FARSIDE SOLAR ACTIVITY: Space weather near Earth is calm, but the sun is not quiet. This week, SOHO coronagraphs have observed multiple CMEs billowing over the western edge of the sun. The source is a farside sunspot group, probably the same one that produced a strong M2-class solar flare on Nov. 9th. Earth is not in the line of fire, for now. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
COMET LEONARD IS COMING: The brightest comet of the year is heading for Earth. On Dec. 12, 2021, Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) will be just 35 million kilometers away and could be visible to the naked eye in the early morning sky. This is what it looked like last night:
Austrian astrophotographer Michael Jaeger took the picture on Nov. 11th using an 11-inch telescope. The comet was shining like a 9th magnitude star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs). A close up (inset) reveals a narrow jet of gas emerging from the comet's atmosphere. This is the comet's "ion tail."
During the next month, the comet's brightness will sharply increase, perhaps more than 100 fold. Most forecasters agree that Comet Leonard will reach magnitude +4, an easy target for small telescopes and visible to the naked eye from dark-sky sites during the second week of December.
Above: The blue curve traces the predicted brightness of Comet Leonard. Crosses are recent observations. Credit: Comet Observation Database
As the comet approaches the sun in early January, forward scattering of sunlight through the comet's dusty atmosphere could create an additional surge in brightness to magnitude +1. The same phenomenon worked on Comet McNaught in 2007, making it visible in broad daylight. Stay tuned for updates as Comet Leonard draws near.
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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HUMMINGBIRD-SUNFLOWER PENDANT: This pendant has a secret compartment--and it has touched the edge of space. On Nov. 4, 2021, our Sterling Silver Hummingbird-Sunflower Pendant flew to the stratosphere on board an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $133.95. Inscribed on the back with "Always on my mind, Forever in my heart," each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. These make great Christmas gifts.
Bonus: The pendant contains a tiny chamber, which you may fill with the ashes of a loved one or anything else you wish to keep close to your heart.
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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