CHINA'S SPACE STATION IS VISIBLE FROM EARTH: China's new space station is still under construction, but it's already big enough to see from Earth. The Tianhe-1 Core Module, launched on April 29th, is making a series of bright passes over the USA this week, alongside a tumbling booster rocket which is flaring brighter than the star Vega. See for yourself!
STRONG SOLAR FLARE: New sunspot AR2822 exploded on May 7th @ 1904 UT, producing an M3.9-class solar flare--to date the strongest flare of new Solar Cycle 25. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the explosion near the sun's northeastern limb:
A pulse of ultraviolet and X-radiation ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere. This, in turn, caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas. Areas and frequencies affected are shown in this map. Ham radio operators, aviators, and mariners might have noticed strange propagation conditions at frequencies below 20 MHz between 1900 UT and 1920 UT.
The explosion also hurled a CME into space. Coronagraph images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) will reveal if there is an Earth-directed component. We're still waiting for those data to arrive. Stay tuned for updates. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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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
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