CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: Later today, Nov. 14th, a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) might hit Earth. CIRs are transition zones between slow- and fast-moving solar wind streams. They contain plasma density gradients and intense magnetic fields that often do a good job sparking auroras. NOAA forecasters say that G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Nov. 14-15 after the CIR arrives. Free: Aurora Alerts.
POLAR SUNRISE: Around the Arctic Circle, the sun is about to set ... for months. That makes each remaining sunrise a special occasion. Yesterday's was extra special. As amber glow of dawn intensified, Venus and Jupiter made a rare appearance only a fraction of a degree apart:
"The wonderful pair of Venus and Jupiter appeared from behind the epic Lyngen mountains," says photographer M-P Markkanen, who was camping near Tromsø, Norway. "Out of the two, Jupiter was pretty hard to spot with the naked eye, because the Sun gave a lot of light already, since it comes up in such a low angle up here. We watched as the planets slowly faded into the morning light, and enjoyed the brief moment the sun was visible. Those moments feel precious; after one week from now, the next sunrise will be at the end of January!"
Now for the good news: The waxing darkness is about to become a velvety backdrop for Arctic auroras, 24/7. Stay tuned for that.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
THIS CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT HAS TOUCHED SPACE: On Nov. 2, 2017, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a space weather balloon to the stratosphere. These kids do science, and the payload of their balloon carried an array of cosmic ray sensors to measure radiation coming from deep space. Oh, and one more thing…. BB-8:
During the 2.5 hour flight, the plucky robot experienced temperatures as low as -67 C and cosmic ray dose rates 100x Earth-normal. After the balloon exploded 107,342 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California, BB-8 parachuted back to Earth, landing in the desert near Silver Peak, Nevada.
You can have BB-8 for $79.95. Each ornament comes with a unique gift card showing BB-8 floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight. It also comes with a bonus photo of BB-8 in the stratosphere. Hang it on your Christmas tree alongside BB-8 to impress holiday visitors!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education