AURORAS LOVE EQUINOXES: At this time of year even a gentle gust of solar wind can spark bright auroras. Why? Cracks open in Earth's magnetic field, allowing solar wind to enter--a phenomenon called the "Russell-McPherron effect." A solar wind stream due on Sept. 23-24 followed by a minor CME strike expected on Sept. 25th could fill the first nights of northern autumn with Arctic auroras. Happy equinox! Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
CORONAL MASS EJECTION TARGETS EARTH: A coronal mass ejection (CME) is coming ... maybe. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft photographed the jet-like storm cloud leaving the sun on Sept. 20th:
NOAA forecasters analyzed the CME's trajectory and found that it could graze Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 25th.
The source of the CME was an explosion in the sun's southern hemisphere. A magnetic filament erupted, hurling part of itself into space. The debris dragged part of the sun's atmosphere along with it, forming the CME.
Because CMEs often contain intense magnetic fields, even minor CME strikes can do a good job of causing geomagnetic storms. In combination with a solar wind stream expected to arrive just ahead of it, this CME could spark a good display of Arctic auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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EQUINOX SUNSET: Today, Sept. 23rd, is the first day of northern Fall. Last night in Toluca, Mexico, the onset of autumn was marked by a light show in the Cosmovitral botanical gardens:
"In the main stained glass window you can see a man in a circle that represents the sun," says photographer Juan Jose Ortiz. "When the equinox sun sets, rays of light pass directly through it, illuminating the entire botanical garden in warm colors.
The stained glass mural was designed by local Toluca artist Leopoldo Flores. Its name, Cosmovitral, is an amalgam of "cosmos" and "vitral" (Spanish for glass). To build the mural, Flores and sixty artisans worked for three years (1978 to 1980), assembling 45 tons of blown glass and 25 tons of lead to join 500,000 glass pieces--all to mark the change of seasons.
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MILLENNIUM FALCON IN THE STRATOSPHERE: It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs! This summer, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the Millennium Falcon to the stratosphere. Riding onboard a high-altitude cosmic ray balloon, the laser-etched crystal spaceship traveled 103,018 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $119.95. The students are selling the Falcon to fund the Earth to Sky ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the Falcon in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. Also included: an LED-illuminated stand. This creates a colorful visual effect and allows the Falcon to be used as a far-out night light.
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