SUNSPOT GENESIS: Two days ago, sunspot AR2835 didn't exist. Now it's the size of twin planets as wide as Earth. A 36-hour movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows sunspot genesis in action. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
3 ASTRONAUTS AND A SPACE STATION: China's new space station is now occupied. Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are onboard, preparing the outpost for expansion. On June 24th the crowded station flew over Manorville, New York, where Philip Smith snapped this picture:
"This was the view through my 14-inch telescope as the Chinese space station soared almost overhead," says Smith. "I did not see the solar panels in this pass in the way I hoped, but I will keep trying!"
The astronauts arrived on June 17th for a 3 month mission to bring the Tianhe-1 core module into service. When they are finished, the station will be ready for more. China plans to launch two more modules and link them to the Tianhe-1, turning the existing 16.6m-long, 4.2m-wide cylinder into a Mir-class facility. The final product will weigh nearly 70 tons with living quarters, science labs and even a Hubble-class telescope to view the cosmos.
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NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS OVER ITALY: Paolo Bardelli wanted noctilucent clouds (NLCs) for his birthday. He got them. "On June 25th the sky was filled with bright noctilucent clouds far beyond the zenith!" says Bardelli, who photographed the display from Sumirago (Varese), Italy:
"A truly unforgettable birthday present for my first 50 years!" says Bardelli.
NLCs are clouds of frosted meteor smoke. They form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up to the edge of space and crystallize around disintegrated meteoroids. Just after sunset or before sunrise is the best time to look.
The noctilucent clouds of 2021 may be the best of Bardelli's entire life. Literally. There probably hasn't been a summer in the past 50 years when the normally-Arctic clouds have dipped down into Italy as often as they have in 2021. Europeans have already witnessed multiple low latitude displays--and summer is just getting started. Happy Birthday and many happy returns!
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RARE SCOTTY MUG (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): There's nothing like morning coffee in a cup from space. On June 3, 2021, this rare ceramic Montgomery Scott mug flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 101,243 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $170.10. That's the serial number of the Enterprise divided by 10. The students are selling Star Trek mugs to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one holds 16 oz. of steaming hot Raktajino (Klingon coffee) and comes with a greeting card showing the collector's item in flight.
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