CAVEAT IMPACTOR--'ELECTION DAY ASTEROID' IS NO THREAT: Many news sources are reporting the approach of asteroid 2018 VP1, which might hit Earth on Nov. 2nd. According to NASA, there is a significant 0.4% chance of impact. There's no need to fear, however, because this asteroid is really small--only about 2 meters in diameter. Even if the space rock does hit Earth, the vast majority of its mass will disintegrate harmlessly high in the atmosphere, producing a beautiful fireball, not Armageddon.
AURORA SEASON BEGINS IN ICELAND: Around the Arctic Circle, sky watchers have been waiting months for this: Nightfall. You can't see auroras without it. In Iceland the wait is over:
"Last night we got our first glimpse of the lights," reports Christopher Mathews, who took this picture from Mount Hengill, Iceland, just after a minor stream of solar wind brushed Earth's magnetic field. "At midnight auroras were arcing across the sky from Reykjavík to Thingvellir national park. At times, the lights even cast shadows! Definitely a great start to the season here."
We can now add Iceland to the short list of countries where aurora season has begun. The others are Finland and Canada. Soon the list will grow much longer, especially with Solar Cycle 25 coming to life. Stay tuned. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
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MR. SPOCK IN THE STRATOSPHERE (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): If you would like to support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program, there's a logical way to do it. Purchase Mr. Spock. Here is the green-blooded science officer floating 32.2 km (112,200 ft) above Death Valley National Park in central California:
You can have him for $170.10. The price is the serial number of the Enterprise, NCC1701, divided by 10--a bargain on any planet! The students are selling Spock to buy more helium. He comes with a greeting card showing the high-quality resin bobblehead in flight and telling the story of his journey to the stratosphere and back again.
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