GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A polar geomagnetic storm is in progress as Earth enters a fast-moving stream of solar wind. This is sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. The solar wind is flowing from a large canyon-shaped hole in the sun's atmosphere and is expected to influence Earth for the next two days. Free: Aurora alerts.
First contact with the stream on March 1st caused an outburst of green and purple lights above Alaska. Ayumi Bakken was in the countryside near Fairbanks on March 1st when he took this picture:
"What an amazing show tonight," says Bakken. "Just after a winter storm passed, the magnetic storm began and Lady Aurora danced overhead."
Earth is moving deeper into the stream, and wind speeds could top 700 km/s before the day is over. Arctic sky watchers should remain alert for auroras on Mar. 1-2 as NOAA forecasters estimate a 60% chance of continued polar geomagnetic storms.
A NEW KIND OF SPACE WEATHER BALLOON: The students of Earth to Sky Maritime (a franchise of Earth to Sky Calculus) have built a space weather balloon payload that does something new: it floats! On Feb. 14th they launched the pipe-shaped payload from Calistoga, California. After a 2.5 hour trip to the stratosphere, the floating cylinder parachuted back to Earth and splashed down in the San Pablo Bay northeast of San Francisco.
A team of student mariners recovered the payload from the deck of the Cub, a tug boat operated by Cal Maritime. Not everything went perfectly. The payload's camera popped off at the moment of landing and sank to the bottom of the Bay--so no images from the stratosphere. Otherwise, the launch, tracking and recovery were a big success.
This development will allow us to start launching space weather balloons from places on Earth where the possibility of a water landing previously forbid such missions. The students of Earth to Sky Maritime already have one such place in mind: from South Carolina during the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse. They plan to photograph the eclipse from the stratosphere over Charleston and recover the payload later from the Atlantic after the Moon's shadow passes by.
Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
ARCTIC SPACE REINDEER: The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are about to travel inside the Arctic Circle (Abisko, Sweden) for their first polar space weather balloon launch. To raise money for the trip, on Feb. 23rd they flew a payload-full of Arctic reindeer pendants to the edge of space:
You can have one for $129.95. Each glittering pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and certifying that it has been to the stratosphere and back again. These pendants make great Birthday and Mother's Day gifts.
Bonus: Would you like your pendant to be flown over the Arctic as well? Make a note to that effect in the COMMENTS box at checkout, and we will take your pendent to Sweden for a second trip to the stratosphere.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery