GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are likely for the next three days as Earth passes through a high-speed stream of solar wind. The action is expected to commence on Dec. 7-8 with the arrival of a CIR (co-rotating interaction region). CIRs are transition zones between slow- and fast-moving solar wind. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, producing density gradients and shock waves that do a good job of sparking Arctic auroras. Solar wind blowing furiously behind the CIR could energize the light show through Dec. 10th. Free: aurora alerts
GRAB A WINDOW SEAT: Are you flying at high latitudes this week? Travel tip: Grab a window seat. Ian Griffin heeded this advice on Dec. 6th and was rewarded with the following view:
"I was on board Air Canada flight 8892 to Vancouver," says Griffin. "Once we cleared the clouds, I couldn't take my eyes or my camera away from the window. The auroral display 38,000 feet over Whitehorse at 6 a.m. was absolutely sublime."
The view should improve in the nights ahead as Earth enters a stream of high-speed solar wind, sparking even brighter auroras around the Arctic Circle on Dec. 7th through 10th. Stay tuned.
AMAZING SUN HALO: Atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley has seen almost every manifestation of ice in the sky that Nature can produce. He's not easy to impress. On Dec 6th, however, Michael Greenham of Magog, Quebec, photographed a display that impressed even Cowley:
"That is a great one," says Cowley.
"The air temperature was -1 C on a calm December morning," says Greenham. Sunlight hitting ice crystals in the air produced "very vivid sundogs and arcs in the sky."
"This magnificent ice halo display is bristling with rare arcs," says Cowley. "From top downwards we have a circumzenithal arc. Touching that is a bright and rare supralateral arc, often mistaken for the rarer 46 degree halo. Then we have a Parry arc, first recorded in 1820 by the famous Arctic explorer William Edward Parry. Touching the familiar 22 degree halo is a 'gull-wing' shaped upper tangent arc. Radiating outward from the sun at far left and right are very rare helic arcs."
Greenham spotted these halos in his front yard. Cowley knows another place to find them: "To best see halos like this choose a subzero day a few km downwind of a ski slope. Snow blowers make high quality halo forming crystals as well as snow!"
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
FAR-OUT STOCKING STUFFER: In space, not everything that twinkles is a star. For example, we present the Silver Stars & Moon Space Pendant:
On Dec. 3rd, using a helium balloon the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a payload full of these pendants alongside an array of cosmic ray sensors. Together they ascended to an altitude of 117,000 ft. The purpose of the sensors was to measure increasing levels of radiation in the stratosphere. The purpose of the pendants is to pay for the sensors. Our radiation monitoring program is completely crowdfunded, and the pendants are for sale.
You can have one for $69.95. Each pendant comes with a Christmas card showing the pendant at the edge of space and telling the story of its flight. More far out Christmas gifts may be found in the Earth to Sky Store. All proceeds support space weather research.
Realtime Airglow Photo Gallery