THE SUN IS TAKING A NAP: About a week ago, the sun became quiet. Solar flare activity dropped and new sunspot production stalled. Why? It's because Solar Cycle 25 is still young--and young cycles often take naps. Normally, they don't last long. Stay tuned for the wake up call.
NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS OVER PARIS: Last night, noctilucent clouds (NLCs) spilled out of the Arctic Circle and covered more than half of Europe. Their electric-blue forms were observed as far south as the Italian Alps. Photographer Bertrand Kulik was sitting on his balcony in District 15 of Paris when the clouds arrived, and this is what he saw:
"They were bright and beautiful," says Kulik. At one point NLCs extended more than 50 degrees above the horizon, according to another Parisian observer, Sylvain Verlaine.
NLCs are clouds of frosted meteor smoke. They form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise to the edge of space (~83 km high) and crystallize around disintegrated meteoroids. Long ago they were confined to the Arctic, but in recent years NLCs have been spreading south with sightings in places like London, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles.
Is another big southern excursion in the offing? That's what happened 2 years ago when Kulik photographed NLCs over the Eiffer Tower from the same balcony. In June 2019, a Parisian display heralded sightings at record-low latitudes around the world.
Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset (or before sunrise) when the sun is just below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you may have spotted a noctilucent cloud.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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LIMITED EDITION MIRROR KIRK: There are 1000 of these somewhere on Earth ... but only this one has been to the stratosphere. On June 16, 2021, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a limited edition Mirror Kirk onboard their cosmic ray research balloon. Here he is floating 97,234 feet above Mono Lake in central California:
You can have him for $170.10 (the serial number of the Enterprise divided by 10). Modeled after the evil Kirk seen in the classic "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek (the original series), this 8" statue is made of high-quality polystone resin and expertly painted. It comes with a greeting card showing Kirk in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, 1000 Mirror Kirk statues were manufactured and sold at sci-fi conventions in 2016. We've collected a few of these rarities to fly to the stratosphere. Get yours now.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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