spaceweather.com
MAGNETIC STORM POSSIBLE THIS WEEK: A filament of magnetism on the sun exploded yesterday (April 30th), hurling a CME into space. NOAA analysts say the cloud could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on May 3rd with a 40% chance of ensuing minor geomagnetic storms. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially in the southern hemisphere where darkening autumn skies favor visibility. Free: Aurora Alerts
METEORS FROM HALLEY'S COMET: According to Canada's Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), a "hot spot" has appeared in the constellation Aquarius. This is a sign that the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower (ETA) is underway. This sky map shows where the radar is detecting pings from incoming meteors in broad daylight on May 1st:
These meteors are pieces of Halley's Comet, hitting Earth's atmosphere at 66 km/s and disintegrating ~100 km above Earth's surface. During the next week our planet will be crossing a network of debris streams from the comet, producing a drizzle of eta Aquarids numbering 10 to 30 per hour in the northern hemisphere and twice that number in the southern hemisphere.
Two leading meteor forecasters have noted the possibility of eta Aquarid outbursts in the days ahead. Mikhail Maslov says meteor activity could increase on
May 4th (14h- 18h UT) when Earth grazes a dust trail released by Comet Halley in the year -616. Forecaster Mikiya Sato agrees that that Earth could encounter the -616 dust trail, but later on
May 5th (05h - 15h UT), possibly with such a gentle graze that no special increase is detectable. In most years the strongest activity is seen around
May 6th, which may still prove true in 2017.
The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the dark hours just before dawn when the constellation Aquarius is rising in the east. Monitor the meteor gallery for sightings.
Subject: MAGNETIC STORM POSSIBLE THIS WEEK & METEORS FROM HALLEY'S COMET 
Mon May 01, 2017 10:19 am
