LUCY FLYBY UPDATE: NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew past Earth today so close that it skimmed the upper atmosphere. So far no sightings have been reported, despite the spacecraft being as bright as a 1st magnitude star over Australia and visible through telescopes in the western USA. Did you photograph Lucy? Submit your pictures here.
SUNDIVING COMET AND CME (UPDATED): The sun just swallowed a comet. On Oct. 15th, SOHO coronagraohs caught a Kreutz sungrazer diving into the sun just as a bright CME was leaving. Click to set the scene in motion:
Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a single giant comet many centuries ago. They get their name from German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, who studied them in detail in the 19th century. Kreutz fragments pass by the sun and disintegrate almost every day; SOHO has seen thousands of them. Most, measuring less than a few meters across, are too small to see, but occasionally a bigger fragment like this one attracts attention.
The CME was *not* caused by the comet. It was hurled into space by a magnetic filament eruption in the sun's southern hemisphere (movie) while the comet was still far away. NOAA analysts have modeled the CME and determined that it will not hit Earth. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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IMPERIAL STORM TROOPER WHISKEY DECANTER: It's the perfect gift for a Star Wars fan--a Storm Trooper Whiskey Decanter from the edge of space. On Oct. 10th, it hitched a ride onboard a cosmic ray research balloon floating 106,066 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $166.95. The 750 ml decanter comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight, and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. All purchases from the Earth to Sky Store help pay the helium bill for our student ballooning program.
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