SUNSET PLANET SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest. A whisper-thin crescent Moon is joining Venus and Jupiter to form a heavenly triangle in the sunset sky. Another triangle--same worlds, different vertices--will appear after sundown on Thanksgiving. Sky maps: Nov. 27, 28.
POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS: The stratosphere above the Arctic Circle is getting cold ... very cold. That's the only way to explain this heart-shaped cloud, which appeared yesterday over Abisko, Sweden:
Chad Blakley of Lights over Lapland took the picture and a video. "We were eating lunch when one of our aurora tour guides saw it out the window. The entire restaurant emptied out as we all went outside for a better view."
This is a polar stratospheric cloud (PSC). Normally, the stratosphere is free of clouds--completely transparent. That's because the stratosphere is very dry with a wide separation between sparse molecules of water. When the temperature drops to around -85ºC, however, those sparse molecules begin to reluctantly gather, forming crystals of ice that become PSCs.
Polar stratospheric clouds are remarkable for their vivid pastel colors. Some say they are the most beautiful clouds on Earth. "I can't argue with that," says Blakley. "Our first PSC of the season was a beauty!"
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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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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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