SOLAR MINIMUM CONDITIONS ARE IN EFFECT: The sun has been without sunspots for 39 of the past 42 days. To find a similar stretch of blank suns, you have to go back to 2009 when the sun was experiencing the deepest solar minimum in a century. Solar minimum has returned, bringing extra cosmic rays, long-lasting holes in the sun's atmosphere, and strangely pink auroras. Free: Aurora alerts.
'COMMON' RED SPRITES: In the Czech Republic, photographer Daniel Ščerba has spent much of the summer training his cameras on passing thunderstorms, hoping to catch strange forms of upward-directed lightning. On August 7th he recorded a huge cluster of red sprites:
"They sprang up from a mesoscale convective system (MCS) that was passing through southern Austria," says Ščerba. "I observed 7 groups like these over a 35 minute period."
The instigating thunderstorm was located about 380 km from Ščerba's camera, denoted by a white star in this regional lightning map:
380 km may sound like a great distance, but a bit of separation helps when it comes to observing sprites over the tops of towering thunderheads. Here's why.
As spectacular as the display was, Ščerba says he has seen many like it this summer. "This is a common occurrence," he remarks. "I have taken many pictures of sprites like these."
Solar minimum (happening now) may be boosting sprites. During this phase of the solar cycle, cosmic rays from deep space penetrate the sun's weakening magnetic defenses and enter Earth's atmosphere in greater numbers than usual. Some researchers believe that cosmic rays may provide the ionizing "spark" that triggers many sprites. If so, stay tuned for more as solar minimum deepens.
FAR-OUT OPTICS EXPERIMENT: Last week, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. A crystal globe went along for the ride. The young scientists wanted to see what Earth looked like when viewed through the spherical lens ... of Earth. Answer: very cool. Play the video to see for yourself:
You can have this globe for $149.95. The students are selling them to support their high-altitude balloon program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the crystal sphere in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. All sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
DON'T FORGET ABOUT MARS: More than a week after its 15-year close approach to Earth, Mars is now receding from our planet. Don't let that fool you, though. Mars is still the brightest object in the midnight sky, almost twice as bright as Jupiter and three times as bright as Sirius. Yesterday, Patricio Leon of Santiago, Chile, photographed the Red Planet in broad daylight:
"The sun was 7° above the horizon on August 7th when I took this picture," says Leon. "It was surprisingly easy to spot rising above the snowy mountains near Santiago."
Nighttime sightings are still recommended. Mars glares like a burnt-orange beacon in the constellation Capricornus visible in the east after sunset: sky map. A global dust storm that has blanketed Mars since June is now starting to subside, so telescopic observers are beginning to see fresh detail on the planet's surface. Browse the Martian photo gallery for the latest shots.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery