AUTUMN IS AURORA SEASON: Summer is ending in the northern hemisphere. That's good news for sky watchers because autumn is aurora season. Statistics show that autumn brings a surplus of geomagnetically disturbed days–almost twice the annual average. At this time of year, even a gentle gust of solar wind can spark bright polar auroras. The autumnal equinox is only two days away. Let the light show begin! Free: Aurora Alerts
MORNING ALIGNMENT OF PLANETS: It's the most difficult time of day to be awake: the hour before sunrise. This week it's also the most beautiful. Three planets and the crescent Moon have gathered in the eastern sky for a crack-of-dawn alignment. Kouji Ohnishi photographed the display on Sept. 19th from Nagano, Japan:
"The first magnitude star Regulus was visible, too," points out Ohnishi, "not far below Venus."
On Sept. 20th, Venus passes by Regulus, less than a degree away, forming a bright "double star" in the waxing morning twilight. Set your alarm for dawn and enjoy the show! Sky maps: Sept.19, 20.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART PENDANTS: On Aug. 21st during the Great American Solar Eclipse, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched 11 space weather balloons from the path of totality. They aimed to photograph the Moon's shadow from the stratosphere--and they succeeded. As a fundraiser, some of the balloons carried jewelry, such as this heart-shaped pendant floating inside the Moon's shadow more than 100,000 feet above Oregon's Malheur National Forest:
During the 2.5 hour flight, the pendants were wrapped in the Moon's shadow for more than two minutes, experiencing a spooky darkness colder than -50 C.
You can have one for $169.95. Each limited-quantity pendant comes with a unique gift card showing the jewelry passing through the Moon's shadow and floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight and confirms that this gift has been to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education