FARSIDE SUNSPOTS: The Earthside of the sun is blank, but the sunspot count might not remain zero for long. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is monitoring an active region just behind the sun's southeastern limb. This is probably a farside sunspot group turning to face Earth in the days ahead.Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
COMET LEONARD'S TAIL HAS SPLIT IN TWO: As Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) approaches Earth for a close encounter this weekend, astronomers are getting a better view of its structure. This picture from Austrian photographer Michael Jaeger shows that the comet's tail has split in two:
Actually, all comets have two tails: the ion tail and the dust tail. The ion tail is made of gas and is blown directly away from the sun by the solar wind. The heavier dust tail is curved and more closely traces the comet's orbit.
When comets are far away, the two tails are hard to tell apart. But as they approach Earth "the perspective changes," says Jaeger. "The ion tail and the dust tail are now separated, and this should become even clearer in the next few days."
Indeed, the days ahead could be very interesting. On Dec. 12th, Comet Leonard makes its closest approach to Earth as it dives toward the morning sun: sky map. Six days after its close approach to Earth, Dec. 18th, Comet Leonard will pass by Venus even closer -- less than 4.3 million km away. That's the closest Venus-comet flyby in recorded history. On Dec. 19th, Leonard's dust tail will graze Venus, possibly producing a meteor shower in Venus's cloudtops visible from Earth. Stay tuned!
Realtime Comet Leonard Photo Gallery
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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