GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: NOAA forecasters say there is a chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms on Nov. 20th or 21st when a high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth. The gaseous material is flowing from a large southern hole in the sun's atmosphere. Arctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SMALL ASTEROID DISINTEGRATES OVER CANADA: This morning, a small asteroid, which had been discovered only hours earlier, struck Earth's atmosphere and completely disintegrated over Canada. An automated camera at the CN Tower in Toronto captured the fireball:
Astronomer David Rankin found the space rock in survey images taken at Mt. Lemmon, Arizona. The observations triggered a warning of an imminent impact. Seven observatories were able to photograph the sub-meter object before it impacted the Earth's atmosphere on Nov. 19th at approximately 08:27 UTC over Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), this is only the sixth time in history that a global asteroid alert gave astronomers time to observe an incoming space rock before it struck our planet. "This capability is rapidly improving," says ESA.
More than 33 eyewitness reports have been submitted to the American Meteor Society from as far south as Maryland in the USA. Most reports are concentrated around Niagara Falls. Experienced observers say the fireball's peak brightness was between magnitude -10 and -20. For comparison, a full Moon has an apparent magnitude of about -12.5.
The Minor Planet Center has posthumously designated this asteroid 2022 WJ1.
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SOLAR FLARE AND RADIO BLACKOUT: New sunspot AR3150 exploded today (Nov. 19th @ 12:56 UT), producing an M1-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a shock wave emerging from the blast site at 930 km/s (2 million mph):
This shock wave almost certainly lifted a coronal mass ejection (CME) out of the sun's atmosphere, possibly Earth-directed. Confirmation awaits fresh data from the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Stay tuned for updates.
A pulse of extreme UV radiation from the flare ionized Earth's upper atmosphere, causing a minor shortwave radio blackout over the south Atlantic Ocean. Aviators and mariners may have noticed signals below 15 MHz fading for as much as an hour after the flare.
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ORION IS ABOUT TO BUZZ THE MOON: NASA's Orion spacecraft is approaching the Moon for an orbit-changing flyby. On Nov. 21st, Orion will skim just 81 miles above the lunar farside where mission plans call for a crucial 2.5-minute-long engine burn. The maneuver sets the stage for insertion into lunar orbit four days later.
Artist's concept of Orion flying by the Moon. Credit: ESA
The spacecraft will be behind the Moon's farside during the engine burn, so NASA will briefly lose contact (you can't send radio signals through the Moon). Mission controllers have to wait until Orion emerges again to learn how the firing went.
While it is behind the Moon, Orion will be taking close-up pictures of the lunar farside, which is not visible from Earth. The spacecraft is festooned with 16 cameras, and all of them will be active. As soon as Orion pops out it will begin beaming video to Earth for processing and dissemination to the public.
NASA's live coverage of the flyby begins on Monday, Nov. 21st, at 7:15 am EST.
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THE EDGE OF SPACE BUTTTERFLY: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the Edge of Space Butterfly. This crystal pendant just hitched a ride onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $162.95. The inner yellow citrine crystal is surrounded by a "spread your wings" lattice of sparkling zirconia. A rich layer of rhodium plating ensures the longevity of the pendant and its 18-inch chain.
The Edge of Space Butterfly makes a great anniversary, Christmas, or birthday gift. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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