AURORAS NOW! A bright display of Northern Lights is underway now over Abisko, Sweden. Watch it live on the Lights over Lapland aurora webcam.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: As Christmas approaches, a high-speed stream of solar wind continues to blow around Earth. The pressure on our planet's magnetic field is sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Last night in Orkanger City, Norway, the sky filled with green and purple curtains:
"It was a beautiful display," says photographer Helge Andersen. "I needed only a 5 second exposure to capture this image."
Mindful that Earth might soon begin to exit the solar wind stream, NOAA forecasters have downgraded the chance of polar geomagnetic storms on Dec. 23rd to 35%. At the moment, however, the solar wind is still blowing faster than 600 km/s. Arctic sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. Free: Aurora Alerts.
ALASKA SUNDOGS: At this time of year, the sun isn't up for long in Fairbanks, Alaska--only about four hours a day. Residents appreciate every shaft of light. "These incredible sundogs lasted for hours today as the sun skirted across the horizon," says local photographer Sacha Layos.
Sundogs are rainbow-colored splashes of light bracketing the sun. They appear when sunbeams strike plate-shaped crystals of ice fluttering down from cirrus clouds. These are among the most common of all ice halos--especially in Alaska where the wintry air is naturally filled with ice. Look for more sundogs in the realtime photo gallery.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
STUDENT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Is there a young scientist in your life? Give them the gift of exploration. For the holiday season only, we're reducing the cost of payload space on Earth to Sky Calculus balloons from $500 to only $299.95. Buy an edge of space gift certificate before Dec. 25th and you can send an experiment, photo, or keepsake item to the stratosphere, completely supported by an Earth to Sky Calculus launch and recovery team.
This is not only a great Christmas gift, but also a good kickstarter for science fair projects. Experiments will be flown and returned along with video footage, GPS tracking, temperature, pressure, altimetry and radiation data.
To take advantage of the discounted rate, payment must be received before Dec. 25th. However, the flight can take place at any time in the next 12 months. A Skype brainstorming session is included with each certificate. Dr. Tony Phillips and other members of the Earth to Sky team will chat with students to help them craft an experiment that will work in the harsh environment of the stratosphere.
Realtime Airglow Photo Gallery