M-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: New sunspot AR2911 unleashed an M1-class solar flare during the early hours of Dec. 17th (0051 UT). A pulse of extreme UV radiation and X-rays ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout over the South Pacific. There are now at least three sunspots on the solar disk capable of producing flares of this magnitude. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
COMET LEONARD IS APPROACHING VENUS: Later today, Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) will pass by Venus only 4.2 million km away. It's the closest comet-Venus encounter in recorded history. Daniele Gasparri photographed the pair on Dec. 16th over the Atacama desert in Chile:
"At last Comet Leonard has appeared in the southern sky," says Gasparri. "It is still very low on the horizon. The comet is barely visible to the naked eye (it may have been my imagination), but it is easy to spot with small binoculars."
Gasparri's image is a composite. "The wide field view is a 2 second exposure with a 100 mm lens. Inset is a photo taken with a Newtonian 130 mm telescope and an ASI 2600MC camera (21x30 seconds)," explains Gasparri. "The comet has a huge coma and a twisted tail."
Current estimates of the comet's brightness put it at magnitude +4, a little dimmer than it was yesterday. If it were in the midnight sky, the comet would be easy to see with the naked eye. In the twilight glow of sunset, however, optics are required. Sky maps: Dec. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
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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