METEOR OUTBURST POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK: Debris from shattered Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is approaching Earth. ETA: May 31st. Forecasters aren't certain, but there could be a meteor outburst when the material arrives. North Americans are favored to see the show if it actually happens. Estimates of visual meteor rates range from near zero to thousands per hour, highlighting the uncertainty of the forecast. [full story] [sky map]
A DEAD SUNSPOT EXPLODES (UPDATED): A magnetic filament snaking through the corpse of decayed sunspot AR3016 erupted on May 25th (1824 UT), producing a M1-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast:
Coronagraph images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) confirm that the explosion hurled a CME into space: movie. The bulk of the CME will miss Earth, passing just ahead and south of our planet. However, a fraction of the cloud will hit. NOAA analysts expect a glancing blow to Earth's magnetosphere on May 28th with a chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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A 'GREEN GHOST' OVER TIBET: Three years ago, a photographer in Oklahoma discovered the first "Green Ghost"--a patch of verdant light that appears when powerful sprites strike the top of Earth's atmosphere. Now the phenomenon has been detected in Tibet as well. Soheil Esy was trekking through the Himalaya on May 19th when this spectcular wall of sprites lit up the night sky:
"This happened on my 13th night of star chasing in Tibet, carrying 4 camera stands and lenses with multiple focal lengths," says Esy. "I have always believed that you should give yourself completely to nature, wait and prepare unceasingly, and the sky will reward you with more than you can imagine. My patience was definitely rewarded."
"The outbreak was triggered by strong lightning over China, perhaps hundreds of kilometers away," he continues. "We could also see ripples of red airglow surrounding the sprites. It was truly the fireworks of the Universe."
After one outburst subsided, Esy photographed a green afterglow--the Green Ghost:
Researchers are still learning about this phenomenon. A leading theory holds that Green Ghosts appear when the tops of strong sprites hit the airglow layer ~90 km above Earth's surface. Oxygen atoms briefly glow green, marking the location of the impact.
"I believe this could be the first Green Ghost sighted over China," says Esy, "and the image could provide valuable data for research."
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CAPT. KIRK BEER COZY: Boldly going where no beer has gone before, this Capt. Kirk beer cozy flew to the edge of space on May 21, 2022. It hitched a ride onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon. Here it is parachuting back to Earth from an altitude of 109,888 feet:
You can have it for $97.95. The students are selling beer cozies (beer not included) to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. They make great Father's Day and birthday gifts. Each one comes with greeting card showing the cozy in flight, and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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