SPACE WEATHER DELAYS THE RETURN OF TIANGONG-1: The European Space Agency has just issued a new forecast for the decay of China's Tiangong-1 space station. The re-entry window is hours wide and centers on April 1st at 23:25 UTC. This is later than originally expected. ESA analysts attribute the delay to low solar activity, which has allowed Earth's upper atmosphere to cool and shrink away from Tiangong-1. Less air up there means less aerodynamic friction and a slower decay. Stay tuned for updates.
RARE DOUBLE BLUE MOON: There's a full Moon tonight, and according to modern folklore, it's a Blue Moon--the second full Moon in a calendar month. Maximilian Teodorescu sends this picture of the waxing orb from Bucharest, Romania:
The full-sized image is impressive--made more so by the fact that this is a rare "double Blue Moon."
We've already had one Blue Moon in January 2018, a month bookended by full Moons on the 2nd (02:24 UTC) and 31st (13:27 UTC). It's happening again in March, with full Moons on the 2nd (00:51 UTC) and 31st (12:37 UTC). The last time two Blue Moons occurred in such quick succession was January and March of 1999.
What color will you see when the Moon rises tonight? Blue Moons don't actually turn blue ... except when they do. Go outside and take a look!
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
MOTHER'S DAY IS ONLY 6 WEEKS AWAY:On March 5, 2018, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere, more than 94,000 feet above Earth's surface. This sterling silver Mother's Day pendant went along for the ride:
You can have it for $119.95. The students are selling these pendants as a fund-raiser for their cosmic ray monitoring program. All proceeds support atmospheric radiation measurements and hands-on STEM education.
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. Mom-satisfaction guaranteed.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education