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CME STRIKE, GEOMAGNETIC
STORM: As expected, a CME propelled
into space by the M5-class
explosion of May 22nd delivered a glancing blow
to Earth's magnetic field on May 24th around 1800
UT. A polar geomagnetic storm is in
progress as a result of the strike. High-latitude
sky watchers should be alert for auroras shining
through bright moonlight. Aurora
alerts: text,
voice.
BACTERIA FLY INTO
RADIATION STORM: Two days ago, high
school students in Bishop, California, using a suborbital
helium balloon launched a petri dish full of extreme-loving
halobacteria
into the strongest radiation storm of the year.
They wanted to know how the extremophiles would
fare when peppered with protons at the edge of space.
Here is a picture of the sample 108,000 feet above
Earth's surface:
The radiation storm was sparked by
an M5-class solar flare on May 22nd. Students launched
their microbes in the immediate aftermath of the
flare when the highest energy protons (E > 100
MeV) were peaking in intensity. In addition to solar
protons, the bacteria experienced air pressures
only 1% that of sea level on the Earth below, temperatures
as low as -65 C, and 70 mph winds. A student recovery
team collected the payload from a remote desert
in Nevada on May 23rd. Now they are culturing the
bacteria to see if they survived.
The students, who call themselves
Earth
to Sky Calculus, have been launching research
balloons for more than two years. Their projects
include studies of high-altitude biology, measurements
of the effects of solar flares on the ozone layer,
and stratospheric photography of meteor showers.
How do they afford all this? To fund
their activities, they have started a business called
"Edge of Space Advertising."
For a fee, they'll fly your banner,
card,
cow,
running
shoes, president
or other object to the edge of space and send you
the video. Contact Earth to Sky Calculus mentor
Dr.
Tony Phillips for details.
Realtime
Space Weather Photo Gallery
SUNSET PLANET SHOW:
When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and
look west. Venus, Jupiter and Mercury are converging
to form a bright triangle in the sunset sky. The
best evening to look is May 26th, when the planets
will fit within a circle less than 3o
wide. Petr Horálek photographed the convergence
over the Czech republic on May 24th:
There won't be another triple conjunction
of planets until October 2015, so don't miss this
one! Science@NASA has the full
story.
Realtime
Planet Photo Gallery
Realtime
Aurora Photo Gallery
Realtime
Comet Photo Gallery
Realtime
Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
[previous years: 2003,
2004,
2005,
2006,
2007,
2008,
2009,
2011]
