GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING: A large hole in the sun's atmosphere is facing Earth and spewing solar wind in our direction. Estimated time of arrival: Oct. 24-25. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are likely when the gaseous material arrives. Wind speeds are expected to reach 700 km/s, sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle with a slight chance of auroras over northern-tier US states as well. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
BIG SPRITES OVER OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma is a good place to see sprites--exotic forms of lightning that leap up from thunderstorms instead of down. On Oct. 21st, Paul Smith of Edmund, OK, photographed a giant batch:
"These were some of the largest spanning multi-events I have personally seen, with sometimes five or six sprites sequentially firing along the line of the storm for what must have been more than one hundred miles," says Smith. "It was a very strong and fast moving cold front with strong winds, large hail, tornadoes--perfect conditions for sprites."
Oklahoma is the epicenter of a region that we call "Sprite Alley," a corridor stretching across the US Great Plains where intense thunderstorms produce lots of sprites. Increasing levels of cosmic rays in the atmosphere may be boosting the phenomenon, because cosmic rays are known to help trigger lightning.
"I have been recording sprites since the summer of 2017 when I accidentally caught a few during the Perseid meteor shower," says Smith. "I now have hundreds of events on camera and I am out almost every night there are storms in my vicinity."
"Large frontal storm systems like the one we experienced on Oct. 21st are fairly typical in the southern plains during Fall, and I hope for more captures over the coming weeks," he adds. Stay tuned to his Facebook page and Youtube channel for the latest from Sprite Alley.
Realtime Sprite Photo Gallery
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THE SUNFLOWER SPACE PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the sunflower space pendant. On Oct. 18, 2019, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. This cheerful pendant went along for the ride, 109,923 feet high:
You can have it for $109.92 (its altitude divided by 1000). The students are selling these pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each rose gold-plated pendant comes with a greeting card showing the flower in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again. They make great birthday, anniversary and Christmas gifts.
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