LONG DURATION SOLAR FLARE: Earlier today, Feb. 6th @ 1341 UT, Earth-facing sunspot AR2939 produced a long-duration solar flare. The explosion peaked at category C3, which is relatively weak, but the flare made up for its low amplitude by going on for more than 3 hours. This flare *might* have hurled a CME toward Earth. Confirmation awaits fresh coronagraph data from SOHO. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
HUGE SOLAR PROMINENCE: Got a solar telescope? Point it at the sun's southeastern limb. A huge solar prominence is surging there, big enough to swallow 30 Earths. Sylvain Weiller sends this picture from Jerusalem, Israel:
"This prominence is really outstanding!" says Weiller.
It might not last long. The prominence's increasingly active dynamics suggest that an eruption is in the offing. The time to take pictures is now. (Submit them here.)
more images: from John Chumack of Dayton, Ohio; from Francisco A. Rodriguez of the Canary Islands; from Günter Kleinschuster of Feldbach, Austria; from Thierry Legault of Versailles, France; from Michal Lachký of Chynorany, Slovakia; from Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau of Rafaela, Argentina
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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AURORAS IN THE SNOW: "Snow flurries and aurora flurries battled it out for night sky supremacy on Feb. 4th near Trapper Creek, Alaska," says aurora hunter Todd Salat. He's happy to report, it was a tie:
"I was driving through snowy weather, homeward bound for Anchorage, when I stopped for a bite to eat," says Salat. "After chowing down to my heart’s content in my truck camper I stepped out, looked up, and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me... Auroras in the snow! Here are some fun photographic experiments I did with my little headlamp and a handheld flash."
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Does your sweetheart love space? Their perfect Valentine's gift may be in the Earth to Sky Store. All items in the store have flown to the edge of space on board cosmic ray research balloons. From now until Feb. 14th, everything is 10% off:
Each purchase comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Don't forget to enter the coupon code "ILOVESPACE" for your Valentine's discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education