In this episode, Ian Brannan and Director of Astronomy Dan Pye explore the fascinating world of solar flares and their impact on Earth's auroras. Dan shares insights on the recent X5.1 solar flare and its significance, as well as its ability to trigger stunning auroras across the globe. We also discuss the interstellar comet 31P/ATLAS, its unique characteristics, and the potential for alien life in the clouds of exoplanets.  Plus a look ahead to what to expect in the night sky for November!     Chapters:   (00:00) The aurora has been back with a vengeance thanks to a solar flare (01:26) Solar flares are the biggest thing that drive aurora here on Earth (10:25) People worry about Earth's magnetic fields drifting and polar reversal (16:33) Keep an eye out for the aurora. It is going on at the moment (18:31) We have an interstellar comet that could predate our solar system (25:13) Do we know where this comet came from or where it might have been (29:42) Scientists have been able to see the very early stages of a supernova (32:37) Dense cloud coverage is something astronomers are looking out for on distant exoplanets (39:50) Jupiter and Saturn are always around this time of year (42:40) There's plenty of sessions and events going on at Keeldra ObservatorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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