THE SOLAR WIND IS HERE: A minor stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field today, stirring geomagnetic unrest around the poles. The gaseous material is flowing from a northern hole in the sun's atmosphere. Antarctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras in austral winter darkness. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Last night, July 5-6, a major outbreak of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) blanketed Europe. Electric-blue tendrils of frosted meteor smoke rippled over almost every European capital from Scandinavia to the Adriatic. "It was the most phenomenal display of NLCs I've seen in my life," says Viktor Veres, who photographed the outbreak from Budapest, Hungary:
"I was just getting ready for dinner when one of my friends, Alex, cried 'NLC party time!'," says Veres. "The electric-blue clouds were almost directly overhead. I sprinted to the car (partially dressing in the street) and drove up Gellért Hill for a view of the clouds over the most famous sights of Budapest--the Danube River, Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, and Parliament. And, yes, my dinner got cold."
Paris was also "overcast" by noctilucent clouds. "They were very bright," reports Bertrand Kulik, who shot them floating above the Eiffel Tower:
"The shapes of the noctilucent waves were out of this world!" he says.
NLCs are Earth’s highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space 83 km above the ground. The clouds form during summer when wisps of water vapor rise up to the mesosphere, allowing water to crystallize around specks of meteor smoke. This summer, record cold temperatures in the mesosphere are boosting their production.
Last night's mega-display in Europe comes on the heels of a 4th of July sighting in southern California at the same latitude as Los Angeles. It seems that everyone should be alert for noctilucent clouds. Dusk and dawn are the best times to look; here's why.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
COMET NEOWISE MEETS NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: When European astronomers woke up this morning to photograph Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3), they saw something they didn't expect. The sunrise comet was surrounded by noctilucent clouds. Petr Horálek caught the once-in-a-lifetime shot from Seč, Czech Republic:
"Noctilucent clouds crossed the skies like spider webs," says Horálek. "They are caused by ice crystals on particles of meteoric dust. This dust often comes from comets' tails. And here we are – both phenomena can be seen in one image as bright Comet NEOWISE is on the left, rising in the glory of morning dawn."
Similar scenes were observed in Benton City, Washington; Great Falls, Montana; Spicheren, France; Monte Grappa, Italy; Turek, Poland; Čadca, Slovak republic; Berlin, Germany; and Lublin, Poland. It was a rare morning, indeed.
As July unfolds, Comet NEOWISE will move away from the sun into progressively darker skies. It will remain a morning comet for the next ~week, then, by mid-month, shift to evening skies where casual star gazers can see it without waking at the crack of dawn. They might see some noctilucent clouds, too. Sky maps: July 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
Realtime Comet NEOWISE Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
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
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter