CHANCE OF CHRISTMAS STORMS (UPDATED): Multiple M-class solar flares this week have hurled at least two faint CMEs toward Earth. NOAA forecast models predict glancing blows on Dec. 24th and 25th. The impacts, albeit weak, could combine to produce G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras during the Christmas holiday. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
COMET LEONARD IS JUST TOO BIG: Close your eye and picture the Big Dipper. Comet Leonard's tail is so long, you can't even fit half of it in the asterism's bowl. "Comet Leonard has at least a twenty degree-long tail," reports Daniele Gasparri, who sends this picture from Chile's Atacama desert:
"I photographed the comet using a simple 105 mm lens on a full frame Sony A7s camera," says Gasparri. "With small binoculars we can easily see at least the first five degrees of its tail, and the rest showed up in a short exposure with the camera. The tail is astonishing!"
Comet Leonard is currently gliding south through the constellation Microscopium. Its location favors southern hemisphere observers--although northerners can see it too, low in the western sky after sunset. The comet is currently about as bright as a 3rd magnitude star: light curve.
The comet is heading for its closest approach to the sun (0.61 AU) on Jan. 3rd. Comet Leonard is feeling the heat, with new jets of gas and dust erupting from the comet's core. Outbursts are possible in the nights ahead, so stay tuned!
Realtime Comet Leonard Photo Gallery
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AURORAS AND METEORS: Two streams are better than one. Last night, a stream of debris from Comet 8P/Tuttle hit Earth's atmosphere while a stream of solar wind buffeted our planet's magnetic field. Gregory Tran photographed both over Svalbard, Norway:
"The train seemed to be spitting auroras into the polar night," says Tran. "During the photographic exposure I was lucky to have an Ursid meteor fall from the sky."
Svalbard is deep inside the Arctic Circle, and at this time of year rare polar strtatospheric clouds (PSCs) can drift over the island. "The pink glare was because of the reflection of sunlight into the PSCs," notes Tran. "The overall scenery was lit up with the almost full moon."
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
These unique gifts have flown above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out.
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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