NO GEOMAGNETIC STORMS TODAY: NOAA forecasters say the chance of a geomagnetic storm today is no more than 10%. This low value comes as Earth begins to traverse a quiet region of space between streams of solar wind. The next solar wind event is expected on May 23rd when a fast-moving stream could brush against our planet's magnetic field. Free: Aurora Alerts.
IRON-EATING BACTERIA SHOW THEIR COLORS: Ed Kreminski of Ohio is an avid sky watcher, often photographing icy iridescent clouds drifting overhead. On May 12th, he noticed a completely different kind of iridescence--at his feet. "While crossing a hiking bridge along the sandstone cliffs of the Hocking Hills State Park, I came across this colorful scene along the creek's edge," he says. Iron-eating bacteria made the rocks even more colorful than than the sky:
"The rainbow sheen on the rocky shore is caused by a thin film of bacteria that lives off the iron leaching out of the rocks," says Kreminski.
How to bacteria create iridescent rocks? Simple. They coat the rocky surface in a thin layer or film. Light waves reflected by the upper and lower boundaries of a thin film interfere with one another, producing bands of color. The effect is most familiar in soap bubbles and oil slicks, but bacteria can do it too.
"I wonder, will such bacteria ever be found on Mars?" says Kreminski. The Red Planet certainly has plenty of iron. All the more reason to repair Curiosity's busted jackhammer.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
TEXAS-SIZED SPRITES: Technically, summer hasn't started yet in the USA, but summer thunderstorms are already rumbling across the Great Plains, bringing with them strange forms of upper atmospheric lightning. "Sprite season is definitely picking up here in Texas," reports Kevin Palivec, who operates an array of night-sky cameras in the town of Hawley. This week he has photographed a flurry of lightning-like forms including this Gigantic Jet shooting up from a thunderstorm in Oklahoma:
Click to view the full-length video
"The line of storms in Oklahoma was perfectly positioned for me to record these jets leaping over the cloudtops about 300 miles away," says Palivec. "I used a Watec 902h Ultimate black and white camera in a pan tilt weatherproof housing on a 20 foot tower."
Gigantic jets are like sprites on steroids. They are rare and far more powerful than their smaller red cousins. "I've been monitoring the skies here in Texas for 6 years. To date, I've only caught 5 gigantic jets--two of which have been studied in research papers. It is always exciting to see them."
One night later, on May 15th, "another line of storms moved through producing sprites to my north and south!" says Palivec.
Some researchers think that sprites and gigantic jets may be linked to cosmic rays: Subatomic particles from deep space strike the top of Earth's atmosphere, producing secondary electrons that trigger the upward bolts. If this is true, then sprites could multiply in the years ahead as cosmic rays intensify due to the decline of the solar cycle.
Although sprites have been seen for at least a century, most scientists did not believe they existed until after 1989 when sprites were photographed by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Now "sprite chasers" like Palivec routinely photograph sprites from their own homes. Give it a try!
A CRYSTAL BALL IN THE STRATOSPHERE: Father's Day is less than a month away. To get ready, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a crystal ball to the stratosphere. Watch the video as the crystal orb travels onboard a giant helium balloon 93,000 feet above Earth's surface, stretching, focusing, and inverting the incredible landscape of the Sierra Nevada mountains behind it:
The students are selling these crystal balls as a fundraiser, and you can have one for $229. The 800 gram sphere contains an embedded model of the Solar System, including the sun, eight planets and their moons. It makes an incredible gift for anyone interested in space. Dad-satisfaction guaranteed.
Each crystal ball comes with a unique gift card showing the item at the edge of space and telling the story of its flight. All proceeds support Earth to Sky Calculus and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education