6.4 Quake Shakes Caribbean Sea

A tropical beach with clouds raining over it.

A 6.4 earthquake shook the Caribbean Sea January 13, 2014.

A 6.4 quake rocked the Caribbean this morning, but a tsunami alert was not generated. High waves will still smack the coastlines in the region, though, so expect floods on some of the Caribbean shores.

Last week Cuba had two 5.0 quakes, which is MOST unusual. I’d say that the Caribbean has become much more active then anyone expected … and THIS signals movement along the US Craton.

Google map of distance between Key West and Cuba.

Two 5.0 earthquakes rocked Cuba January 10, 2014, merely 132 miles south of Florida – Google Maps.

Here’s a great phone app that will alert you when quakes go off: PDC Disaster Alert.

Tail Of Comet Ison

A picture of a beautiful meteorite whizzing through the Earth's atmosphere. with the moon in the background.

More meteorites can be seen on Earth as we move through the debris tail of Comet Ison..

We are also going through the tail of Comet Ison right now, so seeing a few meteorites whizzing in the atmosphere will not be unusual. Check out this meteorite over Japan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZLQ-YxJdbg

There’s lots going on right now “out there” …. have fun watching the Earth move, but stay safe!

Here Comes The Next Comet – Lovejoy

Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy

Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy – Photo by Gerald Rhemann on December 13, 2013 @ Jauerling, Lower Austria

What a magnificent comet!

Filled with knots and eddies of dusty plasma, Lovejoy’s tails stretch more than 20 degrees across the sky — long enough to overlap 40 Full Moons or fill the bowl of the Big Dipper, twice.

On December 23, 2013, the comet will be just inside the orbit of Earth (0.82 AU) during its closest approach to the sun or “perihelion.” The extra heating it gets at perihelion will grow its tails even more.

Shines Like A Star

Comet Lovejoy shines like a 4th magnitude star, so it is barely visible to the naked eye, especially when the sky is filled with full moonlight. However, the comet is a fairly easy target rising ahead of the sun in the eastern morning sky using a backyard telescope.

If you have a GOTO telescope, send it to these coordinates. Slight pointing errors are no problem because the tail is almost too broad to miss.

Here are some sky maps to reference locating Lovejoy: Dec. 18, 19, 20. They will be useful through December 23.

SOURCE: Spaceweather.com