SATELLITE
FLYBYS APP: Turn your iPhone or iPod into
a field-tested satellite tracker! Spaceweather.com presents
the Satellite Flybys
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CURIOUS FLYBY:
A curious object is about to fly past Earth only 130,000 km
(0.3 lunar distances) away. Catalogued as a 10m-class asteroid,
2010
AL30 has an orbital period of almost exactly 1 year. This
raises the possibility that it might not be a natural object,
but rather a piece of some spacecraft from our own planet.
At closest approach on Jan. 13th, 2010 AL30 will streak through
Orion, Taurus, and Pisces glowing like a 14th magnitude star.
Experienced amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor
the flyby: ephemeris.
images: from
E. Guido and G. Sostero using a remotely-controlled telescope
in New Mexico; from
Dennis Simmons of Brisbane, Australia;
ACTIVE SUNSPOT:
Sunspot 1040 is still
growing. During the past two days it has doubled in size--and
then doubled again--to produce an active region with more
than 25 dark cores and a tangled magnetic field. Dennis Simmons
sends this picture of the behemoth from Brisbane, Australia:
"Sweltering under the Australian sun at
over 31o C, I had to wipe the perspiration from
my eyes while attempting to obtain sharp focus through Earth's
shimmering atmosphere," says Simmons. "It didn’t
help that I had my head under a blanket to block out the bright
sunlight that was washing out the display on my Notebook computer!
In the end, technology and software allowed me to obtain some
reasonable results. It is an impressive sunspot."
Sunspot 1040 is a member of new Solar Cycle
24, and its appearance continues a recent
trend of intensifying solar activity. NOAA forecasters
say there is a 15% chance of an isolated M-class
solar flare during the next 24 hours. Readers with solar
telescopes should be alert for eruptions.
more images: from
Michael Wilk of Augsburg, Germany; from
Bob van Slooten of Amersfoort, Netherlands; from
Andy Yeung of Hong Kong
SUN FLOWER:
For the past week, much of the northern hemisphere has been
in the grip of paralyzing cold. Some people say it's a hardship.
Holly Miller-Pollack prefers to think of it as a photo op:
"This morning, everything was covered
in frost so I went out to take a few pictures," she says.
"This one came out looking like a sunflower."
"Also, look just above the sun," she
points out. "The clouds are shining with iridescent colors."
That is a result of the cold, too. Tiny ice crystals in the
cloud diffract
sunlight to produce the pastel hues.
Ice in the air. Ice on the ground. Add a dash
of sunlight and voila!--a lovely snapshot. Browse the links
below for additional examples.
more images: from
Peter Rosén of Stockholm, Sweden; from
Andrew Greenwood of Kerridge Ridge on the edge of the
Peak District, UK; from
Lance Parrish near Cantwell, Alaska; from
Andrew Kirk of Bishop, California; from
Tyler Burg of Omaha, Nebraska; from
Pete Miller of Cumbernauld, Scotland; from
Evan Ludes of Omaha, Nebraska; from
Martin Popek of Nýdek, Czech republic; from
John Napper of East Hagbourne, Oxfordshire, UK;
UPDATED: January
Northern Lights Gallery
[previous Januarys: 2009,
2008, 2007,
2005, 2004,
2001]
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