Peter Willis and his team of researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., had a problem. Actually, more like they had a solution that needed a problem. Confused? Let’s let Peter give it a shot…
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JPL’s Battle Mountain meteorite hunters. Pictured from left to right: Peter Willis, Amanda Stockton, Josh Schoolcraft, Fernanda Mora, Morgan Cable, J.P. Kirby. Image …
A spectacular fireball crossed the sky over Scotland, Wales and Ireland around 11pm local time on Friday, September 21st. A group of amateur astronomers were at Dunsink Observatory (outside Dublin) and the unexpected appearance of the object wowed those still present for the observing programme. Hundreds of people who saw the spectacle in areas including Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Blackpool and … Read the rest of this article
The Perseids are the best-known of the year’s meteor showers, and are usually the most popular as the nights do not get as cold as the other major showers in the winter.
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The Perseid meteor shower is underway. There’s more to see than meteors, however, when the shower peaks on August 11th through 13th. The brightest planets in the solar …
In 2011, a University of Bristol (UK) study determined that the Earth’s reserve of rare earth metals came from a meteorite bombardment that happened 200 million years ago.
The Earth itself was formed 4.5 billion years ago and, at that time, was a molten ball of rack and metal. With iron being heavier than rock, it sank to the center … Read the rest of this article
An explosion over California that rattled homes across at least two states on Sunday, April 22nd, has been analyzed by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office: According to Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, it was a natural meteoroid the size of a mini-van. Analysts say the space rock exploded in the atmosphere with an energy equal to nearly 4 … Read the rest of this article
The annual Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday morning, Jan. 4th, when Earth passes through a narrow stream of debris from a comet thought to have broken apart some 500 years ago.
The shower is expected to be strong (as many as 100 meteors per hour), but elusive, with a peak that lasts no longer than a couple of hours. … Read the rest of this article
Today Earth is entering a stream of debris from Halley’s comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Saturday morning, Oct. 22nd, with more than 15 meteors per hour.
Although the moon doesn’t rise till after midnight, the Orionids usually wait until the early morning hours to pick up steam. And there will … Read the rest of this article
On October 8th Earth is going to plow through a stream of dust from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and the result could be an outburst of Draconid meteors.
“We’re predicting as many as 750 meteors per hour,” says Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “The timing of the shower favors observers in the Middle East, north Africa and parts of Europe.”… Read the rest of this article
Bright moonlight streams through your window. A nugget of space debris disintegrates in a sparkling fireball. A huge spaceship glides silently overhead.
By itself, any one of these events might be enough to get you out of bed. This weekend, all three are going to happen at the same time.
On August 12th and 13th, as the Moon waxes full, … Read the rest of this article
Bright fireballs appear somewhere on Earth every day. Â Most are caused by rocky asteroids. On Friday, May 20th, however, a less common object struck. Â
Sky watchers in the southeastern USA watched a big but fragile piece of comet break apart in Earth’s atmosphere. The resulting fireball was the brightest meteor observed in nearly 3 years by NASA’s all-sky … Read the rest of this article
The Sun Now (Visible light)
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The Sun Now (H-Alpha light)
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Aurora Oval
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Aurora Oval
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