CME TO STRIKE VENUS AND MARS: A CME launched into space by yesterday's X-flare (described below) may not strike Earth, however, it will hit Venus and Mars, according to a NASA model. The strike on Venus (June 22nd) will probably erode a small amount of the planet's upper atmosphere, while the strike on Mars (June 25th) could spark auroras visible to MAVEN and other Mars-orbiting satellites.
X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE AND CME: New sunspot AR3341 erupted on June 20th, producing an X1.1-class solar flare (1709 UT). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash:
Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere. This caused a deep shortwave radio blackout over North America: map. Aviators and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal at frequencies below 30 MHz for as much as 45 minutes after the flare.
SOHO coronagraphs have since detected a CME emerging from the blast site. The CME's expansion velocity exceeds 1000 km/s (2.2 million mph), according to Type II radio bursts detected by the US Air Force. It's a fast mover that should deliver a potent blow to whatever it hits.
Earth is probably not in the strike zone, although a glancing blow may be possible on June 22nd or 23rd. Confirmation awaits modeling by NOAA forecasters. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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A NEW WAY TO DETECT SOLAR FLARES: Around the world, ham radio operators are experimenting with a new way to detect solar flares--the Doppler Shift method. Brian Curtis of Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, demonstrated the technique during yesterday's X-flare:
"I monitor the frequency and field strength of Canada's CHU time station transmitting at 7850 KHz," explains Curtis. "During the X-class flare event, I was able to detect the Doppler shift of the station's carrier frequency (green plot). It shifted by 5 Hz, which is a small change, but very obvious!"
When radiation from a solar flare hits Earth's atmosphere, it ionizes the air, temporarily boosting the thickness of our planet's ionosphere. Any radio station skipping off the ionosphere will suddenly find its frequency Doppler shifted. Frequency standards stations such as WWV, WWVH, and CHU transmit carriers with atomic-clock grade frequency stability, so they are perfect sources for Doppler monitoring.
"I have been monitoring radio stations for decades, noting sudden changes in signal strength as a means of monitoring space weather events," says Curtis. "It is only fairly recently (~4 months) that I started to experiment with monitoring the Doppler shift of HF stations. Yesterday's X-class flare event is by far the most dramatic that I have witnessed thus far."
Would you like to detect solar flares this way? The HamSCI citizen science program has developed a Personal Space Weather Station specifically for doppler shift measurements. This technique can also be used to study solar eclipses.
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18K GOLD CUPID'S COMPASS: Are you looking for a romantic gift? Consider Cupid's Compass. This premuim 18K gold-filled pendant flew to the stratosphere on Jan. 6th onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $259.95. Engraved with the words "I'd be lost without you", the hypoallergenic pendant has a 5-star cubic zirconia crystal in the middle surrounded by a ring of equally high-grade 5A cubic zirconia nuggets. It is a visually striking pendant that makes a once-in-a-lifetime Valentine's, anniversary or birthday gift.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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COMET ATLAS IS UP ALL NIGHT: If you can find the North Star, you can find Comet ATLAS (C/2023 E1). This week, the comet is approaching Polaris, which means it is up all night for northern astronomers. Michael Jaeger photographed it gliding among the stars of Ursa Minor on June 18th:
This comet was discovered on March 1st by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in South Africa. At first it appeared to be an asteroid, but when a tail appeared astronomers quickly realized they had found a comet. Falling toward the sun, Comet ATLAS has since brightened 1000-fold in response to increasing solar heat.
A peak brightness of magnitude +9 is expected around July 1st when Comet ATLAS reaches perihelion (closest approach to the sun). The comet will still be close to the North Star, up all night and begging for a nice long expsosure. Take a look!
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