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NEW SUNSPOT:
A new sunspot numbered 1029 is emerging in the sun's northern
hemisphere. Magnetic
maps of the spot identify it as a member of new Solar
Cycle 24. Readers with solar
telescopes, now is the time to see sunspot genesis in
action.
NORTHERN
LIGHTS: A solar wind gust hit Earth's magnetic
field on Oct. 21st and the reverberations lasted for more
than two days. Geomagnetic activity turned the skies over
Tromsø, Norway, vivid green. "It's an easy and pleasant
job to be a Northern Lights guide under these conditions,"
says Kjetil Skogli, who recorded this self-portrait on Oct.
22nd using his Canon
5D:
"The Orionid meteor shower was still active,
too, and we saw some very nice meteors through the Northen
Lights," he says.
More auroras could be in the offing. A solar
wind stream is heading toward Earth and could reenergize the
display when it arrives this weekend. Polar sky watchers should
be alert for Northern
Lights.
October
Northern Lights Gallery
[previous Octobers: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2004, 2003,
2002, 2001]
ORIONID ACTIVITY CONTINUES:
Amazingly, the Orionid meteor shower hasn't
stopped. Three full days after the shower began, international
observers are still counting
as many as 40 meteors per hour during the dark hours before
dawn. Here's one zipping through green Northern
Lights over Trondheim, Norway, on Oct. 23rd:
"I caught the meteor during a 4 second
exposure with my Nikon
D300," says photographer Bence Frenyo.
Orionids are bits of debris from Halley's Comet,
and this year the debris cloud seems to be extra-wide. Earth
is taking days to move through it. Researchers believe the
cloud we're passing through now is actually a complex of three
dusty streams laid down by the comet ~3000 years ago. This
debris has been drifting toward Earth and spreading out for
three millennia--arriving just in time for the 2009 Orionid
meteor shower. Enjoy it while it lasts!
2009
Orionid Photo Gallery
[full
story] [sky
map] [previous years: 2006,
2008]
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