WANTED: SUNGRAZING COMET PHOTOS: Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) is falling toward the center of the Solar System, and it could put on a remarkable show in April when it skims the surface of the sun. Indeed, there's a chance that it could resemble the Great Comet of 2011 (Comet Lovejoy). Astronomers, if you have pictures of this comet, please submit them here.
A HYPERBOLIC OORT CLOUD COMET: This conjunction was a million years in the making. On Feb. 9th, Daniele Gasparri of Atacama, Chile, photographed Comet Wierzchoś (C/2024 E1) gliding past the "string of pearls galaxy" NGC 55:
Discovered in March 2024 by Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchoś, this comet has been traveling to the inner Solar System for the past million years. It is following a hyperbolic orbit from the Oort-Cloud. The human race did not exist when it began its journey to the focus of Gasparri's camera.
"This little-known comet is putting on a beautiful show from the Southern Hemisphere," says Gasparri. "It displays a long, striking tail and it is a lovely telescopic object at magnitude +7."
"I had to deal with a huge amount of satellite tracks (on average 3-4 for each 120 seconds exposure), which almost ruined my attempt to image the comet and the galaxy," notes Gasparri.
This kind of interference is typical of recent comet photos submitted to Spaceweather.com. At least half of all unedited long-exposure photos are criss-crossed by satellite streaks. Thanks, Elon?
Southern photographers, watch out for Starlink! And point your optics here.
more images: from Michael Mattiazzo of Strathalbyn, South Australia; from David Marshall of Christ Church, Barbados
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THE LOVE PUZZLE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY: Valentine’s Day is coming. Do you have a truly far-out gift? Consider the the Love Puzzle. On Jan. 15th, it flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $91.95. This acrylic puzzle piece is a love note: "Thank you for being such an important piece of my life," the inscription says. It's a durable reminder that you fit together. The Love Puzzle comes with a unique gift card showing the keepsake at the top of Earth's atmosphere.
Earth to Sky Valentine's gifts have flown above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out. And, best of all, all sales support student science projects and STEM education.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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