SOLAR EXPLOSION MISSES EARTH: Earlier today, Feb. 24th, a magnetic filament on the sun became unstable and erupted. The blast hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. NOAA analysts have modeled the expanding storm cloud, and they say it will miss Earth. No geomagnetic storm will result from the explosion. Aurora Alerts: SMS text, email.
IT'S BACK! A BIG HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: During solar minimum, long-lasting holes open in the sun's atmosphere, releasing streams of solar wind into space. One of those holes is facing Earth now, and it's a big one:
We've seen this hole before. It opened in the summer of 2018 and has been spinning around as the sun rotates, lashing Earth with solar wind approximately once a month. The last time our planet felt its gaseous emissions, in late Jan. 2019, bright auroras surged around the Arctic Circle and some of the lights even spilled into the USA.
G1-class geomagnetic storms are likely on Feb. 27th when the solar wind returns. Stay tuned for Northern Lights. Aurora Alerts: SMS text, email.
LOOKING FOR A FAR-OUT GIFT? Every time the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch cosmic ray sensors to the stratosphere, they send a little something extra along for the ride. For example, this purple heart:
You can have it for $99.95. The students are selling these pendants as a fund-raiser for their cosmic ray monitoring program. They make great anniversary, birthday and Mother's Day gifts. Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education