TODAY'S STORM IS SUBSIDING: A geomagnetic storm (G1-G3) that has sparked mid-latitude auroras for two days in a row is subsiding as Earth exits the tail of the instigating CME. A similar storm might be in the offing if the CMEs shown below hit Earth as well as Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. Keep reading... Aurora alerts: SMS Text
CMEs COULD HIT EARTH AND A COMET: SOHO coronagraphs are obtaining some remarkable images today. One of the brightest comets in decades, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3), is passing through the field of view while the sun emits a series of bright CMEs:
The animation shows two CMEs leaving the sun. The first CME (3 o'clock position) was hurled into space by a powerful X2-class solar flare on Oct. 7th. The second CME, (5 o'clock position) was launched by an erupting filament of magnetism on Oct. 8th. Both appear to have Earth-directed and comet-directed components.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is more squarely in the line of fire than Earth. CME impacts could rip off the comet's tail. The same thing happened to Comet Enke in April 2007. A bent or broken tail is something astronomers should look for when Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS emerges from the sun's glare this weekend.
Earth could receive glancing blows from both CMEs, especially the second. The impacts could begin as early as Oct. 10th, although Oct. 11th is more likely according to a NOAA model. Forecasters are calling for G1 geomagnetic storms when the CME(s) arrive. CME impact alerts: SMS Text
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LOW-LATITUDE AURORA SIGHTINGS: Last night, Oct. 7-8, auroras spread across more than thirty US states. The lowest latitude sighting (so far) was in the deserts of southern Arizona:
"Solar Max keeps gifting the desert southwest with auroras," says photographer Scott Tucker of Tucson, AZ. "They were faint, but we will take them! This is a 10 second exposure with my Canon 80D."
Other notable mid- to low-latitude sightings include Texas, Virginia, California, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and (faintly) Alabama. This widespread display was the afterglow of a CME impact on Oct. 6th. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
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STERLING SILVER MOONCAT: This cat has experienced a severe geomagnetic storm. A CME hit Earth's magnetic field during on Sept. 16th. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus quickly immediately launched a cosmic ray balloon with the Sterling Silver Mooncat hitching a ride:
You can have it for $199.95. Curled around a genuine blue moonstone the sterling silver cat floated through the stratosphere for almost 3 hours during the storm, gathering radiation data for the students' monitoring program. The Mooncat comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and explaining the radiation experiment.
The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space jewelry to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Don't wait for Christmas--get yours now!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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