MINOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: NOAA forecasters say there is a 45% chance of G1-class (minor) to G2-class (moderate) geomagnetic storms today, Sept. 27th, in response to a passing CME. That means there is a 55% chance of no storm at all. So far, the 55% seems to be winning; conditions remain quiet as we wait for the CME. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
ROCKET FUEL DUMPED OVER EUROPE: Photographer Alan C. Tough of Elgin, Scotland, was hoping for auroras. The next best thing? Rocket fuel. "There were no auroras on Sept. 27th, but I did see a fuel dump at 21:15 UT," says Tough.
"I think this came from a rocket that launched NASA's Landsat 9 satellite earlier in the day," he says.
That's correct. The Atlas V rocket dumped its excess fuel over Europe, hours after a midday launch from California's Vandebergh Air Force Base (11:12 am PDT or 18:12 UT). Landsat 9 is now in orbit, joining Landsat 8 in mapping urban sprawl, forest cover, and the retreat of glaciers, among many other changes to planet Earth.
WHEN YOU SEE THIS, RUN! ...OR TAKE A PICTURE: Jim Fantozzi of Interlochen, Michigan, has waited more than 13 years to chase down and photograph a ferocious "wall cloud." Last week, he got his wish, and he only had to walk to the end of his driveway. "On Sept. 15th, I woke up at 7:30 am to the sound of thunder," says Fantozzi. "A huge storm was in the forecast, so I rushed outside." This is what he saw:
"I snapped 9 pictures one end to the other, then later put them together into a single composite," says Fantozzi. "The storm was moving at around 50 mph, so I stood there until it was right over me. The wind came--wow!--for about 15 minutes it was unreal. Patience pays off."
Wall clouds drop down from the rain free bases of supercell thunderstorms where updrafts are ironically strongest. Opposing winds in these regions create rotation and, sometimes, deadly tornadoes. No wonder they are photographed so infrequently.
"I usually take pictures of the Milky Way," says Fantozzi. It's the safer choice.
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STAR TREK WINE STOPPER: It's the most far-out wine stopper ever! On Sept. 9, 2021, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the USS Enterprise to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. Here is the starship-shaped stopper floating 105,563 feet above the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $99.95. The students are selling these must-have bar accessories to support their cosmic ray research program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the stopper in flight, telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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