SOLAR WIND STREAM APPROACHES EARTH: A stream of solar wind is approaching Earth. Estimated time of arrival: March 5th. The gaseous material is flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere, and it could spark minor geomagnetic storms when it arrives. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
RADIO NOISE FROM THE SUN: Yesterday, March 2nd @ 1739 UT, sunspot AR2958 exploded, producing an M2-class solar flare. Moments after the explosion, a roar of static filled shortwave radio loudspeakers on the dayside of Earth. "It was a Type II solar radio burst," says Thomas Ashcraft, who recorded the sounds from his observatory in rural New Mexico:
"The radio burst kicks in at the 15 second mark of the audio file," says Ashcraft. "It's a stereo file, with 23 MHz in one channel and 22 MHz in the other. Try listening using headphones. You might be able to hear the frequency drift."
Jordi Gonzalez of Landete, Cuenca, Spain, also recorded the radio burst.
Type II solar radio bursts are caused by shock waves rippling through the sun's atmosphere. They drift through the shortwave band, always from high to low frequencies, and almost always indicate that a CME is leaving the sun. A NOAA analysis of ths event suggests that the CME was moving about 690 km/s (2 million mph). Stay tuned for updates about a possible Earth-directed component. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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STERLING SILVER RAINBOW DRAGONFLY: Are you looking for a far out gift? Consider the Rainbow Dragonfly. On Jan 28th, this sterling silver pendant hitched a ride onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $172.95. The dragonfly's heart is a Celtic love knot, and its wings are decorated with a spray of rainbow-colored crystals. This item is 100% 925 sterling silver, lead-free, nickel-free, cadmium-free, and totally hypoallergenic.
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
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