SOLAR WIND SPARKS AURORAS: NOAA forecasters say there is a 40% chance of minor geomagnetic storms on May 23rd as a stream of solar wind gently Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a northern hole in the sun's atmosphere. First contact with the stream on May 22nd produced an outbreak of auroral curtains over the Canadian prairies near Majorville, Alberta:
"We got a decent display despite the glare of the waxing Moon," says photographer Alan Dyer. "I took this picture at the historic pioneer Liberty Schoolhouse, a 1909 vintage one-room school, typical of many built in the prairies more than a century ago. Moonlight provided the illumination."
Earth is expected to remain inside this solar wind stream for another 24 hours. More high-latitude auroras could be in the offing, especially in the southern hemisphere where deepening autumn darkness favors their visibility. Free: Aurora Alerts.
SOMETHING IN THE OFFING: Just behind the sun's eastern limb, a hidden sunspot is crackling with solar flares. Yesterday, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this movie of hot plasma leaping over the edge of the solar disk:
In the past day alone, Earth-orbiting satellites have recorded almost a dozen B-class solar flares. Such relatively weak flares would never be mentioned during Solar Max, but any flare is remarkable during the current period of deepening Solar Minimum. In the next day or so, the underlying sunspot will be revealed by solar rotation, and we shall see if it has potential for stronger explosions. Free: Solar Flare Alerts.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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