Fire in the SkyS


Sun

Largest Sunspot in Years Observed on the Sun

Clara Moskowitz
Space.com
Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:34 UTC
Sunspot AR1339
© SDOThe gigantic sunspot in the upper left of this image is about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) long and was observed on the sun by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on Nov. 3, 2011.

One of the largest sunspots in years has appeared on the sun, darkening part of its glowing face.

The massive sunspot, called AR1339, is about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) long, and 25,000 miles (40,000 km) wide, reports SpaceWeather.com. For comparison, Earth itself is only 8,000 miles (12,800 km) wide.

The sunspot behemoth isn't yet facing our planet, but was spotted today (Nov. 3) by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite. The spacecraft's photos of the giant sunspot show the solar region as it comes into view on the northeastern edge, or limb, of the sun.

When it does turn our way in the days ahead, it should be an "easy target for backyard solar telescopes," according to SpaceWeather.com.

The sunspot is actually a group of nearby darkened spots on the sun, some of which are individually wider than planet Earth.
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Sun

Large sunspot group turning Earthward


Space Weather
Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:47 UTC
One of the largest sunspots in years is rotating over the sun's northeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory took this picture of AR1339 during the early hours of Nov. 3rd:

Image
© SDO
Measuring some 40,000 km wide and at least twice that in length, the sprawling sunspot group is an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. Two or three of the sunspot's dark cores are wider than Earth itself.

Naturally, such a large sunspot has potential for strong flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% chance of M-class solar flares during the next 24 hours. One such eruption has already occured: An M4-flare at 2200 UT on Nov. 2nd produced a bright flash of extreme UV radiation (SDO movie) and hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. The CME is not heading our way. Future CMEs could have greater effect as AR1339 turns toward Earth in the days ahead.
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Meteor

US: Did Meteor Fall from Sky in Pell City, Alabama?

David Atchison
The Daily Home
Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:51 UTC
Image
Bill Watts is shown at a possible meteor impact site in his backyard.
Where are FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when you need them?

The two X-Files characters would come in handy helping a local man figure out what in the world, or maybe out of this world, caused a large, black hole to appear in his backyard, setting nearby woods on fire.

"I think it was a meteor," Bill Watts, 54, of Pell City said as he moved the wooden plywood board lying on the ground, revealing a dark, black crater at the edge of some woods on his property.

Watts admits he doesn't know exactly what made the large, round crater and caused a fire Friday at about 8 p.m.

"It had to be so hot and moving so fast to do that," he said. "This ground is pretty hard."

He gripped a post hole digger with both hands and drove it into the ground.

"See," he said.

The post hole digger barely made a mark on the hard ground.

The walls inside the crater are charred, obviously burned. A fine ash covers the bottom of the hole.

Watts took the post hole digger and carefully removed some of the burnt ashes from the bottom of the hole.
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Meteor

'Continent Killer' Asteroid On Possible Collision Course With Earth


redOrbit
Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:34 UTC
Giant Asteroid Impact
© redOrbit
On the heels of the return to Earth of a pair of satellites - NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) and the German-built Röntgensatellit (ROSAT) - over the past two months comes a report of another object set to collide with our planet.

Only this one is a 20 million ton asteroid that is currently heading towards us at 23,000 miles per hour, and could collide with our planet in approximately 25 years, Alex Hannaford of the Telegraph wrote on Sunday. The asteroid in question, Apophis, is more than 800 feet wide, comprised of a mixture of rock, ice, and dust, and has been dubbed "the continent killer."

"There are two scenarios," Hannaford writes. "The first, and thankfully most likely, is that Apophis will fly by in April 2029, the year it is due to make its first 'close approach', and that's the last we'll see or hear of it. The second is that during that approach, it'll pass through what scientists refer to as a 'keyhole' - a small area of space that can alter the asteroid's course due to Earth's gravity."
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Meteor

Asteroid's Near-Miss Reminder Of Doomsday Threat


The Indy Channel
Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:58 UTC
Image
© NASAYU55 will pass near Earth on Nov. 8, scientists say
Purdue Scientist Estimates Impact Of Large Object.

Though there's no threat that it will strike Earth, a large asteroid that will pass close to the planet on Nov. 8 would have had a devastating effect if it were to hit the planet, experts said.

The aircraft carrier-sized asteroid, known as YU55, was discovered in 2005. At its closest approach, scientists project it will be 201,000 from Earth.

The near-miss is a reminder of how fragile the planet is.

Jay Melosh, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Purdue University, said the impact of an object of similar size would be catastrophic, producing an earthquake of magnitude 7.0, prospects of a 70-foot tsunami and worse.

"What is unique about this asteroid flyby is that we were aware of it well in advance," Melosh said. "Before about 1980 we wouldn't know about an asteroid of this size until it was already making a close pass, but now it is unlikely that such an asteroid will approach the Earth without our knowledge."
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Meteor

Sun Diving Comet, October 30th


Space Weather
Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:28 UTC
A small comet dove into the sun during the late hours of Oct. 30th. Blasted by intense solar heat, the 'dirty snowball' disintegrated in plain view of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Watch the movie below and note how the comet shrinks to a pinprick just before it vanishes.

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Meteor

Comets - Not What We Expected

Michael Suede
YouTube
Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:28 UTC
This video highlights recent discoveries about comets that shatter existing theories in favour of the Electric Comet Theory.

Supporting documentation and links to all the NASA quotes, web sites, and papers used in the video can be found here.

Part 1
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Meteor

Fireball Recorded Entering Atmosphere over Japan on October 19

Sheilaaliens
YouTube
Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:29 UTC
Image
Source

While you're there, check out the "etc." section for what they have captured... Very interesting!

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Meteor

Best of the Web: Three for the Show: Assessing the Potential Effects of Comets Elenin, Levy and Honda


The Millennium Group
Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC
Three For The Show Pt.1

August 16, 2011

Intro

Image
I sat down today with the full intention of writing about the comet Elenin. I started my research, first speaking with my very close friend and associate, Raymond Ward. He's incredibly informed and talented. I went through page after page on the Internet. The comments and the conclusions about these three comets that are coming put me over the top. I know, I know... We have published some pretty over the top kind of material ourselves. But we were really one of the first sites to challenge the status quo on the Internet. So what. Anyway...

One site was very slick, cool looking and had a lot of opinions; a beautifully designed and organized page. Another belonged to a former TMG friend/member, not very well done. But... well... I was going to write something very crass and very nasty... But I'll keep my boundaries intact! I'll let his design and conclusion stand for themselves and like we always say, 'you decide for yourself'! Anyway...

If you're reading this page, you are more likely than not going to be a return visitor. So you know more than the usual reader concerning comets and astronomy (but if you're new, welcome! read on!). But let me cut to the chase, save you some time, give you the facts and let you deal with what I've got to say. Here are the particulars we have seen:
1. Comets Elenin
2. Dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes
3. Dramatic increase in the number of strong earthquakes
4. Elenin positions and EQ dates coincide
5. We have been documenting clashes in our upper atmosphere
6. There has been some evidence larger ships have been over EQ sites
7. It now appears that there are three comets coming into a "conjunction" in the very near future
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Meteor

US, California: Mystery Lights Interrupt News 8 Live Shot

Richard Allyn
KFMB-TV CBS 8 News
Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:28 UTC

One of our news crews spotted some mysterious lights in the sky during Tuesday's 11 p.m. news, and now we're trying to figure out what it was.

A series of glowing reddish lights, almost like floating flames, dominated the sky Tuesday night in University Heights looking east. The unidentified objects soared into the darkness, eventually appearing to burn themselves out, adding to the intrigue. Police say they had no reports of any unusual sky activity, nor did renowned local astronomer Dennis Mammana.

"Something like this would have definitely crossed my radar screen," he said.

Tuesday night's sighting comes at a time of other popular sky shows, from the Northern Lights to last month's meteor show.

"A few weeks ago you had that great fireball crossing the sky. People saw it all the way from Las Vegas to San Diego," Mammana said.

So what were the mysterious balls of fire?
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