SpaceWeather.com Archive — Mon, Jun 17, 2019

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LOW LATITUDE NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: If you've ever wanted to see a cloud of frosted meteor smoke, now is the time to look. 2019 is shaping up to be the best year for noctilucent clouds (NLCs) ... maybe ever. Last week NLCs were sighted in the USA as far south as Los Angeles CA and Albuquerque NM, shattering old records for low-latitude sightings. Get the full story here.

RED SPRITES AT THE EDGE OF SPACE: We all know what comes out of the bottom of thunderclouds: lightning. But what comes out of the top? Red sprites. High above Earth on May 10th, astronauts onboard the International Space Station watched a cluster of the red forms explode from the top of a powerful thunderstorm located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas:

Spaceweather.com reader Frankie Lucena of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, noticed the sprites in a time lapse video of lightning NASA released last week. "The space station was over California and traveling northeast when they took the picture," notes Lucena.

The photo shows how high sprites can go, reaching all the way from the thunderstorm to a layer of green airglow 100 km above Earth's surface. This means sprites touch the edge of space, alongside auroras, meteors and noctilucent clouds. They are a true space weather phenomenon.

Solar Minimum may be boosting sprites. During this phase of the solar cycle, cosmic rays from deep space penetrate Earth's atmosphere more than usual--a result of the sun's weakening magnetic field. Some researchers believe that cosmic rays may provide the ionizing "spark" that triggers many sprites. If so, stay tuned for more as Solar Minimum deepens.

Realtime Sprite 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.