GLANCING BLOW CME, INCOMING: A dark filament of magnetism exploded away from the sun's southern hemisphere on Sept. 19th. Watch the movie. NOAA analysts say the debris could reach Earth on Sept. 23rd in the form of a weak CME. A likely glancing blow could spark minor G1-class geomagnetic storms. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SOLAR SECTOR BOUNDARY CROSSING: Last night, Earth passed through a fold in the heliospheric current sheet--a vast wavy structure in interplanetary space separating regions of opposite magnetic polarity. Researchers call this a "solar sector boundary crossing" (SSBC), and here is what it did:
"Wave after wave of bright green auroras danced over the Salt River in Wood Buffalo National Park," says photographer John David McKinnon of Alberta, Canada. "The show peaked around ~08:20 UTC on Sept. 22nd."
The display was also photographed from hot tubs in Iceland and moonlit landscapes in Scandinavia. This sets the stage for a possible CME impact on Sept. 23th, which could add its effect to that of the SSBC, sparking even brighter auroras around the Arctic Circle. Stay tuned. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
A BEAGLE AT THE EDGE OF SPACE: Snoopy has been to the stratosphere. On July 16, 2021, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched everyone's favorite Beagle onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. Here is astronaut Snoopy floating more than 105,315 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $99.95. It's Peanuts for a cup from space! The students are selling Snoopy cups to support their cosmic ray monitoring program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the cup in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter