SOLAR MINIMUM CONDTIONS ARE IN EFFECT: Solar Minimum, how can we miss you if you won't go away? So far this year, the sun has been blank (without spots) 60% of the time--including the last 10 days in a row. Solar flare activity is nil, and the sun's X-ray output has flatlined. This surprising quiet spell comes on the heels of a surge in solar activity late last year; new Solar Cycle 25 is off to a sputtering start. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
SOLAR WIND SPARKS AURORAS (UPDATED): A stream of solar wind hit Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 13th, briefly sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. "The lights last night were fantastic," reports Markus Varik, who sends this picture from Tromsø, Norway:
The gaseous material came from the tip of a broad triangular hole in the sun's atmosphere--unfortunately, just the tip. After only a day of elevated wind speeds, Earth is already exiting the stream. This is lowering the odds of more auroras on Valentine's Day. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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LIGHT PILLARS OVER MICHIGAN: They look like auroras. They are not. "These light pillars appeared on Feb. 12th just after the New Moon," says Adrian T. Bradley of Alcona Park, Michigan. "They were quite colorful."
Light pillars are caused by ice crystals in the air which intercept manmade lights and spread them into colorful columns. The colors correspond to high pressure sodium lamps (warm orange) and modern LED lamps (blue-green). No solar activity is required for the phenomenon. The only ingredients are ice and light pollution.
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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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