A SMALL ASTEROID JUST HIT EARTH: During the late hours of Jan. 20th, Hungarian astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky discovered a new asteroid. Three hours later it hit Earth, disintegrating in the atmosphere not far from Berlin (Jan. 24 @ 00:33 UT). The meter-wide space rock, since named 2024 BX1, is thought to have been completely destroyed. Amazingly, Italian astronomer Luca Buzzi managed to photograph it just before it hit.
EARTH-DIRECTED CME: Breaking 2 weeks of quiet, a magnetic filament erupted on the sun yesterday (movie), hurling a CME almost directly toward Earth. Coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the emerging halo:
According to a NASA model, the CME will arrive on Jan. 22nd after 1800 UT. A just-released NOAA model agrees with this assessment. The CME's impact could cause G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storms with auroras spilling outside the Arctic Circle into northern Europe and northern-tier US states. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
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CUPID SNOOPY AT THE EDGE OF SPACE: Is there a Snoopy fan in your life? They will love Cupid Snoopy for Valentine's Day. This hand-painted figurine flew to the stratosphere on Jan. 18, 2024, onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $159.95. Wearing Cupid's wings and armed with the arrow of love, Snoopy makes a fantastic gift for any romantic occasion. It comes with a gift card showing the figurine in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
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