HALLOWEEN CONJUNCTION: When the sun goes down tonight, Oct. 31st, step outside and look southwest. Jupiter and the slender crescent Moon are side-by-side in the constellation Sagittarius. If you can, try to catch them before the sky fades to black. An evening conjunction framed by twilight blue is extra heavenly. [sky map] [photos]
SPACE PUMPKIN SETS HIGH ALTITUDE RECORD--THE VIDEO: Every year around Halloween, something spooky happens to the Spaceweather.com--Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program. It turns into a pumpkin! Launched by students on Oct. 18th, this year's Jack O'Lantern soared 109,908 feet above Earth, breaking the previous high-altitude mark for space pumpkins (set by us in 2017) by more than 2600 feet. When you play the video, be sure to turn up the volume to hear the original soundtrack, composed and performed by Earth to Sky student Anna Herbst:
We do this every October. Why? Because it stretches our skills as balloonists. Using a giant orange squash as a payload instead of our usual insulated capsule challenges us to invent ways to keep electronics warm, to mount the cosmic ray sensors, to GPS-track the flight. And it's so much fun!
We have been launching cosmic ray balloons from the Sierra Nevada mountains of California almost once a week since 2015, gathering a unique record of radiation in Earth's atmosphere. Since the launches began, atmospheric radiation has increased almost 20%--a counterintuitive side-effect of Solar Minimum.
Realtime Spaceweather Photo Gallery
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ARCTIC ALERT FOR AURORA BOO-REALIS: Earth is entering a stream of solar wind flowing from a southern hole in the sun's atmosphere. This is causing geomagnetic unrest and auroras around the Arctic Circle. Tour guide Marianne Bergli photographed the display from the island of Ringvassøy, Norway:
"A wonderful purple aurora is dancing in the skies above," says Bergli.
In auroras, purple is a sign of nitrogen. While oxygen atoms produce the common green glow in Bergli's image, the less-common purple comes from molecular nitrogen ions at very high altitudes. For some reason, the current solar wind stream is exciting high-altitude nitrogen, and Bergli witnessed its telltale hue.
More purple may be in the offing as Earth moves deeper into the solar wind stream on Oct. 31st. Arctic trick-or-treaters should be alert for aurora boo-realis. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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THE SHOOTING STAR PENDANT: It's simple. It's elegant. And it's been to the edge of space. On Sept. 27th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere. This stainless steel "shooting star" pendant hitched a ride, all the way to 108,245 feet:
You can have it for $89.95. The students are selling shooting star pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again. These make great birthday and Christmas gifts.
Bonus: The star contains a hidden chamber, which you may fill with the ashes of a loved one or anything else you wish to keep close to your heart.
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