DECREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: Giant sunspot AR3615 is still an impressive behemoth, but the danger it poses may be subsiding. The sunspot's magnetic field, once complex and unstable, has rearranged itself into a more stable configuration with well-separated magnetic poles. The odds of explosive magnetic reconnection are going down. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
A NEW CRYOVOLCANIC COMET OUTBURST: The British Astronomical Association (BAA) is reporting a cryovolcanic eruption on Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. On March 24th, the comet suddenly brightened 15-fold when a sunlit vent opened, spewing 'cryomagma' into space. Dr. Richard Miles of the BAA provided this light curve:
Comet 29P is one of the strangest objects in the solar system. In fact, it strains the definition of "comet." 29P is a ball of ice 60 km wide (much larger than a typical comet) trapped in a planet-like orbit between Jupiter and Saturn. It appears to be festooned with ice geysers which erupt ~20 times a year. The resulting plumes of cryomagma contain a cold mixture of liquid hydrocarbons, dust, and dissolved gases such as N2 and CO.
The latest outburst is a relatively big one. In a stroke of luck, Mark Phillips of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh was observing the comet when the outburst occured. His prompt photometry captured the early stages of the event, resulting in an unusually complete light curve.
"This light curve (along with examples from previous eruptions) demonstrates that the active phase when material is ejected into space lasts merely a few minutes before shutting down completely thereafter," notes Miles. This fits the cryovolcanic model of 29P's outbursts. "Further strong outbursts are expected," he says.
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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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