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.
BRIGHT STARLINK SATELLITES OVER ARIZONA: On Saturday, June 13th, SpaceX launched 58 more Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. This morning, amateur astronomer Paul Maley watched 54 of them fly over his home in Carefree, Arizona:
"The entire train flew directly overhead," says Maley. "This video shows them passing by the star Altair (magnitude 0.8). At first you can see 3 very faint satellites leading the pack. The rest were much brighter, easily naked-eye objects in the magnitude range +1 to 0."
SpaceX has been launching Starlink satellites since May 2019. This weekend's additions bring to 540 the total number of Starlinks in orbit. Elon Musk has said that SpaceX will need at least 800 Starlink satellites to begin providing moderate internet coverage to customers in the United States and Canada, with numbers eventually swelling to 12,000 or more. Whether the benefits of Starlink internet service offset their potential damage to the night sky remains to be seen.
Realtime Starlink Photo Gallery
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A FATHER'S DAY GIFT FOR TREKKIES: Mr. Sulu has been to the stratosphere. The helmsman of the starship Enterprise (NCC-1701) hitched a ride onboard a Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon on May 21st. Here he is, floating 107,611 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have him for $119.95. The students are selling Sulu bobbleheads to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing Sulu in flight and telling the story of his journey to the edge of space and back again. This makes a great Father's Day gift for fans of Star Trek.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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