THE SURPRISING WAY SOLAR STORMS BEACH WHALES: A new study published this week in the research journal Current Biology shows that solar storms can confuse grey whales and cause them to strand on beaches. Surprisingly, the problem is *not* caused by geomagnetic storms. Instead, solar radio bursts are throwing the whales off course. FULL STORY.
LEAP DAY AURORAS: A stream of solar wind blowing ~500 km/s is gently buffeting Earth's magnetic field today, and this is causing geomagnetic unrest around the Arctic Circle. As a result, longtime aurora photographer Thomas Kast captured his first photo of Northern Lights on Leap Day:
"Finally, auroras on Feb. 29th!" says Kast, who sends this picture from the Baltic Sea near Oulu, Finland. "Strong winds were moving huge ice chunks on the frozen sea surface. This created long cracks in the ice and let water rise to create small frozen ponds--perfect for reflecting the auroras overhead."
"The sound of working ice and water just underneath your feet ... it created a special atmosphere for this shot," he adds. More Arctic auroras are possible on March 1st as the solar wind continues to blow. Stay tuned. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
A GIFT FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: The most beautiful clouds on Earth are located in the stratosphere: Polar Stratospheric Clouds. Their extraordinary colors inspired this authentic Swarovski pendant--and it has been to the stratosphere! On Nov. 2, 2019, it hitched a ride 109,580 feet high on board an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $179.95. The students are selling Stratospheric Cloud Pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each heart-shaped pendant comes with a card showing it floating through the stratosphere like a real cloud, and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter