april 19

ASTEROID FLYBY: Approaching from the direction of the sun, mountain-sized asteroid 2014 JO25 will fly past Earth on April 19th approximately 1.8 million km away. NASA says there is no danger of a collision. This unusually bright space rock is about twice as reflective as the Moon. Amateur astronomers may be able to see it in backyard telescopes as a magnitude 11 speck of light during and after the flyby. Got an image? Submit it here.
SOLAR WIND STREAM APPROACHES EARTH: A hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere and it is directly facing Earth. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the structure bisecting the solar disk on April 16th:
This is a "coronal hole"--a place where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. Solar wind emerging from this hole could reach Earth as early as April 17th.

NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the solar wind arrives on April 17-18. Arctic twilight will mute the visibility of Northern Lights, but might not overwhelm them completely if the auroras are bright.  Monitor the aurora gallery for sightings

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