THE GEMINIDS ARE COMING: Earth is entering a stream of debris from rock comet 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Last night, NASA's network of all-sky meteor cameras detected 8 Geminid fireballs over the USA--a number that will sharply increase in the nights ahead. Forecasters expect more than 60 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on the night of Dec. 13/14: sky map.
NOCTILUCENT CLOUD SEASON BEGINS, FINALLY: Weeks later than usual, noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are finally forming over the South Pole. NASA's AIM spacecraft spotted the first electric-blue cloudlet high above East Antarctica on Dec. 8th:
NLCs are Earth’s highest clouds. They form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up from the poles to the edge of space. Water crystallizing around specks of meteor dust 83 km above Earth’s surface creates beautiful electric-blue structures. The southern season for NLCs usually begins in November. This year's onset has been delayed by strange Antarctic weather.
If the clouds return to form, they will blossom in the days ahead, completely ringing the South Pole within a week to 10 days. You can check their progress every day right here on Spaceweather.com.
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WHO NEEDS A GEOMAGNETIC STORM? On Dec. 10th, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field. "The geomagnetic storm didn't materialize, but the sun put on a show anyway," reports Harlan Thomas of West Kootenays, British Columbia. "I looked up and saw a network of luminous arcs and halos around the sun."
Ice crystals floating in high clouds are responsible. They caught the rays of the Canadian sun and bent them into a variety of beautiful shapes.
"I saw a 22-degree halo with sundogs, and a circumzenithal arc," says Thomas. "This was a first for me. Then I spied to the left a supralateral arc. A moment of complete silence passed as the beauty overwhelmed me. And then an upper tangent arc formed--what a day!"
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"SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH": This is a great gift for fans of Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. On Nov. 28, 2020, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a pod of laser-etched dolphins to the stratosphere. Riding onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, they traveled 34.7 km (113,845 feet) above Earth's surface:
You can have them for $99.95. The students are selling this and other edge of space gifts to support their cosmic ray monitoring program.The crystal sphere comes with a unique gift card showing the dolphins in flight and telling the story of their journey to the edge of space. Also included is a multi-colored LED illuminated stand. This creates a colorful visual effect and allows the orb to be used as a far-out night light.
Don't forget to enter coupon code "BLACKPEARL" at checkout for an extended 15% Black Friday discount.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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