THE SUN WAKES UP: Solar flare activity is increasing as two new sunspots are emerging on the sun today. This development comes on the heels of more than two weeks with no sunspots at all. Suddenly, the sun's X-ray output is rising as the new spots crackle with C-class explosions. Stay tuned for updates.
SOLAR WIND SPARKS AURORAS, GROUND CURRENTS: Moderately-strong G2-class geomagnetic storms are underway on March 27th as Earth enters a stream of solar wind flowing from a canyon-shaped hole in the sun's atmosphere. First contact with the stream sparked bright auroras around the South Pole visible as far away as New Zealand:
"It was just the most amazing display ever seen by myself and my friends," reports photographer Layton Findlater of Invercargill, New Zealand.
Activity was observed around the North Pole, too. In northern Norway, magnetometers detected a shaking of Earth's magnetic field in response to buffeting from the incoming solar wind stream. Instruments at the Polarlightcenter in Lofoton recorded the action:
"We detected significant variations in our local magnetic field and also electric currents flowing in the ground," reports Rob Stammes, who operates the magnetic observatory. Of the Northern Lights dancing overhead, he says "these could be the last of the season before the midnight sun returns in the near future."
More auroras around both poles are likely tonight as Earth moves deeper into the solar wind stream. This stream is threaded by negative-polarity (south-pointing) magnetic fields that do a good job connecting to Earth's magnetosphere and energizing geomagnetic storms. Free: Aurora Alerts
TOUCHING THE EDGE OF SPACE: On March 10, 2017, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a space weather balloon from the frozen surface of Lake Tornetrask 250 km inside the Arctic Circle. A payload-full of reindeer pendants hitched a ride 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 telling the story of its journey 97,000 feet above the Lapland of Northern Sweden. They make great Birthday and Mother's Day gifts.
More far-out gifts may be found in the Earth to Sky store. All proceeds support STEM education and our atmospheric cosmic ray monitoring program.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery