GLANCING-BLOW CMEs: In recent days, the sun has produced multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs). None of them is heading directly toward Earth; nevertheless, they might touch our planet. Glancing blows are possible on Jan. 23rd, 24th, and 26th. The impacts, if they occur, are not expected to cause geomagnetic storms but could brighten auroras inside the Arctic Circle. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

A SUNSET FROM TONGA? When the sun goes down tonight, take a look at the fading sky. If the twilight turns purple, you might have spotted a "Tonga sunset." Heiko Ulbricht photographed this example Jan. 21st in Großopitz, Germany:

"A strong purple light appeared 26 min after sunset," says Ulbricht. "This could be aerosols from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha' apai volcano earlier this month."

Indeed it could. On Jan. 15th, the volcano hurled 400 million kilograms of sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere, reaching altitudes never before seen by NASA's fleet of Earth-orbiting satellites. A huge cloud of sulfurous aerosols passed over Australia and has since been spreading around the world through the stratosphere.

Purple sunsets may be a sign that these aerosols have reached you. Volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere scatter blue light which, when mixed with ordinary sunset red, produces a purple hue.

But purple isn't the only thing to look for. In addition, sky watchers should be alert for a bright yellow twilight arch, fine cloud structures in the arch, and long purple rays. These are all potential signs of a "Tonga sunset." If you see one, submit your picture here.

Realtime Volcanic Sunset Photo Gallery
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SUPER-FAST ROTATING ASTEROID: On asteroid 2022 AB, one day is only 3 minutes long. Amateur astronomer Filipp Romanov proved it on Jan. 20th when the asteroid flew past Earth almost 10 million km away. "I monitored the flyby using a 14-inch telescope in Canada," he says. "And I measured the asteroid's light curve." Here it is:

"The spin period is only 182 seconds," says Romanov.

Believe it or not, this is not the fastest-known spinning asteroid. It's not even in the top 10. Astronomers have discovered 97 space rocks with shorter days than 2022 AB. The fastest is 2017 QG18 with a spin period of only 24 seconds.

How can asteroids spin so fast? Small asteroids like 2017 QG18 (width=10 meters) and 2022 AB (width=70 meters) get their angular momentum from collisions. Glancing blows from other asteroids spin them up, creating asteroid "days" of incredible brevity. Larger asteroids spin more slowly.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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VALENTINE'S SPACE PUP: You've heard of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Now let us introduce you to Aphrodoggy. This lovable puppy just traveled to  the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:

You can  have it for $109.95. The students are selling plush pups to support their high-altitude ballooning program. Holding a red rose for Valentine's day, each snuggly canine comes with a greeting card showing the 9-inch tall puppy in flight and telling the story of her journey to the stratosphere and back again.

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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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