Aurora Surprise Prompts Rocket Launch

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 26, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

AURORA ROCKETS: A geomagnetic storm erupted during the early hours of Jan. 26th, sparking a surprise display of bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Scientists took the opportunity to launch four sounding rockets from Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range to study the effect of solar storms on the upper atmosphere.  Pictures of the colorful launch are available on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

DON'T FORGET THE ASTEROID FLYBY:  A mountain-sized space rock is approaching Earth for a harmless but eye-catching close encounter on Monday night, Jan. 26-27. The incoming asteroid, named 2004 BL86, will be just 740,000 miles away (3.1 times farther from us than the Moon) and visible in ordinary binoculars.   More information and observing tips are available on http://spaceweather.com.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM ALERTS:  Did you miss last night's unexpected geomagnetic storm? Subscribers to our Space Weather Alert Service were notified while the event was underway.  If you would like to join the group of people who never miss a geomagnetic storm, you may sign up for the alerts at http://spaceweathertext.com (text) or http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).