GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): Yesterday's "canyon of fire" CME (described below) could graze our planet's magnetic field on March 20th. If so, the timing would be perfect for equinox auroras. At this time of year, even a glancing blow from a CME can spark geomagnetic storms thanks to the springtime Russell-McPherron effect. NOAA forecasters say that G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on both March 20th and 21st in response to the incoming CME. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
CANYON OF FIRE ERUPTION (UPDATED): A large filament of magnetism stretching across the sun's southern hemisphere erupted on March 17th, carving a "canyon of fire" in the sun's atmosphere. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded the blast:
Debris from the explosion produced a partial halo CME, seen here in a SOHO coronagraph movie. A NASA model of the storm cloud suggests it could strike Earth's magnetic field on March 20th, sparking high-latitude auroras on the first night of Northern Spring. NOAA's model generally agrees, but predicts a later arrival on March 21st. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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THE CROOKED TAIL OF COMET 12P: Something's not right with the tail of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. It's crooked. Astrophotographer Borut Prasnikar captured the phenomenon in this wide angle shot from Blegos, Slovenia:
"Here is the comet with its dynamic tail above Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia," says Prasnikar. "Comet 12P was passing by the Andromeda Galaxy on March 13th when I took the photo, and I was able to capture them both with a 20x30-second exposure."
Why is 12P's tail bent? Researchers call it a "disconnection event," caused by a CME (or fast solar wind stream) hitting the comet. One of the earliest recorded examples of this phenomenon occured in April 2007 when NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft watched a CME strike Comet Encke and rip its tail completely off: movie.
This is just the beginning. Comet 12P is moving toward the sun for a close encounter (0.78 au) on April 21st. The comet is crossing Earth's orbit right now, so it will be closer to the sun than we are for the next 4 weeks. CMEs will be hitting it harder than ever, increasing the odds of additional disconnection events.
more images: from Alan C. Tough of Elgin, Moray, Scotland; from Dave Weixelman of Elk Creek, CA; from Fins Eirexas of Camariñas, Galiza, Iberian Penninsula;
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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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