SUNSPOT GENESIS: A new sunspot is materializing in the sun's southern hemisphere, right here. It has half a dozen Moon-sized dark cores, scattered across an area 50,000 km wide. This disorganized spot group so far poses no threat for strong solar flares. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
TWILIGHT AURORAS: Inside the Arctic Circle, sky watchers are witnessing a rare mix of colors: twilight blue and aurora green. Rayann Elzein sends this picture, taken April 11th, from Utsjoki, Finland:
"Here at 70°N, our nights are not getting completely dark anymore," explains Elzein. "When I took this picture near midnight the sun was barely 10 degrees below the horizon."
Soon the arctic Midnight Sun will emerge in full. "In 3 to 4 days, it will not be possible to see even the brightest Northern Lights," he says. "I will keep an eye on the sky in the next few nights. Otherwise see you again in late August!" Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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COMET ATLAS APPROACHES EARTH: On April 23rd, Comet ATLAS (C/2020 R4) will pass by Earth about 69 million km (43 million miles) away. It will *not* be visible to the naked eye. But if you have a telescope, you could see something like this:
Michael Jaeger photographed Comet ATLAS last night from Weißenkirchen, Austria. It's round, green, and starting to sprout a stubby tail. With a magnitude of +9, the comet is an easy target for backyard telescopes larger than 6 inches.
You'll have to wake up early to find it; Comet ATLAS is in the pre-dawn sky gliding through the constellations Hercules and Corona Borealis (sky map). Point your optics at these coordinates.
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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YES, YOUR MOM LOVES SPACE: Are you looking for an out-of-this world Mother's Day gift? Consider this: Every time the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch a cosmic ray balloon, they include something extra in the payload--something Mom will love:
Every item in the Earth to Sky Store has flown to the edge of space and comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of the gift's journey from launch to landing. Mom-satisfaction guaranteed!
Mother's Day Special: Use coupon code "SPACEMOM" at checkout for a 10% discount. Offer valid from now until Mother's Day (May 9, 2021) .
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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