LONG-RANGE FORECAST: A fast-moving stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 19th or 20th. It is flowing from a southern hole in the sun's atmosphere. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras at the end of this week. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
ELLERMAN BOMBS: Sunspot AR3140 is crackling--not with flares, but with Ellerman Bombs. Sylvain Weiller photographed the phenomenon today from Jerusalem, Israel:
A sampling of the bombs are circled for reference. Weiller caught more than a dozen explosions underway in sunpot AR3140 (left) and a few in sunspot AR3141 (right). All this action took place during a brief 30 second exposure.
Ellerman bombs are magnetic explosions about one-millionth as powerful as true solar flares. They are named after physicist Ferdinand Ellerman who studied the tiny blasts in the early 20th century. Of course, "tiny" is relative. A single Ellerman bomb releases about 1026 ergs of energy--equal to about 100,000 World War II atomic bombs.
Explosions like these are a sign of magnetic complexity in a sunspot. Opposite polarities bump together, reconnect, and--boom. A full-fledged flare may not be far behind. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Michael Karrer of Austria
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BLUEWALKER 3 UPDATE: The CEO of AST SpaceMobile, Abel Avellan, confirmed in a Tweet this morning that BlueWalker 3 has successfully unfurled its huge antenna. Here are two selfies of the array in orbit alongside members of the mission team:
"The array has been fully deployed," he says.
BlueWalker 3 is a revolutionary communications satellite designed to provide cell phone service from space. To detect weak cell phone signals from Earth's surface it needs a very large antenna. BlueWalker 3's is about the size of a squash court.
Astronomers have been anticipating and dreading the deployment for months. Some analysts believed that BlueWalker 3 might become one of the brightest objects in the night sky, outshining everything except the Moon. The broad array could reflect blinding beams of sunlight into telescopes on the ground below.
Initial observations suggest that BlueWalker 3 is indeed bright--although far from the worst case scenario. Paul Maley of Carefree, Arizona, has seen it four mornings in a row. "It has been about as bright as a 1st magnitude star," he says.
BlueWalker 3 passing by the bright star Procyon (m=+0.4) on Nov. 14th. Credit: Paul Maley
If the peak brightness is truly 1st magnitude,then BlueWalker 3 would be no worse than, say, China's Tiangong space station or the ISS, which pass through the night sky all the time. Astronomy is saved.
It may be too soon to relax, though. While this is only a single satellite for now, Bluewalker's maker AST SpaceMobile plans to launch more than 100 larger satellites called BlueBirds. These satellites could be more than twice the size of BlueWalker 3 and much brighter. Flocks of Bluebirds could ruin a lot of astronomical observations.
You can help monitor BlueWalker 3. Morning and evening flybys are currently happening over the USA. Check Heavens Above for local flyby times and let us know what you see.
more images: from Gary Dowdle of Fort Davis, Texas; from Wayne Wooten of Pensacola, Florida
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"I LOVE YOU MORE" OPAL: Nothing says "I love you" like jewelry from space. This sterling silver opal pendant just hitched a ride to the stratosphere on an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight it floated 101,326 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $142.95. The opal's infinity wrap is engraved with "I Love You More." It's the perfect birthday, anniversary or (never too early!) Christmas gift for that special someone who loves space. Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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