Asteroid Whizzes By Earth Almost Undetected

A seven-meter asteroid whizzed by planet Earth on November 6th, and scientists had little warning of its approach. According to this news article released by NASA, the space rock got as close as 14,000 km from the planet’s surface around 4:30 PM EST on November 6th. The object, known as 2009 VA, was only discovered about 15 hours before its closest approach.

[Link:neo.jpl.nasa.gov]

Asteroid Explodes Over Indonesia

News reports have been slow to trickle in, but an asteroid exploded in the skies over Indonesia on October 8th at about 3:00 Greenwich mean time. The asteroid was thought to be about 10 kilometers in diameter and detonated in the atmosphere with the force of about 50 kilotons. There was no damage on the ground. An asteroid this size is expected to strike the earth, on average, every two to 12 years.

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news165.html

Netherlands Fireball

Around seven o’clock local time in the Netherlands, many witnessed a fireball in the sky. Astronomer Theo Jurriens from Groningen University confirmed that the fireball was actually a meteor, which was extremely bright, and broke into three pieces as it hit the atmosphere. Photo of the meteor at the link below.

http://www.rnw.nl/nl/node/32576

Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Tonight and Tomorrow Night

The Perseid meteor shower peak is expected tonight and tomorrow night as the Earth passes through a comet trail left by Comet 10/P Swift-Tuttle’s 130-year journey around the sun. Expect the “shooting stars” to begin around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. eastern time with an extra burst around 5 a.m. eastern tomorrow morning.

[Link:www.aip.org]

Solar Eclipse Set for July 22nd

A total and partial solar eclipse is happening on the other side of the globe as I type this.  Found this blog link below that gives some interesting perspective on past eclipses and what it has meant in history.

[Link:newine.wordpress.com]

Object Apparently Hit Jupiter

An amateur astronomer notified scientists on Monday that Jupiter was apparently struck by an object that left a scar on the planet’s atmosphere. This comes on the 15th anniversary of the Shoemaker-Levy comet as well as the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.

[Link:www.jpl.nasa.gov]

Largest Sun Spot Ever Found

The largest sun spot recorded has appeared on our sun in recent days.  A typical sun spot ranges in size from the size of the moon to about 65 times the size of the earth.  This particular sun spot, however, is thought to be between 60 and 80 times the size of the earth.

[Link:www.gympietimes.com]

Sun Not Cooperating

Solar cycle 24 is still barely a blip on the radar as the sun continues to produce very little in the way of spots.  A new NASA forecast says that the current cycle will peak in 2013 at about 90 sunspots, the lowest since 1928’s solar cycle 16.

[Link:science.nasa.gov]