BLUE MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Wednesday, Jan. 31st, the second full Moon of January will pass through Earth's shadow, producing a rare "Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse." The Moon won't look blue, however. Researchers are predicting a bright orange eclipse--a forecast based on studies of recent volcanic activity. Volcanoes, climate change, and lunar eclipses are linked in ways that might surprise you. Get the full story and eclipse observing tips here.
AURORAS IGNORE SPACE WEATHER FORECAST: Last night's space weather forecast called for quiet conditions around the Arctic Circle. There was a scant 10% chance of geomagnetic storms. Nevertheless, when Markus Varik looked up from Tromsø, Norway, on Jan. 25th, this is what he saw:
"The aurora was so bright, we could easily read the Spaceweather.com website!" laughs Varik. "Although the chance of Northern Lights was small, the Northern Lights didn't believe it."
Indeed, with the solar wind slackening, an explosion of auroras seemed unlikely. However, Tromsø is a special place where auroras can appear without strong solar activity. The island city is located beneath our planet's persistent auroral oval, a ring-shaped region surrounding the north pole where the geomagnetic field guides particles from space down onto the upper atmosphere. Inside this oval, sputtering auroras can suddenly blossom into magnificent sprays of green and purple light--no solar storms required.
Tonight's space weather forecast calls for more quiet. Auroras, anyone? Monitor the realtime photo gallery for sightings. Free: Aurora Alerts.
VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING: Nothing says "I Love You" like a Valentine's pendant from the edge of space. 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 traveled alongside an array of cosmic ray sensors, which the students use to monitor deep-space radiation penetrating Earth's atmosphere.
You can have one for $169.95. Each glittering pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey 36 km (118,110 feet) above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California. 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