A GLANCING-BLOW CME IS COMING (MAYBE): A CME might graze Earth's magnetic field on March 13th, according to a NASA model. It was hurled into space two days ago by a strong M7.4-class solar flare from sunspot AR3599. The glancing blow (if it occurs) will probably cause no more than a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THE SPIRAL CORE OF COMET 12P: Around the world, astronomers are monitoring Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks as it approaches the sun for a close encounter in April. Most cameras are focused on the comet's magnificent tail, which is growing longer every night. Norwegian astronomer Jan Erik Vallestad decided instead to take a closer look at the comet's core--and there he found a spiral:
"The image has been processed in Pixinsight with moderate stretching to reveal structure in the core," explains Vallestad. "This is doable because the core itself was not 'blown out' (saturated) in my original data." Other astronomers have also noticed the spiral or "yin-yang shape" of the comet's core; it appears to be real.
Juris Seņņikovs of Dobele, Latvia, is a believer. Last night he photographed the comet and found the spiral, too:
"After seeing today's front-page image from Jan Erik Vallestad, I processed my image of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in a similar way," says Seņņikovs. "Much to my surprise, I also got a spiral around the comet's core. Without processing one can easily miss this structure."
Why spiral? Take a look at the comet's lightcurve. Some astronomers believe that 12P's frequent outbursts are a sign of "cryovolcanism." According to this idea, the comet's surface is peppered with geysers, which spew icy plumes of dust and gas into space when fragile vents are exposed to sunlight. Such exhaust plumes would naturally bend themselves into spirals as the comet rotates.
Comet 12P is currently located in the western sky after sunset, about 15 degrees above the horizon for most observers. Shining as brightly as a 6th magnitude star, the comet has been posing alongside the Andromeda Nebula for beauty shots all month long. Point your telescope here and take a look!
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A SUNSPOT BIG ENOUGH TO SEE FROM MARS: Remember giant sunspot AR3950? Last month, it produced three X-class solar flares as it grew to become the largest sunspot of Solar Cycle 25. We haven't seen it for the past two weeks because it has been crossing the farside of the sun. NASA's Perseverance rover has been keeping track of it from Mars:
Chilean astronomer Patricio Leon assembled these images using publically-available data from NASA. "They show the sunspot traversing the farside of the sun from left to right (March 1-9th)," explains Leon. "Individual images have been rotated to give a rough E-W alignment."
Perseverance's observations from Mars confirm that the sunspot is alive and well, still large, and possibly active. "Based the sunspot's motion in these images, it should reappear on the Earthside of the sun around March 14th," says Leon. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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18K GOLD "LOVE YOU TO THE MOON" LOCKET: This is a very special locket. It's heart-shaped, plated with 18K gold, and we will fly it again during this year's total eclipse of the sun. Keep reading...
On Jan. 26, 2024, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this locket to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 111,535 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
Buy it now for $149.95, and we'll fly it again--FOR FREE--during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The students will be launching multiple balloons from the path of totality in Texas. Your pendant will go along for the ride, touching the shadow of the Moon at the edge of space. (Simply type "FLY IT AGAIN" in the comments box at checkout.)
The locket, which opens to hold a personal photo or other small item, comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
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