For Skywatchers, Astrophiles, and Sun Lovers...

[Delphyne]

omg...I love watching the skies at night but am only an amature.  I would really like help to find a good site to help me with sky watching at night for dummies.  I read you post the other day and went out 45 min. after sunset and saw the most beautiful site...it had to have been a meteor falling bcs it had a tail that looked like fireworks but was silent.  The prettiest site ever!!! If you have anymore tips keep them coming...I love to read them!!!

Depending on how bright it was.  What state are you in?  I can look around to see if there were any fireball sightings in your area.

There is a comet in the, towards the west, but I am sure that is not what you saw, because the comet is still very faint.

Let me know where you are located so I can find fireball news!

 

I am in Iowa...Des Moines to be exact. What I saw in the sky was so bright but it was silent.  The size of it was about the size of a big baseball and had a tail of sparks behind it.  Yet it was silent.  I wish I had my camera set up for a shot but was just about to go inside and there it was.  Thanks again for all your info...it helps us dummies appreciate the sky even more!!!

Recently, there was a fireball sighting that people from Iowa to New York saw.  I am wondering if it was the same one.  Do you know the exact date?  There are meteors and fireballs all the time, but most people rarely notice them.  Since the Russia event, more people are taking notice.  I am curious if it is the same one as the big Midwest sighting, or if it is a different one.  Let me know the date.    If you can remember.

[Delphyne]

Here is a wee update about the coming comet called ISON.

"If the comet survives, it will be a daylight comet, being brighter than the Full Moon!  The world awaits ISON. "



http://theweatherspace.com/2013/03/29/comet-ison-may-become-brighter-than-full-moon/

[Delphyne]

A solar update:

As I type this we are in the middle of a G1 geomagnetic storm.  This is caused by a coronal hole on the sun spewing winds at us.  G1 geomagnetic storms may cause the following:

Power systems: weak power grid fluctuations can occur.

Spacecraft operations: minor impact on satellite operations possible.

Other systems: migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine)**.


Some people may experience GPS, cell phone, and internet issues. 

Additionally, some people with chronic illnesses tend to feel worse during these events.  (There is a lot of peer-reviewed research about that.)

So, for those of you in the higher latitudes, you may have some aurora tonight. 

[Delphyne]

The sun is a bit more active now.  There are three sunspot groups that are rated beta-gamma, and have the potential for larger flares.  In the past 96 hours, there have been numerous small C flares, and a minor M flare. 

In comet news:  New measurements of comet ISON have the core of the comet as 5 Kilometers!  In just a few more months, this comet will begin to be visible to the Northern Hemisphere.  By winter, it may be brighter than the full moon.

http://www.theweatherspace.com/2013/04/08/comet-ison-nucleus-larger-than-thought/


Here is the comet's project path for November this year:

[Delphyne]

Solar update: The sun has been a bit more active the past few days. At approximately 0016 Pacific time (that is 0716 UTC) there was a moderate M6 solar flare. There was also a CME, and it will hit us on the afternoon of Saturday the 13th (Pacific time).

NOAA is giving a geomagnetic storm warning on that day. G2 or G3 is to be expected. What does this mean?

G2: Power systems: high-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms, long-duration storms may cause transformer damage.

Spacecraft operations: corrective actions to orientation may be required by ground control; possible changes in drag affect orbit predictions.

Other systems: HF radio propagation can fade at higher latitudes, and aurora has been seen as low as New York and Idaho (typically 55° geomagnetic lat.)**.

G3: Power systems: voltage corrections may be required, false alarms triggered on some protection devices.Spacecraft operations: surface charging may occur on satellite components, drag may increase on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for orientation problems.

Other systems: intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems may occur, HF radio may be intermittent, and aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon (typically 50° geomagnetic lat.)**.

Those who are chronically ill may be experiencing some hard times. This weekend will not be great for many. If you are chronically ill, maybe stay out of the sun the next few days.

We have at least two sunspots with beta-gamma configurations, so more are possible.





M6 Flare: 




CME: 

[bhiett]

There is an awesome video out-- we are not supposed to post links, but anyone interested can enter "Full Moon, Wellington NZ" in their search engine.

[Delphyne]

There is an awesome video out-- we are not supposed to post links, but anyone interested can enter "Full Moon, Wellington NZ" in their search engine.

Than you for this.  I just did the search and it is a beautiful video.  I do believe you can post links as long as they are not promoting another cash site.  I have posted links which have been ok. 

[Delphyne]

We another M flare just a little while ago.  The M flare peaked at 3.3, and it was a long duration event.  There will probably be another coronal mass ejection.

The next few days will be excellent for aurora photography!  After these sunspots rotate out of view, the sun will be fairly quiet.  NOAA is giving an increased chance of flares for the following days, including X flares.


Why do I post about this, you may wonder.  Part of the reason has to do with the Carrington Event.  In the 1800s there was a solar flare strong enough to cause power to flow in telegraph wires which were not plugged into any power source.  This was known as the Carrington Event.  Aurora was visible to the equator.  There are many newspaper accounts of this and a wikipedia page that anyone can read. 

We have not had a flare as big as the Carrington Event since then.  However, it could happen again.  If it happened today, the consequences to our power grid would be utterly devastating.  There are also articles about that.  It is worth reading up on.

[Delphyne]

I thought I would share this neat image so that every one can see the scale of things. 

[Delphyne]

And here is neat toy / educational website.  You can drag the bar left to right and click on objects to get more information about them.



Scale of the Universe:    http://htwins.net/scale2/

[Delphyne]

An image of a sunspot, taken by SDO.  This sunspot could fit a dozen earths within it. 

[Delphyne]

Some fantastic images coming up the past week.  Last night we had a minor geomagnetic storm.  The aurora picture below is the result of that geomagnetic storm.

The second image is a very large filament eruption on the sun.  There are a number of sunspots right now which have the potential for large flares. 


Last night's aurora.  This photo taken by Zoltan K.





Filament eruption on the sun.

[Delphyne]

Meteor Shower This Weekend!

"A meteor shower made from the dusty leftovers of the famed Halley's Comet will be at its best on Sunday (May 5) and NASA doesn't want you to miss it.

The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak Sunday night and NASA scientists will provide live views of the celestial fireworks display in a webcast from the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The webcast and chat will run from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. EDT (0100 to 0700 May 6 GMT), NASA officials said."


More info at:  http://www.space.com/20971-meteor-shower-halleys-comet-webcast.html


And a really cool image of the sun.  This is a plasma jet escaping after an M5 solar flare.