Nasa warns of huge solar flares causing blackouts on Earth

The Sun’s most active region is turning to face Earth, bringing spectacular auroras and occasional blackouts.

Looks like it might be an interesting week ..

Take a look: Nasa warns of huge solar flares causing blackouts on Earth

CHINESE ROCKET PLUME AND AN AURORA SURPRISE

 CHINESE ROCKET PLUME AND AN AURORA SURPRISE: A Chinese rocket powered by cutting-edge methane fuel lit up the night sky over the USA last night, putting on an unexpected show. Sky watchers already out photographing auroras—visible as far south as New Mexico thanks to a surprise geomagnetic storm—snapped stunning images of the rocket's glowing exhaust. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.

Aurora alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive instant text messages when geomagnetic storms are underway.

Comet 46P Wirtanen - A cosmic event

The periodic comet (number 46P) Wirtanen is visiting us yet again. Does it about every 5 or 6 years depending on how close it gets to Jupiter. The actual nucleus is only about 3/4 of a mile in diameter, but the coma (its gas and dust envelope is currently 1.5 times the size of the Moon and it will probably get bigger still. It will be closest to Earth on this pass on 16 December at 11 million kilometers (a little more than 7 million miles. In the top 20 of close approaches since records were kept (ninth century AD). It might even make it to naked eye visibility even from Sun City. It will be visible to us Northeners beginning around 12 December and hanging in there until near the end of the month. First sighting should take place at about 5 AM on the 12th or 13th just South of the constellation Taurus.

To get more information visit Astronomy Picture of the Day www.APOD.com or www.SpaceWeather. com. It's a beautiful
shade of green. Lots of Pictuers.

There are at leasst three comets visibile from Earth right now but they all require binoculars or small telescopes. Information available at SpaceWeather.com.

Ref List for December Meeting

References for Skywatchers Presentation 2018-12-11

The Christmas Star, aka The Star of Bethlehem

“The Bible,” Various Authors, Translation King James version
Matthew, Luke, and Micah(Old Testament)

“Understanding the Universe, 2nd Edition,” 
Course Guidebook by Professor Alex Filippenko, 2007

Internet Searches:
“Star of Bethlehem,”  Wikipedia 2018-11-08
“When was Christmas First Celebrated,”  Wikipedia 2018-11-26
“www.WhyChristmas.com,”

Fiction:
“The Star,” Arthur C. Clarke, 1954

Orionid Meteor Shower 21 -22 October 2018

This just in: The Orionid Meteor Shower will peak the night of 21-22 October. This meteor shower originates from the debris left by Halley's Comet on its 75 year journey around the Sun. Its debris tail crosses Earth's orbit each year as Earth's motion along its orbit takes it through this debris trail. There is an excellent video depiction of the event on SpaceWeather.com (2018-10-19).

To observe the meteor shower go outside just before dawn on 22 October and look South high in the sky for Constellation Orion. The origination point (radiant) is Orion's right shoulder.

A little light history. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was born in 1835 one of the years of Halley's Comet's passage through the inner solar system. He died in 1910 the year of the following passage of said comet through the inner solar system. Clemens is reported to have said that he came in with Halley's Comet and will probably go out with it. He was Right.

Enjoy the show.

Ref List for November Meeting 20181113

Let's see if we can avoid hurricanes and horrible weather in November. The November meeting is all about possible, no probable, impacts from the sky and what we are doing about these rare but inevitable events that have happened many times in our past and continue to occur even today.

The meeting will be on 13 November 2018 in the Lakehouse Ballroom at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM.

The reference list follows should you want to read up on the subject before the event.

References for Presentation "Impact from the Sky - A Status Report," 2018 Nov 13

* “The Impact Threat,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 12-20, 2018 June
* “Asteroid Plundering,” Sky & Telescope Magazine, 21-28, 2018 June
* “Galileo’s Commandment an Anthology of Great Science Writing,” edited by Edmund Blair Bolles, 1997
** Tunguska, 30 June 1908. “…even the light of the Sun appear[ed] dark…” .” Galileo’s Commandment”, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Holbrook, AZ, 1912. “It’s raining rocks out here.” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Johnstown, CO, 6 July 1924. ”Mr. Clingenpeel, the undertaker,  dug it up.” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Aba, Japan, 28 Apr 1927. “… she cried out. She had been struck on the head by a meteorite the size of a mung bean, …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Sylacauga, AL, 30 Nov 1954. “… E. Hulitt Hodges… bruised her viciously on the hip. …” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** Utah, 10 Aug 1972. “ … something came in from space … at Mach 20 ,,,” .” Galileo’s Commandment, pg. 465, Richard Preston, 1987
** 16 – 22 July 1994. “ …fragments collided with Jupiter's southern hemisphere … at 134,000 mph.” Wikipedia
* Chelyabinsk, Russia 15 Feb 2013. About 1500 people were injured. Wikipedia
* List of Impact Craters on Earth, Wikipedia
* Project Icarus Report – MIT Spring 1967
* “The Comet from Another Star,” Sky &Telescope Magazine, pgs. 20-26, 2018 October
Fiction:
*"Lucifer's Hammer", by Jerry Pournelle and David Niven, 1977
*"Evolution" by Stephen Baxter, 2004
*"The Hammer of God" by Arthur Clarke, 1993

Why is the Sky Dark at Night (2) - Ref List

We got a little washed out by Hurricane Florence and had to move September's Meeting to October 9. Ah, well. The meeting was well attended with 45 folks showing up even though it was raining. So, here is the reference list should you decide you want to know more about why the sky is dark at night after the Earth has rotated the Sun to the other side of the planet.

References for Presentation 2018 Oct 09: Why is the Sky Dark at Night?

Edgar Allan Poe, “Eureka”, 1848
Edward R. Harrison, “Darkness at Night”, @1987
Edmund Blair Bolles, “Galileo’s Commandment”,  @1997
Wikipedia, “Minute and Second of Arc”, 2018-07-03
Wikipedia, “Steradian”, 2018-03-03
Wikipedia, “Universe”, 2018-07-01
Wikipedia, “Angular Diameter”, 2018-06-30
Wikipedia, “Olbers’ Paradox”, 2018-05-20
Wikipedia, “Heinrich W. M. Olbers”, 2018-05-20
https://www.sciencealert.com/universe-expanding-hubble-constant-record-discrepancy-latest-estimate-cepheid-brightness, 2018-07-15

Enjoy.