SpaceWeather.com Archive — Tue, Aug 1, 2023

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NO IMPACT: A CME expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Aug. 1st may have missed. There is a hint of a near miss in solar wind data around 1600 UT, but the ripple effect was feeble and did not cause a geomagnetic storm. The CME might still be en route. If so, its late arrival would spark at most a G1-class storm on Aug. 2nd. Aurora alerts: SMS Text

MILLENNIUM FALCON OR ROMULAN WARBIRD? An important debate is raging about Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. Which spaceship does it look like? "While some may see the Millennium Falcon, those of us that have reached a certain age are sure we see a Romulan Warbird," says Spaceweather.com reader John Leazier. Decide for yourself:

The composite image above shows a photo of the comet taken by Italian astronomer Toni Scarmato on July 27th with the two spaceships inset--classic Star Trek vs Star Wars.

Until July 20th, the comet was just a featureless sphere. No one is sure what happened next; probably a cryovolcano erupted. A cold mixture of liquid hydrocarbons and dissolved gasses burst through the comet's surface, multiplying its brightness 100-fold and producing two parallel streams of fast-moving gas. Whether they resemble warp nacelles or gun turrets is in the eye of the beholder.

Comet 12P is currently crossing the head of Draco not far from the north celestial pole. If you have a backyard telescope, take a look, and submit your images here.

Another option: Tim Knauer, Director of the MacAdam Student Observatory at the University of Kentucky, says "The comet reminds me of the Thuban spaceship in Futurama's 96th episode That Darn Katz!"

Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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THE PANSPERMIA CUBE: Every week, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus take an astronomy class from Dr. Tony Phillips. This summer they've been learning about panspermia--the unverified yet tantalizing idea that seeds of life have spread through the cosmos. To celebrate the concept, they just flew the Panspermia Cube to the stratosphere:

You can have it for $129.95. Inside the crystal cube, there is a laser-etched 3D model of a dandelion spreading its seeds on the winds of space. It comes with a greeting card showing the dandelion in flight (105,120 ft high on the students' cosmic ray research balloon) and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.