SOLAR CYCLE UPDATE: Solar Maximum might arrive sooner than expected. Recent sunspot counts suggest that new Solar Cycle 25 is over-performing compared to official forecasts, and could peak in 2024 instead of 2025: Full Story.
AURORAS IN THE USA: A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field during the late hours of April 16th. During the subsequent geomagnetic storm, auroras spilled across the Canadian border into the USA. Greg Ash photographed the display from Ely, Minnesota:
"I was so happy when the clouds started to part this morning at 3:00 a.m. and I was able to catch the beautiful colors of the aurora," says Ash. "Even the loons sung with joy!"
During the 6-hour geomagnetic storm (category G1), auroras punched through Arctic twilight in Finland and Norway, spread across the skies of southern New Zealand, and made an appearance several more northern-tier USA states: Michigan, Montana, and Washington. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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MOTHER'S DAY IS MAY 9TH: 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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