INTERPLANETARY SHOCK WAVE SPARKS AURORAS: An interplanetary shock wave (data) hit Earth's magnetic field on June 30th, sparking midsummer auroras over Canada and some northern-tier US states. It might have been the first of two or three minor CMEs that left the sun in late June. Additional impacts are possible on July 1st and July 3rd. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: When the week began, sunspot AR2835 was big. Now it's really big. The active region has nearly doubled in size over the past 24 hours: movie. Now twice as wide as Earth, its primary dark core is inset in this magnetic map from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
As the sunspot has grown, its magnetic structure has become more complex. Note the mixing of north (+) and south (-) magnetic fields, for example, in this area. When magnetic fields of opposite polarity bump together, they can explode. The process is known as magnetic reconnection, and it is responsible for solar flares.
Any flares today will be geoeffective as the sunspot is directly faciing Earth. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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LIMITED EDITION MIRROR KIRK: In 1967, a transporter accident sent James T. Kirk into a parallel universe, swapping the captain of the Enterprise with his evil twin. We just found him ... in the stratosphere. Here is "Mirror Kirk" floating 95,254 feet high onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have him for $170.10 (the serial number of the Enterprise divided by 10). Inspired by the classic "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek first broadcast on Oct. 6, 1967, 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, only 1000 limited edition 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
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