THE SOLAR WIND HAS ARRIVED: Earth is entering a stream of fast-moving solar wind that could spark bright auroras around the Arctic Circle this weekend. The gaseous material is flowing from a wide hole in the sun's atmosphere. NOAA forecasters say there is a 30% chance of geomagnetic storms on Feb. 17th and 18th. Free: Aurora Alerts
THE SUNSPOT IS LEAVING: Sunspot AR2699, which hurled a CME toward Earth and sparked bright polar auroras on Feb. 15th, is about to vanish. The active region is rotating off the face of the sun this weekend. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring the sunspot's magnetic canopy now seen in profile over the sun's western limb:
A sunspot's magnetic canopy is where solar flares happen. Magnetic lines of force criss, cross, and explode in a process known as "magnetic reconnection." Got a backard solar telescope? Keep an eye on the sun's western limb. With its canopy in full view, AR2699 might fire a parting shot worth photographing. Free: Aurora Alerts
A NEW DISTANCE RECORD FOR STARMAN: For the past week, astronomers around the world have been racing to set a very unlikely record: Who can take the most distant photo of a cherry red Tesla Roadster? At the moment, the record stands at 2.5 million km. Riccardo Furgoni and Giancarlo Favero set the mark on Feb. 15th when they used using a 0.8 m reflecting telescope at the Celado Astronomical Observatory in Italy to take these pictures:
"The object was only 16 degrees above our horizon shining feebly like a magnitude 19.3 star," they say.
Launched on Feb. 6, 2018, by a Falcon Heavy Rocket at Cape Canaveral, Elon Musk's Roadster is traveling around the sun on an elliptical orbit that will take it beyond the orbit of Mars. Every day it is getting farther from Earth. For comparison, 2.5 million km is about 6.5 times farther away than the Moon.
Other amateur astronomers around the world have also been photographing the distant electric car, piloted by a space-suited mannequin named "Starman." At the moment, Furgoni and Favero hold the distance record. But stay tuned, because records are meant to be broken!
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
VALENTINE'S DAY WAS ... LAST WEDNESDAY: Oops. Did you forget to buy a Valentine's gift? Your sweetheart might forgive you if she receives this:
Nothing says "I love you" like a space pendant, and you can have one for $199.95.
The students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a payload-full of these heart-shaped Venus pendants to the stratosphere onboard a high-altitude helium balloon. The one pictured above is floating 110,550 ft above the Sierra of Centrl California.
With a sterling silver backface that says "I Love You to the Moon and Back," these blue jewels make great Valentine's, Mother's Day, and birthday gifts. Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Sales of this pendant 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