CHANCE OF FLARES TODAY: Following two days of non-stop flaring, active sunspot AR3165 is quieting. It could be gaining strength for a bigger flare. NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance of M-class flares and a 10% chance of X-flares on Dec. 17th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
RARE STELLAR OCCULTATION: The nucleus of cryovolcanic comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is about to pass directly in front of a 12th magnitude star. This is an extremely rare occultation, visible from populated areas in Taiwan and the southwestern USA / Mexixo border region at approximately 11:45 UT on Dec. 19th--i.e. in the early morning sky Monday.
Above: Two predictions for the LA-area "shadow track." More shadow tracks: Taiwan, San Diego, Yuma, Tucson
For researchers, this is an exciting event. Watching the star pass behind 29P will help trace the shape of the comet's solid body, which may be unusually spherical. Moreover, 29P has erupted multiple times since late November. The star may pass behind residual clouds of outburst debris, allowing astronomers to probe the 'near space' around the comet's nucleus. Because any debris clouds are far larger than the comet's 60 km core, observations outside the nominal shadow track may be of interest, too.
More information and details about this occultation are available from the British Astronomical Society's MISSION 29P.
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