GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): A solar wind stream is approaching Earth. ETA: Oct. 20th. NOAA forecasters say that G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when it arrives. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SPACE WARFARE IN YOUR OWN EYEPIECE? The Pentagon isn’t commenting, and Russia has said nothing. But something is definitely happening in low Earth orbit.
Over the weekend, a Russian military satellite, Cosmos 2612, paid a visit to ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite that supplies imagery to Ukraine. The two came within a few hundred meters of each other, according to orbital data published by the US Space Force.
“To my knowledge this is the first LEO (low Earth orbit) rendezvous of two active satellites,” says satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, recently retired from Harvard University.
The two are separating now. On Sunday, Cosmos 2612 fired its thrusters and raised its orbit by about 2 km. Dutch satellite analyst Marco Langbroek says it’s not yet clear whether Cosmos 2612 is leaving or setting up for another approach.
Does Cosmos 2612 pose a threat? Only Russia knows for sure. The satellite’s specs have never been published. It might be taking a closer look, jamming signals, or ... in 2020, another Russian satellite, Cosmos 2543, released a high-speed object in orbit. U.S. Space Command said it had the hallmarks of an anti-satellite weapon.
Located ~100 km above the orbit of the ISS, the satellites are extremely close together. During their weekend close approach, they were as little as 1 or 2 arcminutes apart--a single point to the human eye, but an easy split in binoculars or a small backyard telescope.
This means amateur astronomers can monitor developments. Southern observers are favored. Right now, the two satellites are making a series of pre-dawn passes over Australia and New Zealand with estimated magnitudes near +6 or +7.
Where should you point your telescope? Subscribers to our Backyard Astronomy Alert Service can send us a note to ask for bespoke flyby alerts and coordinates. We will help you find them.
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THE HALLOWEEN FIREBALLS ARE COMING: We love our new Backyard Astronomy Alert Service, and now is a good time to try it out. Earth is entering the Taurid debris stream--source of the annual Halloween fireballs. For the next 3 to 4 weeks, Earth will surf through a complex meteoroid field producing bright meteors often seen while trick-or-treating.
Subscribers to our service receive instant text messages when anything is happening in the sky--meteor outbursts, space station flybys, bright auroras and much more. Companion emails contain sky maps and observing tips--everything you need to fully experience the event. It also makes a great gift!
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