SOLAR SECTOR BOUNDARY CROSSING: Earth is about to cross a fold in the heliospheric current sheet--a vast wavy structure in interplanetary space separating regions of opposite magnetic polarity. The crossing, called a "solar sector boundary crossing," is expected on June 16th and could trigger minor geomagnetic activity around Earth's poles. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
GIANT JELLYFISH SPRITES OVER EUROPE: Sprite season is underway in Europe. On June 13th, Czech photographer Daniel Ščerba-Elza recorded these giant jellyfish over a mesoscale convective thunderstorm:
"My camera was set up in the Jeseniky mountains," says Ščerba-Elza. "The sprites were more than 200 km away, across over border with Slovakia." Considering the distances involved, the jellyfish must have been nearly 50 km tall, measured from heads to tentacle-tips.
"The storm was very active," continues Ščerba-Elza. "During my observing session, I observed more than 30 clusters like this."
This kind of hyperactivity may be boosted by Solar Minimum, happening now. During this low phase of the solar cycle. cosmic rays from deep space flood into the inner solar system, allowed in by the sun's weakening magnetic field. Some models hold that cosmic rays help sprites get started by creating conductive paths in the atmosphere. That would make the summer of 2020 a good time to look for jellyfish in the sky.
Realtime Sprite Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS IN MOTION: Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) aren't like any other clouds on Earth. Indeed, they're barely on Earth at all. The clouds float 83 km above the planet's surface, seeded by meteoroids, glowing electric-blue ... oh, and they move strangely, too. Friedrich Deters photographed the clouds in motion from Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, on June 8th:
Even a short animation like this one shows the almost hypnotic motions of the cloud's finely-structured ripples. No other kind of cloud moves like an NLC, which twists and turns in the unique winds at the edge of space.
"Noctilucent clouds have spread well south of Canada," says Deters. "People just north of the Iowa border spotted them on June 8th as well. It felt a lot like last summer."
Indeed, last summer was remarkable. In 2019, NLCs spread as far south as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, setting records for low-latitude sightings. This summer could be just as good. Record-cold temperatures in the mesosphere are boosting NLC production, and they could be coming soon to a sky near you.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
APOLLO 11 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): Are you looking for a far-out Father's Day gift? Consider this: On July 20, 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing), the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this rare proof silver dollar to the stratosphere:
The US Mint created the coins to celebrate the first Moon landing--but you can no longer buy them from the Mint. You can, however, get one from Earth to Sky Calculus. The students are selling the collector's item for $229.95 to support their cosmic ray ballooning program.
The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's iconic footprint on the Moon. Included is a greeting card showing the coin in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter