NEXT WEEK: A LUNAR ECLIPSE! On May 26th, the full Moon will pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a total lunar eclipse visible from parts of Asia, Antarctica, Australia and the Americas. For 14 and a half minutes, the disk of the Moon will turn orange--the same color as the core of our planet's shadow. In the USA, this will be a crack-of-dawn event visible from the western half of the country. Visibility maps: World, USA. How to: Photograph the Lunar Eclipse.
SLEEPING SUNSPOT WAKES UP: Formerly quiet sunspot AR2824 is suddenly crackling with solar flares. It's almost hyperactive. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded seven C-class flares and two M-class flares during a 12-hour period on May 22nd:
These rapidfire explosions have hurled multiple overlapping CMEs into space. NOAA analysts are still untangling the clouds to determine if any might hit Earth. So far, none appears to be squarely Earth-directed, but glancing blows are possible in the days ahead. Stay tuned for updates.
The flares are strobing Earth with pulses of ultraviolet radiation. Waves of ionization rippling through Earth's upper atmosphere are causing intermittant shortwave radio blackouts. The deepest so far occured over North America on May 22nd (~1715 UT) during an M1.1-class flare: map. Ham radio operators, aviators and mariners might have noticed unusual propagation at frequencies below ~20 MHz. 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 cubes in flight.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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