AN ACTIVE SUNSPOT EMERGES: An active sunspot is emerging over the sun's northeastern limb, right here. So far today it has produced two almost-M-class solar flares (C9.9 and C7) along with minor low-frequency radio blackouts over the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The sunspot's potential for more and stronger flares will become clear later today as it turns more squarely toward Earth. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
A TRIPLE GREEN FLASH: Photographers consider themselves lucky when they catch a green flash. The sunset emerald ray is so rare, it was once thought to be a fable. Now imagine the odds of catching a triple green flash. James W. Young did it last night while standing on Oregon's Cannon Beach:
"The setting sun produced a green flash which split into three layers," marvels Young. "I photographed them using a 1120mm telephoto lens with a Canon 1Dx Mark II camera."
This is a sign of very strong temperature inversions (warm air above cold) over the Pacific Ocean. Strong inversions produce 'ducts'. Rays from the setting sun get trapped in these ducts, bouncing up and down and traveling long distances in layers sometimes only a few inches thick. A trio of ducts split the green flash into a stack of green flashes. You can actually see the ducts edge-on in Young's picture--a marvel, indeed.
Realtime Green Flash Photo Gallery
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THE CRESCENT VENUS PENDANT: Valentine's Day is only weeks away. Nothing says "I love you" like a Venus Pendant from the edge of space. This one flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on Jan. 8, 2022:
You can have it for $142.95. The opal crescent is framed by sterling silver with a matching hypoallergenic chain. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere.
Why is it a crescent? Because Venus itself was a crescent on the date of the flight. On Jan. 8, 2022, the second planet was at inferior conjunction with the sun. From Earth it looked like a slender crescent--the most beautiful phase of the Goddess of Love.
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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