THE SOLAR WIND IS HERE: A minor stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field today, causing geomagnetic activity just below the level of a G1-class storm. Auroras may be dancing around the Arctic Circle. We can't see them, though, because of the waxing midnight sun. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
ELECTRIC BLUE SUNRISE: You know something unusual is happening when you wake up in the morning and the sunrise is ... electric blue. This morning's sunrise in Saxony, Germany, was unusual indeed. "The dawn sky was filled with the brightest noctilucent clouds I have ever seen," reports Heiko Ulbricht, who took this picture from the town of Börnchen:
"The electric-blue ripples extended 25° over the horizon," he says. "2019 is the best year for noctilucent clouds (NLCs)!"
NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space more than 80 km above the planet's surface. The clouds are very cold and filled with tiny ice crystals. When sunbeams hit those crystals, they glow electric-blue.
Noctilucent clouds used to be a polar phenomenon. In recent years, however, researchers have noticed their electric-blue forms creeping south-- a trend which has accelerated in 2019. Just last weekend a record-setting outbreak of NLCs produced sightings as far south as California, Utah, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
What's happening? Previous studies have shown that noctilucent clouds sometimes intensify during solar minimum. Solar minimum conditions are in effect now as the sun has been without spots for 26 consecutive days--a situation that may favor the frosting of meteor smoke high above Earth.
Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset (or before sunrise) when the sun is just below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you may have spotted a noctilucent cloud.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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APOLLO 11 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the United States Mint has created a commemorative 2019 Proof Silver Dollar. We decided to celebrate even more by flying the coins to the edge of space. On June 8th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this 99.9% silver dollar 111,222 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $179.95. The students are selling the coins to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's first footprint on the Moon. Each of these coins comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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