SOLAR WIND FORECAST: A stream of solar wind could hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 14th. The gaseous material is flowing from a canyon-like hole in the sun's southern atmosphere, and could spark a brief episode of Arctic auroras when it arrives. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
FALL COLORS IN THE ARCTIC: It's still summer in Scandinavia. Nevertheless... "Last night, I saw Fall colors," reports Rayann Elzein of Utsjoki, Finland. "The sky filled with green and purple during a two hour display of aurora borealis."
"The Moon lit up golden trees on the shore of the Teno River here in Utsjoki," says Elzein. Together with the auroras, "it was a very autumnal scene."
Indeed, autumn is aurora season. During the weeks around equinoxes, even a gentle gust of solar wind can spark bright polar auroras. At this time of year, cracks open in Earth's magnetic field--a phenomenon known as the "Russell-McPherron effect." Solar wind pours through the gaps, fueling auroras.
The autumnal equinox is less than two weeks away. Let the light show begin!
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MARTIAN SKIES OVER SAN FRANCISCO: If Mars had a Fisherman's Wharf, this is what it would look like:
Mila Zinkova took the picture from San Francisco's Pier 39 on Sept. 9th. "The atmosphere was eerie and apocalyptic," says Zinkova. "The sky was orange, and it was so dark that streetlights were on in the middle of the day. It felt as if the whole of San Francisco had moved to Mars."
The sky was colored Martian-red by smoke from historic wildfires raging out of control in California and Oregon. So much daylight was blotted out, some are calling it "the day the sun did not come up in San Francisco." To illustrate how dark it was, Zinkova made a 6 minute video which ends with a mailman delivering mail, using a headlight to read the addresses.
Another resident, Scott Boyd, photographed the alien hue of San Francisco's iconic row houses:
"I woke up this morning to a Mars-like orange sky that persisted throughout the day," says Boyd. "High smoke coupled with a dense fog layer combined to make a featureless orange that blanketed the City by the Bay."
In the way it responds to smoke, San Francisco is special. The city's marine layer buffers smoke, holding it high above the ground. Tiny smoke particles scatter blue light before it can reach the city streets, allowing only reds to pass. The result: Mars on Earth. Let's hope it ends soon.
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NEED BABY YODA, YOU DO: Baby Yoda has been to the stratosphere. The future Jedi left Earth onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon. Here he is floating Force-free 107,611 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have Baby Yoda for $119.95. The students are selling these adorable bobbleheads to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. They make great birthday, Christmas, and graduation gifts. Each one comes with a greeting card showing Yoda in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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