FARSIDE EXPLOSION: Something just exploded on the farside of the sun. The blast hurled a CME into space during the late hours of Oct. 31st. Take a look at this movie, which shows the CME as well as Venus (left) and Mercury (right). The blast site will rotate onto the Earthside of the sun about a week from now. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
HALLOWEEN FIREBALLS: Have you ever heard of the "Halloween Fireballs?" Astronomers call them Taurid meteors. They appear every year from late October through early November when Earth passes through a stream of debris associated with Comet 2P/Encke. Lene Maria Steffensen photographed this one burning up over Løkken, Denmark, on Oct. 31st:
"In this lucky 3 second shot I caught some faint green auroras and a bright green fireball on top," says Steffensen. "The exploding meteor was fantastic. You could see its reflection on the beach."
We're about to see a lot more of these. Forecasters believe that a swarm of Taurid meteoroids is approaching Earth, and it could double the usual rate of fireballs--not only on Halloween, but also through the early weeks of November.
Taurid meteors are thought to be debris from a giant comet that broke apart in the inner Solar System 10 to 20 thousand years ago. The breakup produced a mixture of dust and larger bodies that are still present today. Comet 2P/Encke itself may be just one of the fragments.
Over the years, Jupiter's gravity has shepherded some of these meteoroids into a well-defined cloud--the "Taurid Swarm." It visits Earth every 3 or 7 years. Previous encounters with the Swarm in 2005 and 2015 produced showers of fireballs observed around the world. The last outburst was 7 years ago, which means 2022 should be a Swarm year, too.
A total lunar eclipse on Nov. 8th will provide dark skies for sighting Taurid fireballs and possible lunar impacts: visibility map.
In 1975 the Swarm contacted the Moon, making Apollo seismic sensors ring with evidence of objects hitting the lunar surface. If there's a repeat strike this year, Nov. 8th might be a good time to look for it. The Moon's surface will be darkened by Earth's shadow during a total lunar eclipse, improving the visibility of any exploding lunar meteors.
Although the Taurid shower typically peaks on Nov. 5th, it is a broad maximum, weeks long. Any of the nights ahead could produce a Taurid display. Look up during the hours around midnight. You can expect to see a few fireballs per hour streaking from the horns of Taurus--and many more if the Swarm arrives.
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"I LOVE YOU FOREVER" MOONSTONE PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the "I Love You Forever" Moonstone. This one hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research ballooin on Oct. 15, 2022:
You can have it for $162.95. The moonstone's sterling silver infinity wrap is inscribed with the words "I love you forever." It makes a great anniversary, Christmas or birthday gift. The moonstone comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight, telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again.
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