GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: A CME is coming. Hurled toward Earth by an erupting filament of magnetism on May 9th, the solar storm cloud is expected to arrive on May 12th or 13th. This is not an especially fast or powerful CME, but it could spark G1-class geomagnetic storms and auroras at high latitudes. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE SUN SWALLOWS A COMET: Yesterday, May 10th, the sun swallowed a comet. SOHO coronagraphs spotted the dirty snowball making a headlong plunge into our star. One comet went in; none came out:
The comet was a member of the Kreutz family. Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a single giant comet many centuries ago. They get their name from 19th century German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, who studied them. Every day, several Kreutz fragments pass by the sun and disintegrate. Most, measuring less than a few meters across, are too small to see, but occasionally a bigger fragment like this one (~10 to 30 meters wide) attracts attention.
The dusty remains of this comet have mostly disintegrated into individual atoms, and are now being blown back into the Solar System by the solar wind. R.I.P., sungrazer.
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MOONRISE OVER FRANCE: Waking up early has its benefits. On May 8th, just before sunrise, Jean-Baptiste Feldman of Ladoix-Serrigny, France, witnessed this scene:
"The rising Moon was beautifully distorted by atmospheric refraction," says Feldman, who quickly grabbed his camera. "I couldn't resist this 1s exposure at ISO400."
That was last week. This week the crescent Moon is swinging around the sun into the evening sky. Dates of special interest are May 12th when the Moon passes by Venus, and May 13th when it visits Mercury. Don't forget Mercury's sodium tail! Sky maps: May 12, 13.
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WHISKEY STONES FROM SPACE: It's the gift for the person who has everything: Whisky Stones from Space. These granite cubes have experienced the cold of the stratosphere, more than 50 degrees below zero! Put them in your cup for an truly out of this world drink:
You can have a set of 9 cubes for $99.95 (glass not included). The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling whiskey stones to support their cosmic ray monitoring program. The ones picture above flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on April 23, 2021, reaching an altitude of 97,543 feet.
Refrigerated whiskey stones cool a drink without diluting it, solving the problem of ordinary melting ice cubes. They make great Father's Day and birthday gifts. All stones come with a greeting card showing the cubes in flight.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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