CHANCE OF STORMS TODAY: NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms today as Earth moves into a stream of solar wind. Arctic sky watchers should remain alert for auroras mixed with bright moonlight. Free: Aurora alerts.
BE ALERT FOR SUPERMOON HALOS: Tonight's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2018. It's a perigee "supermoon"--as much as 8% wider and 16% brighter than average full moons later in the year. This means it's time to be alert for supermoon halos. Eliot Herman photographed this specimen on New Year's Eve over Tucson, Arizona:
"Light clouds degraded photography a bit, but on the plus side produced this starry sky lunar halo," says Herman. The 22-degree circular ring was caused by the light-bending action of ice crystals in wintry clouds drifting over Tucson.
Tonight's full Moon is "super" because it occurs at perigee--the side of the Moon's elliptical orbit closest to Earth. It will be more than 50,000 km closer to Earth than full Moons on the opposite side of the Moon's orbit, apogee. Supermoons naturally produce super moon halos. Tonight, watch for luminous rings, pillars, and dogs around the bright lunar disk--and have a Happy New Year!
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
GREEN FIREWORKS: Today, Jan. 1st, Earth is entering a stream of solar wind flowing from a hole in the sun's atmosphere. First contact with the gaseous material on New Year's Eve sparked a display of heavenly fireworks over Abisko, Sweden:
"Standing on a frozen lake 200km above the Arctic Circle, we watched the aurora dance overhead as Nature provided its own fireworks to welcome the New Year," says photographer Sarah Skinner of Lights over Lapland. "What a cracking way to spend a New Year's Eve and a great start to 2018. Happy New Year!"
VALENTINE'S DAY IS ONLY 6 WEEKS AWAY: Christmas is over. Next up: Valentine's Day. If you are looking for a far-out Valentine's gift, consider this:
On Dec. 29, 2017, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a payload-full of these 18k rose gold plated Valentine's pendants to the stratosphere onboard a high-altitude helium balloon. The necklaces reached an altitude of 36 km (118,110 feet) during a breathtaking 3 hour flight. You can have one for $79.95.
Each glittering pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. Sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education