THE CMEs ARE COMING: Later today, a series of CMEs is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. They were launched in our direction on May 22-23 by flaring sunspot AR2824. Although the CMEs are relatively minor, there are several of them, and their combined impact could spark geomagnetic storms as strong as category G2. High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on May 25-26. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: It's less than a day away. Tomorrow, May 26th, the full Moon will pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a total lunar eclipse. 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.
Other time zones: UT, CDT, MDT, PDT, AKDT, HDT. Credit: Larry Koehn.
The eclipse can be seen from parts of 5 continents: Antarctica, Australia, Asia, North and South America. In the USA, the best place to be is near the west coast, where the eclipse will unfold entirely before sunrise on Wednesday, around 4:20 am Pacific Time. The low-hanging Moon will look extra big and beautiful because of the Moon Illusion. On the east coast, the eclipse will not be visible at all.
Visibility maps: World, USA. How to: Photograph the Lunar Eclipse. Got pictures? Submit them here.
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STRANGE RING-SHAPED SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is emerging west of AR2824, and it's a little strange. The ring-shaped active region is inset in this magnetic map from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
Not only is the sunspot's shape unusual, but also its magnetic field. Usually the magnetic poles of sunspots are aligned roughly east-west. AR2824 (-/+) is a good example. But the poles of the new sunspot are rotated ~90 degrees from normal, almost perpendicular to the sun's equator.
This new sunspot is worth monitoring. Amateur astronomers with safely-filtered telescopes, you know what to do!
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STERLING SILVER HUMMINGBIRD: This hummingbird has touched space. The sterling silver pendant hitched a ride to the stratosphere on Jan. 15, 2021, when the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon. Here it is, floating 111,202 feet above the snow-capped Sierra Nevada of central California:
You can have it for $142.95. The students are selling hummingbird pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the hummingbird in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. It makes an out-of-this-world birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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