Space Weather

[Jherrith]

PARTIALLY ECLIPSED SOLAR FLARE: Something just exploded behind the sun's northeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast (June 23 @ 0707 UT), which sent a shadowy shock wave through the sun's upper atmosphere:



The explosion registered a relatively mild C3.4 on X-ray solar flare scales, but it was probably stronger than that. The edge of the sun partially eclipsed the flare, reducing the radiation able to reach Earth-orbiting satellites. Also, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory detected a CME emerging from blast site

[Jherrith]

HUGE COMET DISCOVERY: Astronomers have just discovered a comet so big, it might actually be a minor planet. The object is named 2014 UN271. Astronomers Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein found it in archival images from the Dark Energy Survey. It appears to be about 100 km wide, 2 or 3 times bigger than record-breaking Comet Hale-Bopp of the 1990s.



Above: A discovery image (inset) and orbit of huge comet 2014 UN271.

Now for the bad news. Although 2014 UN271 is falling toward the sun, we may never see it with our naked eyes. At closest approach in early 2031, the behemoth comet will be just outside the orbit of Saturn, too far for naked-eye viewing. Some astronomers are estimating a maximum brightness near magnitude +17, about the same as Pluto's moon Charon.

It's still an amazing discovery. 2014 UN271 has an extremely elongated orbit stretching from ~the neighborhood of Saturn out to a staggering distance of almost a light year. At the far reaches of its orbit, 2014 UN271 barely feels the sun's gravity and could be snatched out of the Solar System altogether by the ephemeral pull of galactic tides. Discovering such a traveler during its brief time among the planets is very lucky indeed.

There is talk of a space mission to intercept 2014 UN271. The European Space Agency is building a probe called Comet Interceptor designed to investigate comets coming from deep space. It, or something like it, might be able to visit 2014 UN271 a decade from now.

With an object like this, we have to expect surprises. 2014 UN271 certainly poses no threat to Earth, but it could brighten more (or less) than expected. Multiple groups of astronomers have already detected signs of out-gassing even though 2014 UN271 is still beyond Uranus. Early signs of activity may bode well for future visibility through small telescopes if not the unaided eye.

To learn more about this object, we encourage reading the Twitter feed of co-discoverer Pedro Bernardinelli.
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[thelufias]

Viewed this on Space Weather site...very cool...Love getting their Newsletters...always something great going on....

[Jherrith]

For those of thee that desire more photos and wish to browse please go here

[Jherrith]

THE TERMINATION EVENT: Something big may be about to happen on the sun. "We call it the Termination Event," says Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), "and it's very, very close to happening."

If you've never heard of the Termination Event, you're not alone.  Many researchers have never heard of it either. It's a relatively new idea in solar physics championed by McIntosh and colleague Bob Leamon of the University of Maryland - Baltimore County. According to the two scientists, vast bands of magnetism are drifting across the surface of the sun. When oppositely-charged bands collide at the equator, they annihilate (or "terminate"). There's no explosion; this is magnetism, not anti-matter. Nevertheless, the Termination Event is a big deal. It can kickstart the next solar cycle into a higher gear.



Above: Oppositely charged bands of magnetism march toward the sun's equator where they annihilate one another, kickstarting the next solar cycle. [more]

"If the Terminator Event happens soon, as we expect, new Solar Cycle 25 could have a magnitude that rivals the top few since record-keeping began," says McIntosh.

This is, to say the least, controversial. Most solar physicists believe that Solar Cycle 25 will be weak, akin to the anemic Solar Cycle 24 which barely peaked back in 2012-2013. Orthodox models of the sun's inner magnetic dynamo favor a weak cycle and do not even include the concept of "terminators."

"What can I say?" laughs McIntosh. "We're heretics!"

The researchers outlined their reasoning in a December 2020 paper in the research journal Solar Physics. Looking back over 270 years of sunspot data, they found that Terminator Events divide one solar cycle from the next, happening approximately every 11 years. Emphasis on approximately. The interval between terminators ranges from 10 to 15 years, and this is key to predicting the solar cycle.



Above: Marked in red, the official forecast for Solar Cycle 25 is weak.

"We found that the longer the time between terminators, the weaker the next cycle would be," explains Leamon. "Conversely, the shorter the time between terminators, the stronger the next solar cycle would be."

Example: Sunspot Cycle 4 began with a terminator in 1786 and ended with a terminator in 1801, an unprecedented 15 years later. The following cycle, 5, was incredibly weak with a peak amplitude of just 82 sunspots. That cycle would become known as the beginning of the "Dalton" Grand Minimum.

Solar Cycle 25 is shaping up to be the opposite. Instead of a long interval, it appears to be coming on the heels of a very short one, only 10 years since the Terminator Event that began Solar Cycle 24. Previous solar cycles with such short intervals have been among the strongest in recorded history.

These ideas may be controversial, but they have a virtue that all scientists can appreciate: They're testable. If the Termination Event happens soon and Solar Cycle 25 skyrockets, the "heretics" may be on to something. Stay tuned.

[Agent0013]

SOLAR ECLIPSE TODAY: Sunrise has never been so beautiful--or weird. On Thursday, June 10th, dawn broke over the northeastern USA and Canada with a solar eclipse in progress. Here is what it looked like from Long Beach, New Jersey:



"We saw two symmetric horns rise above the waves of the Atlantic," says photographer Michael Zeiler. "Heavy refraction in the low atmosphere squashed the crescent-shaped sun into a truly fantastical shape."

As the eclipsed sun continued to rise, cameras clicked around New York City where the crescent hung behind many iconic landmarks. For example:



"It was a partly cloudy kind of morning, but I was able to capture this amazing experience through some of the gaps in the clouds," says photographer Anthony Quintano.

The eclipse was visible in Europe, too, as an afternoon event. The sun was high in the sky when astrophotographer Thierry Legault caught a rare solar transit of the International Space Station not far from the dark limb of the Moon:



"I drove 400km from Paris to Macon, France, to get this split-second shot," says Legault. "As usual, there was a lot of adrenalin!"

That first image is Iconic! I had to collect it for my astro-photos collection!

[Aelin]

What a cool capture for the horns above the ocean!

[Jherrith]

SOLAR ECLIPSE TODAY: Sunrise has never been so beautiful--or weird. On Thursday, June 10th, dawn broke over the northeastern USA and Canada with a solar eclipse in progress. Here is what it looked like from Long Beach, New Jersey:



"We saw two symmetric horns rise above the waves of the Atlantic," says photographer Michael Zeiler. "Heavy refraction in the low atmosphere squashed the crescent-shaped sun into a truly fantastical shape."

As the eclipsed sun continued to rise, cameras clicked around New York City where the crescent hung behind many iconic landmarks. For example:



"It was a partly cloudy kind of morning, but I was able to capture this amazing experience through some of the gaps in the clouds," says photographer Anthony Quintano.

The eclipse was visible in Europe, too, as an afternoon event. The sun was high in the sky when astrophotographer Thierry Legault caught a rare solar transit of the International Space Station not far from the dark limb of the Moon:



"I drove 400km from Paris to Macon, France, to get this split-second shot," says Legault. "As usual, there was a lot of adrenalin!"

[Jherrith]

Well, this sucks for me

SUNRISE SOLAR ECLIPSE: Sunrise has never been so beautiful ... or weird. On Thursday, June 10th, dawn will break over the northeastern USA and Canada with a solar eclipse in progress. This map from GreatAmericanEclipse.com shows who can see it:



Beach communities up and down the Atlantic Coast will have a great view of the sun rising over ocean waves. If you're in New York City, find a tall building with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon; an eclipse over the cityscape is a great photo-op. Later, after the eclipsed sun climbs into the morning sky, iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty can be framed next to the fiery crescent.

This is not a total eclipse. It's annular; the Moon is a fraction too small to cover the entire solar disk. Even when the Moon is dead-center in front of the sun, a little bit of sun will stick out around the Moon's circumference, forming the fabled "ring of fire." Only a few people in the northern reaches of Canada, Greenland and Russia will see it: visibility map.

[thelufias]

Thanks for the Flare report "J".... And Dark Matter has really become a thing of study of late Aelin....