20 YEARS AGO, AN EXTREME GEOMAGNETIC STORM: 20 years ago today, a powerful CME slammed into Earth's magnetosphere, sparking an extreme geomagnetic storm. Bright auroras were seen as far south as Houston, Texas, and San Diego, California. Technological systems avoided damage mainly because a second CME arrived later in the day and, ironically, turned the storm off before it could grow any stronger. Learn more about this fascinating event right here. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
AURORAS AND A VOLCANO: Iceland's Geldingadalur volcano is turning into a must-stop destination for aurora photographers. The latest photo combining geothermal and geomagnetic activity comes from Wioleta Gorecka standing on the banks of the iconic Blue Lagoon:
"My friend had the great idea to take a picture of the BIG THREE: the Geldingadalur volcano, which just erupted, Northern Lights and the Blue Lagoon," says Gorecka. "We were lucky. On March 31st, a little surge of geomagnetic activity produced swirls of green near the volcano's plume; both were reflected in the still waters of the lagoon. It was a wonderful night!"
Pro tip for other photographers on the Reykjanes peninsula: A solar wind stream could hit Earth's magnetosphere on April 4th. That would be a good night to try your own aurora shot near Geldingadalur. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
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WILL SHE SAY 'YES'? Lots of photographers plan their shots ahead of time. Few, however, have so much at stake. Last week, Vladut Mihai took this carefully planned selfie of himself proposing marriage:
"I left nothing to chance," he says. "I calculated the position of the moonrise for a few months, and performed some tests. Often I had problems with small clouds on the horizon, so I had to wait for clear skies, always checking the weather forecast. On March 29th, it all came together. I found a small hill, positioned the camera about 350m away, and started filming. I had to run, because I had to appear in the picture too. :))"
"She said YES!" says Mihai. Planning pays off, after all.
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CHRISTA MCAULIFFE 2021 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR: The US Mint has just released a new proof silver dollar commemorating the life of Christa McAuliffe, a social studies teacher selected in 1985 for NASA's Teacher in Space Program. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus have honored her, too, by flying the coin to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have this coin for $159.95. The students are selling edge of space silver dollars to support their STEM cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a certificate of authenticity and a greeting card showing the coin in flight.
On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe and six astronauts were killed during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Earth to Sky mentor Dr. Tony Phillips, then an undergraduate astronomy student, followed her career and witnessed the explosion. It is fair to say that our ballooning program exists, in part, because of her example and dedication to space education.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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