SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: May 2, 2024
COMET 12P/PONS-BROOKS AND THE SOLAR WIND:“Solar wind” is a relatively new idea. The first scientist to think of it may have been Sir. Arthur Eddington who, in 1910, suggested that Comet Morehouse might be shaped by some unseen gaseous outflow from the sun. Astronomers didn’t think much of his suggestion. It might have been an easier sell if they had seen this picture of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks:
“This is a 32 min exposure in 15 sec single shots,” says Fritz Helmut Hemmerich, who observed the comet from Tenerife in the Canary Islands on March 31st. (Spaceweather.com News: 04-03-2024)
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: APRIL 3, 2024
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR DURING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE: Humans aren’t the only animals who respond to solar eclipses. Baboons, bees, spiders, giraffes and many other species have surprised researchers with their reactions to the Moon covering the sun. Would you like to help investigate? Solar Eclipse Safari, a citizen science project, is asking people in the path of totality of the April 8th solar eclipse to report their observations of wildlife. Watch their training video and get involved!
(The Elders warned against viewing a total Solar Eclipse. I didn’t listen last time. This time feels different. I am more curious to see what the Green Beings do. I never thought about the animals. The birds fell silent during the last eclipse. Now I wonder what my cat, Girlie, might do.)
StarWalk Astronomical News: March 15, 2024 (Includes Map and Free Tracker)
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is rapidly getting brighter! Grab your binoculars and check it out tonight. Need a hand spotting it? Download the free Sky Tonight app and let the adventure begin. Soon enough, you might not even need binoculars — the comet could become visible to the naked eye within weeks. But hold on, there’s more! If you live in the USA, Canada, or Mexico, mark April 8 on your calendar because that’s when this space guest can appear in the day sky during the total solar eclipse.
