SOLAR MINIMUM CONDITIONS ARE IN EFFECT: So far this year, the sun has been without sunspots for more than 155 days--including the last 13 days straight. 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
NASA SPOTS SILENT MARS ROVER: Almost 4 months ago, Mars rover Opportunity fell silent as a dust storm engulfed the Red Planet. Daytime skies turned black, robbing the solar-powered rover of vital electricity it needed to stay warm and communicate with Earth. Today, Opportunity is still silent, but it is no longer invisible. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted it on the slopes of Perseverance Valley:
Thinning dust allowed Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to see Opportunity for the first time since the storm began in early June. The satellite was 267 kilometers above Mars when it took the picture on Sept. 20th. The white box marks a 47-meter-wide area centered on the rover.
The picture confirms (1) that Opportunity is where it ought to be, and (2) that the air is clearing, allowing sunshine to reach the rover again. Nevertheless, Opportunity has not phoned home, prompting mission controllers to wonder if the dogged explorer has suffered permanent harm. NASA is now signalling Opportunity multiple times every day using antennas of the Deep Space Network.
There's a chance that the rover's solar panels are covered by a thick layer of dust. Such a layer would block sunlight even as the skies above become clear again. If so, the fate of Opportunity could hinge on a martian dust devil coming along to dust off the solar arrays. It has happened before.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
FLY ME TO THE MOONSTONE: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Nothing says "I love you" like a moonstone from the edge of space. On June 12th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this moonstone wrapped in a sterling silver Celtic love knot 34.1 km (111,877 feet) above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $149.95. The students are selling these pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the item 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 sales support hands-on STEM education