RARE BLUE AURORAS OVER CANADA: Auroras are usually green. Not this weekend, however. On May 10th a CME hit Earth's magnetic field, sparking a display of deep-blue auroras over Canada. Read the full story to learn the special ingredient that turns auroras blue. Aurora Alerts: SMS Text.
GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED: Another CME is coming. Estimated time of arrival: May 15th. The solar storm cloud was hurled in our direction by a double explosion on the sun. Click to play a movie of the event recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, and pay close attention to the regions labeled "1" and "2".
The movie shows two magnetic filaments erupting in quick succession on May 10-11. The first was attached to decaying sunspot AR2740. The second filament may have been destabilized by the eruption of the first. It cut through the sun's atmosphere, carving a "canyon of fire" that remained visible for nearly an hour after the blast.
Ejecta from the two explosions have combined to form a CME now crossing the sun-Earth divide. If NOAA analysts are correct, the solar storm cloud could reach Earth during the early hours of May 15th, bringing a 60% chance of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms. Aurora Alerts: SMS Text.
CRYSTAL MOON BALL IN THE STRATOSPHERE: On Star Wars Day ("May the 4th be with you"), the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched an array of cosmic ray sensors to the stratosphere. They do this every week or so to monitor increasing levels of atmospheric radiation. This crystal Moon ball went along for the ride:
You can have it for $129.95. The students are selling these far-out balls to support their cosmic ray ballooning program.
Each one comes with an LED base that turns the laser-etched crystaline Moon a beautiful shade of purple, blue, green or yellow. It makes a great night light. Also included is a greeting card showing the crystal ball in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education