POSSIBLE EARTH-DIRECTED CME: Previously mild-mannered sunspot 3967 erupted this morning, producing a beautiful solar flare (category M3) and a potentially Earth-directed CME. Models show it grazing our planet on Jan. 24th. This forecast will be improved by additional data from SOHO coronagraphs. THE MAGNIFICENT TAIL OF COMET ATLAS: Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3) lost its head. The nucleus disintegrated two days ago, overstressed by a close encounter with the sun. Fortunately, the tail is still magnificent: Yuri Beletsky photographed the comet at sunset from Europe's Paranal observatory in Chile. Although the head is no longer bright, the naked-eye tail stretched beautifully over one of the observatory's auxilary telescopes. A similar "headless wonder" appeared in Dec. 2011 after Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) flew too close to the sun.