Earth & Space Weather

~ Space Weather Update~ BIG SUN-DIVING COMET DISCOVERED

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BIG SUN-DIVING COMET DISCOVERED: Astronomy forums are buzzing with speculation about newly-discovered Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). Currently located beyond the orbit of Jupiter, Comet ISON is heading for a very close encounter with the sun next year. In Nov. 2013, it will pass less than 0.012 AU (1.8 million km) from the solar surface. The fierce heating it experiences then could turn the comet into a bright naked-eye object. (continued below)


Comet ISON photographed by E. Guido, G. Sostero & N. Howes on Sept. 24. [more]

Much about this comet--and its ultimate fate--remains unknown. "At this stage we're just throwing darts at the board," says Karl Battams of the NASA-supported Sungrazer Comet Project, who lays out two possibilities:

"In the best case, the comet is big, bright, and skirts the sun next November. It would be extremely bright -- negative magnitudes maybe -- and naked-eye visible for observers in the Northern Hemisphere for at least a couple of months."

Miriam Remains a Hurricane, Could Impact Baja

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Accuweather.com - 9/25/12


This satellite image of Miriam taken early Monday morning shows an eye. (NOAA)

Yet another hurricane, Miriam, has formed in the eastern Pacific. Miriam became the basin's ninth hurricane of the season, upgraded from tropical storm status late on Sunday.

Midday Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, Miriam's maximum sustained winds reached 120 mph, making the storm a major Category 3 hurricane. Winds have since weakened with Miriam, which is no longer considered a major hurricane.
To read the rest of this story, visit accuweather.com.

~Space Weather Update~ FARSIDE EXPLOSION:

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SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% to 15% chance of M-class solar flares during the next 24 hours. The likely source would be sunspot AR1575, near the center of the solar disk. The odds are low, but if a flare occurs in AR1575, it will be Earth-directed. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

FARSIDE EXPLOSION: An active region on the farside of the sun exploded on Sept. 23rd, hurling a bright coronal mass ejection over the sun's eastern limb. Orbiting at the L1 Lagrange Point, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the expanding cloud:

The cloud is not heading for Earth. Nor is any other planet in the line of fire. In a few days, however, the sun's rotation will turn the blast site toward Earth. After that, eruptions could become geoeffective.

Hail, waterspout and double rainbow...oh my!

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NewsNet5.com - Tina Kauffman, 9/23/12

CLEVELAND - Mother Nature provided some great photos this weekend in and around Cleveland. In 24 hours, we saw rain, hail, a waterspout and a double rainbow.

The start of fall severe weather alerts Saturday, with rain and hail falling down on much of northeast Ohio. It made for a unique sight, seeing "ice mulch and summer flowers" as one viewer wrote.

To watch the video and read the rest of this story, visit NewsNet5.com.

Related video: Weather.com.
Related video: http://reportnews.newsnet5.com/Media/View/2652013

Strong winds and heavy rainfall set to lash UK

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BBC News UK - 9/23/12

The dry start to autumn is due to come to an abrupt end within hours, as predicted gale force winds and heavy rainfall lash parts of the UK.

Stormy weather

Met Office yellow rain warnings are in place for much of the UK

Winds of up to 60mph will hit the north of England and south of Scotland, while other areas could see 80mm of rain before Monday evening, forecasters say.

The Environment Agency has issued about three dozen flood alerts, mainly in south-west England.

To read the rest of this story, visit BBC.co.uk.

~ Space Weather~ Slight Chance of Flares

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SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLARES: Sunspot 1575 has developed a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 5% chance of an eruption during the next 24 hours. The odds are low, but if a flare occurs, it will be Earth-directed. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

 

AUTUMN LIGHTS: The onset of northern autumn means it's aurora season. For reasons researchers don't fully understand, equinoxes are the best times to see Northern Lights. And, right on cue, the Arctic Circle is glowing. Casey Thompson sends this picture from Chatanika, Alaska:

"The auroras beamed right through the clouds over Chatanika on Sept. 21st," says Thompson. "Open water doesnt last long in the interior of Alaska, so it is always nice to find a place to get some reflections of the beautiful Lights along with a staple in Alaska history, the gold dredge."

~Space Weather Update~ Happy Equinox!

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FIRST DAY OF NORTHERN AUTUMN: The seasons are changing. Today, Sept. 22nd at 10:49 a.m. EDT, the sun crosses the celestial equator heading north. This marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. At this time of year, day and night are of nearly equal length, hence the name "equinox" (equal night).

AUTUMN LIGHTS: The onset of northern autumn means it's aurora season. For reasons researchers don't fully understand, equinoxes are the best times to see Northern Lights. Right on cue, the Arctic Circle is glowing. Tom Eklund sends this picture taken Sept. 20th from Akaa, Finland:

"This was one nice auroral event--maybe the best display so far during this solar cycle!" says Eklund. "The vivid green belts with their pink lower edges were breaktaking."

The show's not over. A solar wind stream is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field this weekend, sparking more fall colors around the Arctic Circle. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

92 killed in floods as torrential rains plague Niger

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Source: The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

9/22/12

September 22, 2012 - NIGER, Africa - At least 92 people have died in floods that have swept Niger following torrential rains, according to the latest data released by the Prime minister’s office on Friday. The data indicate that 72,396 families are affected with 511,484 people being victims, as at Thursday.

 

All the country’s eight regions are affected by floods with Tillabéry, Dosso and Niamey being the worst affected. Huge damage is reported on basic socio-economic infrastructure and other items crucial to the people. Rice crops, schools, health centres, roads, bridges, dams have all been affected while a huge quantities of food and many cattle have been swept away by flood waters.

 

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