SpaceWeather.com Archive — Thu, Jul 4, 2019

« backThu, Jul 4, 2019forward »

NO FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH OF JULY: Solar activity is very low. NOAA forecasters say there is no more than a 1% chance of even the feeblest solar flare on July 4th. Indeed, the sun's X-ray output is flatlining. No fireworks? This is what happens when the 4th of July coincides with one of the deepest Solar Minima in a century. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

DREAM SHOTS OF THE TOTAL ECLIPSE: When a total eclipse of the sun occurs over one of the world's greatest observatories, you know someone's going to take a good picture. Maybe even a "dream shot." Here it is:

Petr Horálek took the picture overlooking ESO's La Silla Observatory during the July 2nd total eclipse in Chile. "This was definitely my 'dream shot'," says Horálek. "The weather was just perfect, sky clear, wind calm, pleasant chill... and the eclipse--just wow!"

Meanwhile, floating above the clouds at 37,000 feet, Bill Reyna captured his own dream shot:

"I watched the eclipse from a plane flying through the path of totality," explains Reyna. "The oval shape of the Moon's shadow was visible on the cloudtops."

Browse the Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery for more images from the path of totality, which stretched from the South Pacific across great observatories in Chile to the eastern reaches of Argentina.

Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newslette

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 23rd, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this 99.9% silver dollar 102,034 feet above Earth's surface:

You can have it for $197.95. 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 iconic footprint on the Moon. Each of these coins comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and a certificate of authenticity.