HUBBLE TARGETS VOLCANIC COMET 29P--UPDATED: Even Hubble is observing Comet 29P. Yesterday, the space telecope targeted the volcanic comet for two orbits, gathering data on the latest eruption. We'll share images when they become available. Meanwhile, amateur astronomers are watching shells of cryomagma billow into space from their own backyards. Visit Mission 29P for updates. (Update: Hubble did not observe 29P yesterday, as expected, because the observatory entered a temporary safe mode. The next observing window is Nov. 2nd.)
SOLAR ACTIVITY INTENSIFIES: Whatever you do, don't drop that planet. Sunspot AR2891 is big enough to swallow it whole:
Michael Teoh of Penang, Malaysia, photographed the active region yesterday as it was rotating over the sun's northeastern limb. He inserted an image of the Earth for scale (and foreboding).
Since then, AR2891 has produced a pair of M1-class flares, multiple C-class flares, and a handful of CMEs. On Oct 26th alone, eight flashes of extreme UV radiation hit Earth, ionizing the top of our atmosphere and causing brief shortwave radio blackouts.
Just wait until AR2891 is actually facing Earth. For the next two weeks it will transit the face of the sun, increasing the geoeffectiveness of future flares. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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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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