SOLAR WIND QUICKENS: Earth is moving deeper into a stream of solar wind that arrived during the early hours of June 18th. This is causing the solar wind near our planet to quicken, blowing faster than 500 km/s (1.1 million mph). High latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras, especially in the southern hemisphere where winter darkness favors visibility. Free: Aurora Alerts.
AURORAS AND NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Last night, two things happened in the atmosphere high above Canada. First, a swarm of frosted meteoroids caught the rays of the setting sun, creating a noctilucent cloud. Second, the solar wind arrived. "Auroras formed above the noctilicent clouds," says eyewitness Adrien Mauduit. "What a show!" He caught the combo reflected in a lake near Bashaw, Alberta:
"What a night full of incredible surprises and our cameras full of pictures," says Mauduit. "We are hoping for a rerun tonight!"
A rerun is possible. NASA's AIM spacecraft shows noctilucent cloud activity intensifying around the northern hemisphere. At the same time, Earth is moving deeper into the stream of solar wind that sparked last night's display. Monitor the realtime photo gallery for sightings:
ONE RING TO RULE THE STRATOSPHERE: The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are about to fly from California to New Zealand to launch a trio of cosmic ray balloons over Earth's 8th continent. To get ready, on June 12th they launched a ring of power to the stratosphere. Here it is floating 33 km above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have one for $119.95. The students are selling these Tolkien-inspired rings as a fundraiser for their trip. They are made of golden-colored tungsten and inscribed with the authentic Mordor script of the One Ring.
Buy one now, and we will fly it again for you over Hobbiton, located in the North Island of New Zealand where our cosmic ray balloons will be released. Just note "Please fly it again!" in the comments section at checkout.
Each golden ring comes with a greeting card showing the ring in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. 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
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: This weekend, the crescent Moon passed by Venus in the sunset sky. Marek Nikodem photographed the conjunction on June 16th from Znin Lake near Szubin, Poland:
"It was an amazing evening," says Nikodem. "A great way to end the day!"
Did you miss the show? It's going to happen again--even better--in mid July. On July 15th, after passing by Mercury the night before, the crescent Moon will skim past Venus with less than 1 degree of sky separating the two heavenly bodies. Mark your calendar and enjoy the show. Sky maps: July 14, 15, 16.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery