th or 25th. A similar slow-moving CME hit Earth on July 13th, causing high-latitude auroras and a surprise visit from STEVE. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
COMET NEOWISE IS APPROACHING EARTH: Tomorrow night may be your best chance to see Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) for the next 6,800 years. On July 23rd, the comet makes its closest approach to Earth--only 0.63 AU (103 million km) away. It's still visible to the naked eye (barely) from dark sky sites, but will fade as it recedes after this week. Here's where to look just below the Big Dipper:
More sky maps: July 22, July 23, July 24.
If you can't see the comet naked-eye after the Thursday evening sky fades to black, try using binoculars. Even a little magnification brings NEOWISE into view.
Short exposures with digital cameras reveal the comet's magnificent double tail. Petr Horálek sends this picture from Seč lake in the Czech Republic:
"I still cannot believe my eyes," says Horálek. "The comet's ion tail is truly long, extending more than 20 degrees into the bowl of the Big Dipper and beyond. When comet gets closest to Earth, the tail should be longest. Now I only hope for clear skies on July 23rd!"
For reference, Horálek's image is a stack of 11 photos--each one a 30 second exposure at ISO 1250. He used a Canon 6D digital camera with a Sigma 50mm lens (f2.2). First-time photographers should scan the Comet NEOWISE Photo Gallery. Many contributors share their photo settings in the image captions. Imitating is a good way to get started :)
And if you miss the comet ... no worries. It'll be back in 6,800 years. Sky maps: July 22, 23, 24.
Realtime Comet NEOWISE Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
A GIFT FOR STAR WARS FANS: A good bounty hunter will go just about anywhere. On Jun 13, 2020, the Mandalorian hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon. Here he is, floating 113,189 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have him for $114.95. The students of Earth to Sky are selling Mandalorian bobbleheads to raise money for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each figurine comes with a greeting card showing the bounty hunter in flight and telling the story of his journey to the edge of space and back again. They make great gifts for Star Wars fans.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
A NEW SUNSPOT (UPDATED): A sunspot has appeared and, according to its magnetic polarity, it is a member of new Solar Cycle 25. The sunspot's Earth-sized dark core is inset in this magnetic map from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
This new spot is another sign of life from strengthening Solar Cycle 25. So far this year there have been 13 sunspots--ten of them (77%) coming from the new solar cycle. This compares to only 17% in 2019 and 0% in 2018. The sun is clearly tipping from one solar cycle to the next.
So far this sunspot has been quiet. It has a simple, stable magnetic field that appears to harbor little free energy for strong solar flares. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter