FREE BALLOON FLIGHTS TO THE STRATOSPHERE: Hey, did your science class get cancelled? Are you stuck at home with nothing to do? Maybe now is the time to visit the stratosphere. We're giving away high-altitude balloon launches to students and citizen scientists who have good ideas for experiments. The program is called FREELIFT, and you're invited to participate.
TWO SOLAR CYCLES ARE ACTIVE AT ONCE: Today, there are two sunspots in the sun's southern hemisphere. Their magnetic polarity reveals something interesting: They come from different solar cycles. Take a look at this magnetic map of the sun's surface (with sunspots inset) from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
One sunspot (AR2760) belongs to old Solar Cycle 24, while the other (AR2761) belongs to new Solar Cycle 25. We know this because of Hale's polarity law. AR2760 is +/- while AR2761 is -/+, reversed signs that mark them as belonging to different cycles.
This is actually normal. Solar cycles always overlap at their boundaries, sprinkling Solar Minimum with a mixture of old- and new-cycle sunspots. Sometimes, like today, they pop up simultaneously. We might see more such combinations in the months ahead as we slowly grind our way through one of the deepest Solar Minima in a century.
The simultaneous appearance of two solar cycles suggests a type of temporary balance. In fact, the tipping point may have already been reached. So far this year, there have been 7 numbered sunspots. Five of them (71%) have come from Solar Cycle 25. This compares to only 17% in 2019 and 0% in 2018. Slowly but surely, Solar Cycle 25 is coming to life.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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AURORAS VS. TWILIGHT: It's that time of year. Arctic auroras are disappearing--swallowed by the waxing glow of the summer sun. "Time is running out for the auroras as bright summer nights take over here in the North," says Thomas Kast of Oulu, Finland. "Last night (April 26th) I might have seen the last auroras of the season."
"As you can see, the Baltic Sea near Oulu is still frozen," he points out. "The ice, the auroras, the twilight, the crescent Moon and Venus--it was just a magical combination."
"In 2015, I saw the last auroras of the season on April 27th, so there might be a chance for a few minutes of colorful skies tonight before we call it quits until autumn," says Kast.
Good luck to Arctic sky watchers!
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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MOTHER'S DAY IS ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY! Are you looking for an out-of-this world Mother's Day gift? Consider this: Every time the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch a cosmic ray balloon, they include something extra in the payload--something Mom will love:
Every item in the Earth to Sky Store has flown to the edge of space and comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of the gift's journey from launch to landing. Mom-satisfaction guaranteed!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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