The God of Chao Returns: Asteroid Apophis Near Miss Friday, April 13th, 2029

 

Today marks exactly three years until one of the most significant astronomical events in recorded history. On April 13, 2029, the asteroid 99942 Apophis—an 1,100-foot (340-meter) "city-killer" sized rock—will pass so close to Earth that it will be visible to the naked eye.

The Orbit: A Near Miss for the Ages

According to recent data from The Planetary Society, Apophis will pass within 31,000 kilometers of Earth’s surface. This is a "near miss" in the truest sense. For context, the Moon is 384,000 km away. Apophis will be ten times closer than the Moon.

For us in the visual community, the excitement lies in the gravitational interaction. As Apophis passes through Earth’s "Roche Limit" for a loosely bound body, our planet's tidal forces will likely shift the asteroid's rotation and even trigger surface landslides. We aren't just watching a rock fly by; we are watching a world being physically altered by our own gravity.

To read the article I wrote on this, head over to Eadsy Astronomy. 

Observing Program for Ursa Major: Working the Bear: From Showpieces to the Deep Frontier in Ursa Major

 

There are two versions of this observing program. An open version for anyone who would like to observe spring objects in the constellation of Ursa Major (and a few around it). Then one for members only. The member only one has a copy of my observations in it and a video that goes with it. The open version is for anyone, has a list of objects, what to look for and a place to take notes. The member one has a copy of my observations and a place to take notes for your observation next to mine to compare, and also the observing note with what to look for from the open version. Both have RA and Dec for the list of objects. Both are either a Google Doc or a PDF. For the program head over to Eadsy Astronomy here for the open one or if your a member here for the Member Version (yes, you must be a member of Eadsy Astronomy to view it).  

Comets are like Lizards: How Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura Lost and Regrew It's Tail

 

Back in early September 2023, we had a morning comet much like Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs right now. It was Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura). It was a beautiful early morning comet and then it was hit by a CME from our Sun. In a two-week period, the comet underwent four separate tail disconnection events, in which the connection between the ion tail and the comet was severed. Each of these events coincided with the passage of a coronal mass ejection: a tangled mass of solar plasma and magnetic fields ejected from the Sun’s outer atmosphere.The CME's cut off its tail and the comet regrew it in 48 hours. This video discusses what happened over the last event. 

For the full article and a link to the paper, head over to Eadsy Astronomy and please consider becoming a member there! 

Piercing the Dark: A Technical Review of a Paper on W51 by Yoo et all on a Survey of W51 Star Forming Regions

 

While we often discuss the aesthetic beauty of deep-sky objects, the recent paper "A JWST NIRCam/MIRI View of the W51A High-mass Star-forming Region" (Yoo et al., 2026) reminds us that the physics occurring behind the dust is incredibly violent. For those of us following the "Eadsy Astronomy" philosophy of understanding what we observe, this paper provides the most detailed look yet at the W51-E and W51-IRS2 protoclusters.

The study utilized the NIRCam and MIRI instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope, focusing on wavelengths ranging from 2.0μm to 21μm. This is critical because the extinction (dust blocking light) in W51 is massive. By using narrow-band filters like F212N (Molecular Hydrogen) and F164N (Ionized Iron), the team was able to separate the "glow" of the nebula from the actual "engines" of star formation.

For the full article and link to the paper and images, head over to Eadsy Astronomy. Please consider joining us over there as a member!