COMET 29P ERUPTS AGAIN: The British Astronomical Association is reporting another strong outburst of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. The volcanic comet suddenly brightened 2.5 magnitudes on Oct. 23.75 UT when a sunlit vent opened, spewing 'cryomagma' into space. Check Mission 29P for updates.
THE STRANGE MAGNETISM OF SUNSPOT AR2887: Something does not add up. New sunspot AR2887 has two primary cores, each about the size of Earth. Usually when a sunspot looks like this, the two cores have opposite magnetic polarities, positive (+) and negative (-). In this case, however, they're the same.
Pictured above is a magnetic map of AR2887 from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. It shows the primary poles of double sunspot AR2887 are both negative (-). Surrounding patches of positive (+) magnetic flux provide balance.
Perhaps AR2887 is not one but actually two sunspots jammed together in close proximity. We'll get a better view of its magnetic architecture as AR2887 turns toward Earth in the days ahead. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
more images: from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Lueneburg Heath, Germany; from Francois Rouviere of Cannes, France; from Richard Jaworski of Carlingford, NSW, Australia; from Maximilian Teodorescu of Magurele, Romania;
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VOYAGER GOLDEN RECORD ORNAMENT: This is a must-have Christmas ornament for space fans: The Voyager Golden Record. On Oct. 15th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $129.95. The 4-inch aluminum disk is imprinted with instructions intended for extraterrestrials, telling them how to play the phonographs now sailing through interstellar space onboard NASA's Voyager probes. Having touched the edge of space, it's the closest thing on Earth to an actual Golden Record.
The students are selling these unique ornaments to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the ornament in flight and extra materials decoding the markings on the disk.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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