THIS WEEK'S CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MARS: Get ready. Earth and Mars are about to have a close encounter--one of the best since 2003. On Tuesday, Oct. 6th, Mars will be only 62 million km from Earth. Shining in the midnight sky almost 3 times brighter than Sirius, the Red Planet will look like a Hubble photo through mid-sized backyard telescopes. Here's where to look.
PINK AURORAS BLANKET NORWAY: When the sun went down Friday evening in Norway's Lofoten islands, an incredible layer-cake of lights appeared. From bottom to top: twilight blue, bright pink and geomagnetic green. "In my opinion, this is probably the best time of day for aurora photography," says Eric Fokke, who took this picture from the rocky shore:
The pink band is striking. It bisects the sky, separating terrestrial hues below from green auroras above. In fact, the pink band is a type of aurora, too. It's called "the nitrogen fringe." Most auroras are green--the color of oxygen atoms being struck by energetic particles typically 100 km to 200 km above Earth's surface. Pink appears when energetic particles from space descend lower than usual, striking nitrogen molecules at the 100 km level and below.
During Fokke's exposure, a minor crack opened in Earth's magnetic field, allowing the electrons to descend. The resulting "pink could even be seen reflecting at the water's edge," points out Fokke. "It was a beautiful display."
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
THE PINK AURORA PEARL: Inspired by the color of rare pink auroras, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a pink pearl to the stratosphere on Sept. 25th. It hitched a ride onboard the students' cosmic ray balloon, and reached an altitude 112,205 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $249.95. The students are selling space pearls to support their cosmic ray monitoring program. Measuring 9 mm in diameter, the Aurora 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