HOPE ORBITS MARS, TIANWEN-1 TOO: In a first for the Arab world, the United Arab Emirate's Hope Probe (مسبار الأمل) has reached Mars. It entered orbit yesterday, commencing a 2 year mission to study the Red Planet's atmosphere. Following close behind, China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft entered orbit today. It's a first for China, too; although China has landed on the Moon 3 times, this is its first probe to Mars. NASA's Perseverance rover will join them on Feb. 18th.
PLASMA FALLS ON THE SUN: Imagine raindrops the size of boulders, scorching hot, falling from clouds of plasma 100,000 kilometers overhead. It's happening right now on the sun. Apollo Lasky photographed the spectacular plasma falls from his backyard observatory in Naperville, Illinois:
This is a huge cloud of solar plasma suspended above the sun's surface by magnetic fields. It's not entirely stable. Lasky's movie shows blobs and streamers of plasma breaking away and sliding back to the stellar surface. The "raindrops" don't fall straight down. They slide along curving lines of magnetic force like children on a twisty playground slide.
Wait. Why is the sun purple? Because Lasky used a "Calcium K" (CaK) filter narrowly tuned to the violet glow of solar calcium. Solar observers have to limit the glare of the sun somehow, and CaK filters are a popular option. They do a good job revealing hot plasma trapped in magnetic fields.
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VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Does someone in your life love space? Shop the Earth to Sky Store for their perfect Valentine's gift. All items in the store have flown to the stratosphere on board cosmic ray research balloons--and from now until Feb. 14th, everything is 10% off:
Each purchase comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Don't forget to enter the coupon code "ILOVESPACE" for your Valentine's discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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