HIDDEN SUNSPOT TOUCHES EARTH: A sunspot hiding behind the sun's northwestern limb touched Earth yesterday. Unseen by NASA satellites, the sunspot erupted on Nov. 9th (1701 UT), producing an M2-class solar flare. Even though the flare was mostly eclipsed by the edge of the sun, it still managed to cause a shortwave radio blackout over South America. The same explosion also hurled a bright CME into space. The CME will not hit Earth. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
THE AFTERMATH OF A SOLAR FLARE: "Sometimes when you are observing the sun, you see things that just take your breath away," says amateur astronomer Mike Wenz of Felton, Pennsylvania. "Such was the case with this prominence on Nov. 9th."
These are "post flare loops"--magnetic structures that form in the aftermath of strong solar flares. Wenz was looking at just the right time. They rose over the edge of the sun moments after yesterday's farside M2-flare.
For years researchers have puzzled over post flare loops. How can such a regular, elegant structure emerge from a chaotic explosion? There's a growing consensus that loops form naturally after explosive magnetic reconnection; it's how the magnetic field relaxes. Plasma, shock-heated by the blast, cools, condenses, and drains down the legs of the loops. Wenz actually witnessed this "coronal rain" during his observing session.
"I watched it form, rain down onto the sun, and dissipate away," says Wenz. "What an amazing gift it is to be able to witness such raw power and beauty."
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
VOYAGER GOLDEN RECORD ORNAMENT: This is a must-have Christmas ornament for space fans: The Voyager Golden Record. On Oct. 15th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $129.95. The 4-inch aluminum disk is imprinted with instructions intended for extraterrestrials, telling them how to play the phonographs now sailing through interstellar space onboard NASA's Voyager probes. Having touched the edge of space, it's the closest thing on Earth to an actual Golden Record.
The students are selling these unique ornaments to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the ornament in flight and extra materials decoding the markings on the disk.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter