FAST-GROWING SUNSPOT TURNS TOWARD EARTH: Since yesterday, sunspot AR2936 has more then doubled in size. It is now turning to face Earth and crackling with minor C-class solar flares. The sunspot's rapid growth could destabilize its magnetic field, leading to stronger flares this weekend. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
NOCTILUCENT OUTBURST--CONTINUED: Did the Tonga volcano cause an outburst of noctilucent clouds (NLCs)? The jury's still out. However, new data from NASA's AIM spacecraft confirm that something happened in the mesosphere. This 8-day movie shows NLCs blooming around the South Pole after the volcano erupted:
NLCs are Earth’s highest clouds. They form when water vapor rises up from Earth to the edge of space where H2O molecules can stick to specks of meteor dust. NLCs are, literally, frosted meteor smoke.
On Jan. 15th, the Tonga volcano blasted a plume of ash, sulfurous aerosols and water vapor more than 55 km high, only 30 km below where NLCs form. In the days that followed the eruption, natural upwelling may have carried water vapor the rest of the way to the noctilucent zone.
Data from NASA’s Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) show that weather in the mesosphere (where NLCs are found) did indeed change days after the eruption. Temperatures dropped, and water vapor increased:
Both changes boost noctilucent clouds. But was Tonga responsible? AIM/CIPS Principal Investigator Cora Randall can't help but wonder, saying, "it's speculative, but we're definitely scouring the data to find out." Stay tuned.
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"I LOVE YOU MORE" MOONSTONE PENDANT: Valentine's Day is coming! Nothing says "I love you" like a moonstone from space. This one hitched a ride on an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon, floating 112,201 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $142.95. The students are selling these sterling silver infinity-wrapped moonstone pendants to support their ballooning program. Engraved with "I Love You More," it makes a romantic Valentine's gift. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the moonstone in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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