CORONAL MASS EJECTION: Yesterday, Aug. 21st, a faint, broad, and slow-moving coronal mass ejection (CME) billowed away from the sun. NASA and ESA satellites could not, however, pinpoint the source of the explosion on the solar disk. NOAA analysts are currently modeling the cloud to determine if it might hit Earth in the days ahead. Prognosis: Maybe, but probably not. Stay tuned for updates. Free: Aurora Alerts.
SMOKEY MOON HALO: Wildfires in the western USA and Canada are pumping extreme amounts of smoke into the atmosphere. Fiery emissions have drifted across North America from coast to coast, mixing with clouds to form some unusual atmospheric optics. On August 20th, Sharon Watson of Buxton, North Dakota, photographed this example, a rare smokey moon halo:
"It did not last long, but it was very beautiful," says Watson.
The rainbow colors surrounding the Moon in a circular arc are caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The radial streaks and moody highlights are imprinted by wisps of smoke--the acrid sign of western wildfires. More such halos are likely in the nights ahead as the Moon waxes full and the fires continue to burn.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
SPRITE STORM DURING THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER: Amateur astronomer Martin Popek of the Czech republic is a "sprite hunter." Every night his automated cameras in Nýdek scan the skies for exotic forms of upward directed lightning. On Aug. 14th, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a sprite storm broke out:
"The sky above my hometown Nýdek was criss-crossed by sprites and meteors," says Popek. "I created this composite to summarize the action."
The sprites leaped up from a mesoscale storm system (MCS) over the border in Slovenia, while the Perseids rained down from the ancient tail of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. They intersected about 100 km above Earth's surface in a rare confluence of electricity and disintegrating space dust.
LASER-ETCHED MOON CUBE: On August 16, 2018, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. This unique laser-etched Moon cube went along for the ride, ascending to an altitude of 101,140 feet:
You can have it for $149.95. The students are selling these cubes as a fund-raiser for their cosmic ray ballooning program. It's an authentic representation of the Moon, with all of the craters, mountains and lava plains accurately portrayed.
Each Moon-cube comes with a unique gift card showing the item floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight and confirms that this gift has been to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery