A MINOR CME IS COMING: A coronal mass ejection (CME) that left the sun on June 29th is approaching Earth. ETA: July 3rd. It's only a minor CME, and the resulting impact should be minor as well. High-latitude auroras are possible, if not geomagnetic storms. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
WHAT A 'MINOR' IMPACT LOOKS LIKE: A minor CME is expected to hit Earth on July 3rd. What will that look like? We got a preview on June 30th when a similar shock wave arrived. Harlan Thomas of Alberta, Canada, recorded the display:
"I was out along Highway 766 waiting for noctilucent clouds when an unexpected geomagnetic disturbance occurred," says Thomas. "What a sight it was to behold. I witnessed 'Auroral Beads' for the first time, and that is something I will never forget--simply one of the 10 most beautiful things that I have seen in the night sky." Click here for a movie of the outburst.
Not bad for a minor impact. In fact, CMEs are famous for "punching above their weight"--that is, sometimes sparking bright auroras even when the CME itself seems puny. July 3rd could turn into such an occasion. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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JELLYFISH SPRITES: Imagine a jellyfish, 50 km tall and glowing bright red. Martin Popek just saw a bunch of them over Nýdek in the Czech republic:
These are jellyfish sprites, a form of upward directed lighting named after their resemblance to the sea creature. They leap up from the tops of powerful thunderstorms while ordinary lightning strikes below.
"These appeared above a large mesoscale convective thunderstorm on June 29th," says Popek. "The storm was located about 250 km east of my camera, far enough to let me see over the top of the thunderhead."
Summer is the season for jellyfish sprites. Heat-driven thunderstorms churn out lots of the upward directed bolts, some of which can be seen with the naked eye. Give it a try.
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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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