AURORA FORECAST: A high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 6th. The gaseous material is flowing from a southern hole in the sun's atmosphere. The stream probably won't cause a full-fledged geomagnetic storm, but enhanced auroras around the Arctic Circle are likely. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SOLAR FLARE ACTIVITY: Giant sunspot AR2781 is crackling with solar flares. This morning in Cannes, France, amateur astronomer Francois Rouviere caught one of them in action:
"One minute only separates these two images of the great solar active region AR2781," says Rouviere. "The flare, observed here in ultraviolet light, disappeared shortly afterwards."
So far, the strongest solar flare from AR2781 has been a C7-class explosion at 0022 UT on Nov. 5th. X-rays and UV radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a brief low-frequency radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean and Australia. This NOAA blackout map shows the areas affected:
Mariners and ham radio operators in the region might have noticed signals fading, especially at frequencies below 10 MHz.
More C-class flares are almost guaranteed in the hours ahead, with a slight change of even stronger M-class flares. Amateur astronomers with safely-filtered solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments. Catching a flare in action is rarely this easy. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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PIONEER 10 CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: In 1972, NASA launched a gold-anodized aluminum plaque onboard the Pioneer 10 spacecraft. Its purpose: To tell alien civilizations about Earth. Today the plaque is at the edge of interstellar space. On Oct. 24, 2020, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched their own copy onboard a cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $71.95. This ceramic Pioneer 10 plaque traveled 102,362 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, experiencing near-vacuum, cosmic rays, and space-like cold. It's the closest thing on Earth to the actual plaque.
The students are selling these replicas to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a red ribbon for hanging on your Christmas tree! You'll also receive a greeting card showing the ornament 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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