CHANCE OF STORMS ON MONDAY: NOAA forecasters say there is a 55% chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms on March 11th when Earth has a close encounter with two coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The solar storm clouds left the sun on March 8th when sunspot AR2734 produced a C1-class solar flare. Neither CME is heading directly for Earth, but a double glancing blow could produce beautiful Arctic auroras. Aurora Alerts: SMS text, email.
ANOTHER EXPLOSION IN SUNSPOT AR2734: For such a small sunspot, AR2734 is surprisingly active. On March 10th, the sunspot's magnetic field became unstable and erupted for the second time in as many days. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the sunspot hurling a dark filament of magnetism into space. Play the video and keep an eye on the circled material:
NOAA analysts have examined the trajectory of the filament and surrounding ejecta. They say it is unlikely to hit Earth. Nevertheless, stormy space weather is likely on March 11-13 as Earth passes close to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) ejected from sunspot AR2734 on March 8th.
What's next? AR2734 is now turning away from Earth, so future eruptions, if any, will probably not be geoeffective. Solar Minimum is set to resume in the week ahead. Aurora Alerts: SMS text, email.
CRYSTAL STARSHIP ENTERPRISE: Last month, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the starship Enterprise to the stratosphere. Riding onboard a high-altitude cosmic ray balloon, the laser-etched crystal spaceship traveled 34.7 km (113,845 feet) above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $149.95. The students are selling the Enterprise to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each starship comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. Also included is a multi-colored LED illuminated stand (shown in the picture above). This creates a colorful visual effect and allows the Enterprise to be used as a far-out night light.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery