RETURN TO QUIET: A new-cycle sunpot that unleashed a flurry of solar flares on May 29th has disintegrated--so quickly that it didn't even have time to be officially numbered. Solar Minimum is back. But the episode shows that it might not last much longer. Stay tuned for more signs of life from Solar Cycle 25. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
BRIGHT NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: According to NASA's AIM spacecraft, a bright ring of frosted meteor smoke is circling the North Pole. Last night, people in northern Europe saw it with their own eyes. Andreea Negru sends this picture from Edinburgh, Scotland:
"Our season for noctilucent clouds (NLCs) started last night," says Negru. "It was a bright display."
NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space more than 80 km above the ground. The clouds form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up to the mesosphere, allowing water to crystallize around specks of meteor smoke.
Last summer, NLCs spread as far south as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, setting records for low-latitude sightings. This summer could be similar. The clouds are off to an unusually early start with many veteran observers seeing them in May for the first time. At this rate, June could be really good. Stay tuned for electric-blue.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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THE INFINITY BLACK PEARL: It came from Tahiti--and now it's been to the edge of space. On April 15, 2020, this genuine Black Tahitian South Sea Cultured Pearl flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon, soaring 107,611 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $249.95. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling these exotic space pearls to fund their cosmic ray monitoring program.
Measuring 9 mm in diameter, the pearl is mounted on a 925 sterling silver infinity twist and suspended on a matching 17 inch long 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.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
CREW DRAGON CHASES THE ISS: A SpaceX spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts roared into space Saturday, marking the first time Americans have traveled to Earth orbit from US soil in nearly a decade. Liftoff occurred just after 3:20 pm ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule is now chasing the International Space Station (ISS), a pursuit Kevin R. Witman photographed from Cochranville, Pennsylvania:
"It was an amazing and historic scene," says Witman. "The International Space Station was incredibly bright. It was so easy to identify as it glowed with a distinct reddish hue. The SpaceX Crew Dragon was a bit more difficult in bright moonlight, but definitely there!"
Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will spend about 19 hours flying inside the Crew Dragon as it maneuvers toward the ISS. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the space station around at 10:29 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 31.
UPDATE: The Crew Dragon has docked with the ISS. Congratulations to SpaceX and NASA!
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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