POSSIBLE FARSIDE SUNPOTS: NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is monitoring a bright UV hotspot on the farside of the sun, here. It could be a significant sunspot group. If so, we will see its dark cores rotating over the sun's southeastern limb in a few days. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
SUNRISE SOLAR ECLIPSE: When the sun rises over northeastern Canada and the USA on Thursday morning, something will be missing -- a big piece of the sun. It's a sunrise solar eclipse. This map from GreatAmericanEclipse.com shows who can see it:
Beach communities up and down the Atlantic Coast will have a great view of the crescent-shaped sun rising over ocean waves. If you're in New York City, find a tall building with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon; the dawn will be unforgettable. Later, after the eclipsed sun climbs into the morning sky, iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty can be framed next to the fiery crescent. Photo-op!
This is, technically, an annular eclipse. The Moon is a fraction too small to cover the entire solar disk. The path of annularity, where the eclipsed sun looks like a luminous ring, curves across the northern reaches of 3 countries: Canada, Greenland, and Russia (check out the map). Many more people will see the crescent-shaped partial eclipse, which occurs over urban population centers such as New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Montreal and Toronto.
Warning: Even during an eclipse, the sun can damage your eyes. Always use safe solar filters and ISO-approved eclipse viewing glasses.
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GELATINOUS SUN: So you thought the sun was made of plasma? A new video might change your mind. On June 4th, Apollo Lasky of Naperville, Illinois, was observing sunspot AR2829 when this happened:
"Apparently the sun is made of jello," laughs Lasky, who captured the flyby using a homemade solar telescope and high-speed video camera running at 500 fps.
The fast-moving commercial jet came as a complete surprise and created a lot of atmospheric optics. Behind the plane, the engines' turbulent exhaust completely scrambled the sunspot's image. Up front, near the nose, the aerodynamic flow was less chaotic, gently refracting the contours of the sunspot around the fuselage; this is the "jello effect."
Watch the video one more time and pay special attention to the front of the engines. The sunspot itself looks like it is being sucked into the air scoop. Jello or jet fuel? You decide.
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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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