ALMOST NO CHANCE OF FLARES: According to NOAA forecasters, the chance of a strong flare today is no more than 1%. Blame the simplicity of sunspots. All of the sunspots on the sun today have uncomplicated magnetic fields too stable to explode. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
A NEW HAUNT FOR GREEN GHOSTS: For the first time ever, Green Ghosts have been sighted above a Gigantic Jet. Frankie Lucena of Puerto Rico made the discovery--and it only took him 5 months to realize it. "I recently decided to revisit a Gigantic Jet I recorded back on Sept 20, 2021," he says. "When sprite chaser Paul Smith saw the video, he pointed out a faint patch of green at the top of the jet. It was a Green Ghost!"
Green Ghosts are a new phenomenon in upper atmospheric physics. They were discovered in 2019 by storm chaser Hank Schyma, who noticed that some red sprites shooting up from thunderstorms made a green imprint on the sky. He named them "ghosts." Lucena's video proves that Gigantic Jets have them as well.
At first, no one knew what Green Ghosts were, but a research team led by Hans Stenbaek-Nielsen of the University of Alaska quickly figured it out. Green Ghosts are clouds of oxygen atoms 90 to 95 km above Earth's surface. The atoms glow green at a wavelength of 557.7 nm when they are excited by electric fields from an underlying thunderstorm.
This is, coincidentally, the exact same wavelength of oxygen emission that gives auroras their green color. Green Ghosts are, in a sense, auroras for sprites. And now ... for Gigantic Jets, too.
Realtime Gigantic Jet Photo Gallery
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SOLAR ECLIPSE ANIMATIONS: Where will you be on April 8, 2024? We suggest somewhere on the yellow line:
That's where the sun will be totally eclipsed--a fantastic show visible from many population centers in North America.
If you like this animation, there are 223 others you might like to check out as well. "Michael Zeiler and I have created a series of eclipse animations - one for every solar eclipse during the 21st Century," says Fred Espenak, formerly of NASA and world-famous for his eclipse predictions. "That’s 224 eclipses in all."
The complete set of animations is a treasure trove, fun to watch and informative for experts and laypeople alike. Zeiler and Espenak created them to share with the eclipse community and the media through Creative Commons. The animations may be downloaded, saved, and freely used as long as they are not modified. Suggested attribution: "Global Eclipse Animation courtesy of Michael Zeiler (GreatAmericanEclipse.com) and Fred Espenak (EclipseWise.com)".
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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A DRAGONFLY IN THE STRATOSPHERE: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the Sterling Silver Space Dragonfly. On Jan 12th, this winged pendant flew 113,451 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, hitching a ride onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $172.95. The dragonfly's heart is a Celtic love knot, and its wings are decorated with blue marquise crystals--all plated with 14k white gold. It's an exquisite ensemble for birthdays, anniversaries or any other romantic occasion.
The students are selling dragonfly pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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