SpaceWeather.com Archive — Sun, Sep 22, 2024

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AURORAS LOVE EQUINOXES: Today is the first day of northern autumn. That's good news for sky watchers because auroras love equinoxes. Researchers call it the "Russell-McPherron effect." At this time of year, cracks form in Earth's magnetic field, opening the door for solar storms. Even a weak stream of solar wind or a glancing blow from a CME can spark a good display. Happy autumn! Aurora alerts: SMS Tex t

APPROACHING COMET SEEN FROM THE ISS: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) is approaching Earth and brightening rapidly. "So far Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS looks like a fuzzy star to the naked eye, but with a 200mm, f2 lens at 1/8s exposure you can really start to see it!' reports NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who photographed the comet from the International Space Station on Sept. 19th:

Dominick's time lapse movie shows the comet rising above Earth's airglow layer along with at least 3 satellites. "This comet is going to make for some really cool images as it gets closer to the sun," he says.

Indeed, the comet will fly by the sun on Sept. 27th, receiving a dose of solar heating as it approaches Earth for a close encounter on Oct. 12th. As seen from our planet, the sun-warmed comet's brightness could reach negative magnitudes during the second week of October.

"Negative magnitude" means Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS would be visible in broad daylight, especially on Oct. 9th when light from the nearby sun will be forward scattered by comet dust, amplifying the comet's brightness. If the most optimistic predictions come true, it could look like Comet McNaught in 2007:

Comet McNaught photographed in daylight by Thorsten Boeckel on Jan. 13, 2007. [gallery]

Forward scattering also boosted the brightness of Comet McNaught, making it visible in daylight as a magnitude -5.5 object. Thousands of observers alerted by Spaceweather.com saw the comet in the noontime sky. Could it happen again? Stay tuned!

more images: from Mariano Ribas of Buenos Aires, Argentina; from Chaim Scowcroft of Sandy Beach Oahu, Hawaii

Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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"HAND OF APOLLO" STAR TREK CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: You can't buy this on Amazon. The Hand of Apollo Christmas Ornament is only available from the Earth to Sky Store. On Aug. 15, 2024, it flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:

You can have it for $127.95. This ornament depicts the iconic opening scene from original Star Trek series episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?" first aired in 1967. Near the planet Pollux III, the Enterprise was held immobile by an energy field shaped as a human hand. It belonged to a being claiming to be the Greek god Apollo. This will look far out on your Christmas tree this December.

The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space ornaments to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Don't wait for Christmas--get yours now!