THE SUN IS BLANK AGAIN: Less than 3 days after it first appeared, radio-active sunspot AR2758 has disintegrated, leaving the sun blank. Solar minimum conditions are in effect, and the spotless days counter is incrementing again. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
AURORAS VS. THE MOON: Spoiler alert: The auroras won. "A beautiful swirl of green auroras corkscrewed through the midnight sky on March 10th," reports Rayann Elzein of Utsjoki, Finland. "The full Moon was no match for this geomagnetic display."
Auroras were not in the forecast for March 10th. What happened? A crack opened in Earth's magnetic field. Solar wind poured through to fuel the luminous outburst.
This is the time of year for cracks in Earth's magnetic field. It's called the "Russell-McPherron effect." During weeks around equinoxes, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) connects to Earth's magnetic field--prying open cracks where the solar wind can penetrate. As a result, March is the most geomagnetically active month of the year, with October a close second.
Auroras may get another crack at the moonlight on March 12th when a stream of solar wind is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a southern hole in the sun's atmosphere. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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A BLACK PEARL IN THE STRATOSPHERE: It came from Tahiti--and now it's been to the edge of space. On Feb. 27, 2020, this genuine Black Tahitian South Sea Cultured Pearl flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon, soaring more than 100,000 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $219.95. The students are selling these exotic space pearls to fund their cosmic ray monitoring program. Measuring 10 mm in diameter, the pearl has an 18K white gold clasp and is suspended from a matching 925 Sterling Silver chain. Each pearl comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
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