MINOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: One and perhaps two CMEs could graze Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 4th. Individually, neither CME is particularly significant, but added together they could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm. This is especially true if one CME sweeps up the other to form a Cannibal CME. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
FULL HALO CME: Aurora watchers should get their hopes up. This morning, Nov. 3rd, coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected a full halo CME. The storm cloud is heading directly for Earth:
The cloud was hurled into space by the eruption of a long magnetic filament in the sun's northern hemisphere: movie.
A NASA model of the CME suggests it will arrive between 1200 UT and 1800 UT on Nov. 5th. Two minor CMEs could precede it with glancing blows on Nov. 4th. The sum of these impacts have the potential to produce G2-class or stronger geomagnetic storms. CME alerts: SMS Text
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COMET 12P ERUPTS AGAIN: Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks just did it again. On Halloween, it abruptly brightened almost 100-fold, indicating a new outburst of cryovolcanic activity. Retired biology professor and now-amateur astronomer Eliot Herman has been monitoring the comet and caught the Oct. 31st brightening:
"This comet has been widely reported in the news as the 'devil comet' due to two prior outbursts that produced devil-like horns," says Herman. "On Halloween the devil burst forth again with a large outburst that continued into the next day. On November 2 a new bright coma is beginning to appear and in the next days it will be seen if the devil will make a third appearance. All images were captured with Telescope T11 at the Utah Desert Observatory, and are stacks of 9 x 60 seconds."
Amateur astronomers with backyard telescopes larger than 12-inches are encouraged to monitor developments. The comet is currently shining like a 12th magnitude star, located in Hercules just across the border from the bright star Vega. [sky map]
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ALASKAN TIMBER WOLF PENDANT: It's a great gift for wolf lovers. On Sept. 5th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this Alaskan Timber Wolf Pendant to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 103,018 ft high, above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere.
You can have it for $99.95. The students are selling space pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the wolf in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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