BOOSTER ROCKET RE-ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE: An out-of-control booster rocket that had been following China's new space station around Earth is history. The behemoth Long March 5B disintegrated during the early hours of May 9th, scattering debris into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. No human were harmed. [full story]
ACTIVE SUNSPOT: Sunspot AR2822 continues to be active, producing more than half a dozen C-class solar flares in the past 24 hours. The following image shows why. The sunspot, inset on a magnetic map of the sun's surface, is a hodge-podge of magnetic polarities:
Positive and negative magnetic fields are bumping together. When magnetic field lines criss, cross, and reconnect--boom! The result is a solar flare.
So far the flares from AR2822 have done little to affect Earth (beyond some relatively minor shortwave radio blackouts). This could change in the week ahead. AR2822 is rotating to face Earth, and our planet could soon be in the strike-zone for coronal mass ejection (CMEs). Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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WHISKEY STONES FROM SPACE: It's the gift for the person who has everything: Whisky Stones from Space. These granite cubes have experienced the cold of the stratosphere, more than 50 degrees below zero! Put them in your cup for an truly out of this world drink:
You can have a set of 9 cubes for $99.95 (glass not included). The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling whiskey stones to support their cosmic ray monitoring program. The ones picture above flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on April 23, 2021, reaching an altitude of 97,543 feet.
Refrigerated whiskey stones cool a drink without diluting it, solving the problem of ordinary melting ice cubes. They make great Father's Day and birthday gifts. All stones come with a greeting card showing the items in flight.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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