QUIET WEEKEND: Earth's magnetic field is calming down after a full day of severe geomagnetic storming on Oct. 11th. Auroras this weekend are unlikely--even if the sun hurls another fast CME our way. It wouldn't arrive until Tuesday. CME impact alerts: SMS Text
NAKED-EYE COMET AT SUNSET: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. You might see a comet. "I was driving across Utah and spotted Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS through the windshield shortly after sunset on Oct. 12th," reports Brad Goldpaint. "I quickly pulled over at a rest stopand took this photograph."
"The comet was easily visible to the naked eye roughly 15 minutes before this 13-second exposure," says Goldpaint. "The Moon helped reveal the rugged canyons of the incredible landscape."
Many other observers are having similar experiences. Here are some samples: "What a treat to see a naked-eye comet that was easily visible to our 6 year old grandson!!" says Brian Gold of Encino, California. "The views through 10x50 binoculars were spectacular!" says Tanner Golden of Cheaha mountain, Alabama. "The coma and tail of the comet were easily visible to the naked eye even with light pollution from the casino across the street!" says Marcus Prazniak of Tonopah, Nevada.
"I could see it naked-eye beginning 39 minutes after sunset," says Paul D. Maley, who sends this picture from Carefree, Arizona:
The view should improve in the nights ahead as the comet separates itself from the sun and climbs higher in the sunset sky. Prospects are nicely discussed in an article from Nick James of the British Astronomical Association: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS looking good for October.
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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SPACEMAN SNOOPY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: You can't buy this on Amazon. The Spaceman Snoopy Christmas Ornament is only available from the Earth to Sky Store. On Oct. 11, 2024, it flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $125.95. This ornament depicts Snoopy's historic meeting with Martian Woodstock, proving once and for all that we are not alone! Created by Hallmark, this rare keepsake floated in the stratosphere for 3 hours while radiation sensors inside the payload gathered data for a STEM radiation monitoring project.
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!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
RARE LOW LATITUDE AURORAS: Northern Lights in Mexico? Believe it. On the night of Oct. 10-11, auroras descended all the way to the tropics. René Saade photographed the display from the beach at Mazatlan, Sinaloa:
"We are at 23 degrees north latitude," says Saade. "We also saw auroras during the May 10th superstorm. Seeing auroras this far south twice in a year is amazing!!"
Another notable low-latitude sighting comes from Priscilla Coote in Key West (+24.7 N). "How often do you see auroras and coconut palms in the same photo?" she wonders. Also, the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe is reporting auroras photographed from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico (+18.4 N), and from a cruiseship just south of Cuba (~21 N).
These remarkably low latitude sightings highlight the rarity of the Oct. 10-11, 2024, geomagnetic storm. Such a display has occured only a handful of times in the 21st century. Fantastic pictures are pouring into our gallery from around the world. Take a look!
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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