COMET ISON FLYBY OF MARS:  Today, October 1st, Comet ISON will fly by Mars at   
   a distance of only 0.07 AU. Red Planet satellites and rovers have a ringside   
   seat for the flyby, and they will be snapping pictures despite a shutdown of   
   the US government. (Apparently, Curiosity has been designated "essential   
   personnel.") Scroll past the Magnificent Eruption for more information.   
       
    INCOMING CME, CHANCE OF STORMS:  NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of   
   polar geomanetic storms on Oct. 2nd when a CME is expected to hit Earth's   
   magnetic field. SOHO photographed the CME leaving the sun on Sept. 30th   
   traveling 900 km/s (2 million mph):   
       
   The CME was hurled into space by the eruption of a magnetic filament from the   
   sun's northern hemisphere. One movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory   
   shows the event in the context of the whole sun. Another movie zooms in for a   
   closeup. It shows the filament ripping through the sun's atmosphere and   
   leaving behind a beautiful "canyon of fire."   
       
   Forecasters expect the CME to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's   
   magnetosphere, sparking G1- to G2-class geomagnetic storms around the poles.   
   High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Oct. 2nd and 3rd.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.94   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)