Hang the Transit of Venus on your wall! Hubble-quality images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory are now available as metallic posters in the Space Weather Store. | | |
SUBSIDING CHANCE OF FLARES: Sunspot AR1598 has decayed since it unleashed an X1-class solar flare on Oct. 23rd. The daily odds of a similar eruption from the active region have dropped to only 5%, according to NOAA forecasters. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
A COMET IN TROUBLE? Amateur astronomers have been keeping a close eye on Comet 168P/Hergenrother since October 1st when it suddenly brightened 500-fold, from 15th to 8th magnitude. At the time, tthe comet was making its closest approch to the sun (1.4 AU). Some observers speculated that solar heating caused the fragile comet to break apart. Last night, a group of astronomers found evidence to support this idea. "Using the Faulkes North (F65) telescope," writes Ernesto Guido et al., "we detected a fragmentation in Comet 168P."
"Our images, taken on Oct. 26th, reveal the presence of a secondary nucleus, or fragment, about two arcseconds away from the main central condensation of comet 168P." This is probably a chunk of rocky ice emerging from the haze of gas and dust that surrounds the main nucleus, still hidden inside. Comets are notoriously fragile, so its no surprise that Comet 168P/Hergenrother is breaking apart in this way.
The only question is, what happens next? Will the comet spit in two, with two heads and two tails, one tracking the fragment and the other tracking the parent? Or is this the prelude to a more complete disintegration? Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor developments while the comet remains bright enough to see through backyard telescopes. Here are the comet's coordinates. For best results, we recommend the Comet Hunter Telescope.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
BRIDE, GROOM, AURORAS: Space weather can have a big influence on human affairs--and we're not just talking about radio blackouts and power outages. Last night, photographers Ronn Murray and Marketa Stanczykova were married under the Northern Lights in Alaska, and according to the groom, it was space weather that brought them together:
"Marketa Stanczykova and I met after a she looked me up from Iceland when she found this image on the cover of spaceweather.com 1 year and 21 days ago," explains Ronn. "We became friends on Facebook and after shooting auroras together in Alaska we fell in love. So, we gathered a small group of friends and headed up to the University of Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range where the aurora is studied. Last night we said 'I do' in front of the AuroraCam for all the world to see." (continued below)
"This is a self portrait of the aurora and wedding photographers celebrating their own love under the magnificent lights."
"The sky was dark and aurora activity was non existent until we pulled up to the observatory," he adds. "As if by magic, the sky came alive and we were able to say our vows with a select group of incredible friends, the amazing aurora that brought us together, and the Aurora Cam as our witnesses. It was a day none of us will forget!"
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
SPLIT-SECOND TIMING: When the International Space Station (ISS) passes in front of the sun at 17,000 mph, the entire transit usually takes less than one second. Photographing the passage requires skill, experience, and split-second timing. Yesterday in San Diego, photographer Houston Haynes did it using pure luck:
"I randomly and unintentionaly recorded the ISS as it transited the solar disc on Oct. 25th," says Haynes. "What luck! Using my H-alpha telescope, I was video-recording the sun at 15 frames per second; the ISS appeared in roughly 9 frames."
Photographers who wish to photograph the station's silhouette on purpose should
check Calsky for transit predictions, and
monitor the gallery for results.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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