YESTERDAY'S CME *WILL* MISS EARTH: Yesterday (Dec. 14th @ 1437 UT), sunspot AR2792 unleashed a C4-class solar flare (movie #1). The explosion caused a minor shortwave radio blackout over South America (map) and hurled a CME into space (movie #2). New computer modeling from NOAA confirms that the CME will miss Earth. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE SHADOW OF THE MOON: On Dec. 14th, Earth-orbiting satellites watched a dark spot race across the southern hemisphere. It was the shadow of the Moon:
This is what a solar eclipse looks like from space. When the New Moon passes in front of the sun, a Moon-shaped shadow lances out and touches the face of Earth. In this case, it made landfall in southern Chile and Argentina.
Inside the shadow, onlookers witnessed a total eclipse. The black disk of the Moon completely covered the sun, revealing the sun's ghostly corona.
Just one problem: As the satellite images show, the path of totality was almost completely overcast. Many observers had to squint through gaps in clouds to see the eclipse--hence this picture from Neuquen, Argentina:
"We got about 1.5 minutes of totality," says photographer Andreas Moeller. "My photo shows second contact with Baily's Beads, solar prominences, and shadow bands in the clouds." Not bad for a rainy day...
Got pictures? Submit them here.
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GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is less than two weeks away. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons. From now until Christmas, all gifts are 10% off:
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All items come with a greeting card showing the gifts in flight, and telling the story of their journey to the edge of space and back again. Don't forget to enter coupon code "SPACESANTA" at checkout for a 10% holiday discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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