LITTLE GREEN CANNONBALLS OF LIGHT: Researchers and citizen scientists have just discovered a new phenomenon: "Little green cannonballs of light" streaking through the atmosphere faster than 1000 mph during some geomagnetic storms. And, no, they're not auroras: FULL STORY.
A COMET AT SUNRISE: Comet Erasmus (C/2020 S3) is plunging toward the sun for a close encounter just inside the orbit of Mercury on Dec. 12th. This morning in Colli di San Fermo, Italy, amateur astronomer Antonio Finazzi photographed the brightening comet on the edge of sunrise:
"This is a 2.5 second exposure with my Nikon D780 set at ISO 1600," says Finazzi. "It was a beautiful morning with Venus and Comet Erasmus next to the colors of dawn."
The comet is currently shining like a 7th magnitude star--not quite bright enough for naked-eye visibility. It is expected to brighten 6-fold or more by the time it dips inside the orbit of Mercury, but even then it may be invisible without optics because of the nearby sun. Browse the Realtime Erasmus Photo Gallery for the latest photos.
Realtime Comet Erasmus Photo Gallery
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MAGNIFICENT SUNSPOT: There's only one way to describe giant sunspot AR2786. "C'est magnifique," says amateur astronomer François Rouvière, who sends this picture from Cannes, France:
To photograph the sunspot, Rouvière used an H-alpha filter tuned to the red glow of solar hydrogen. It shows not only the sunspot's primary dark core, but also the hot atmosphere just above. Dark filaments winding around AR2786 trace a complex magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.
"There are also two light bridges," points out Rouvière. He's referring to these canyons of light cutting across AR2786's dark core. The nature of light bridges is not fully understood. Some research suggests that magnetic fields at the base of a light bridge are busy cross-crossing and reconnecting--the same explosive process that sparks solar flares. If so, AR2786 might be preparing to erupt. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Spaceweather Photo Gallery
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GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is less than one month away. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons. And, today only, they're 15% off:
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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