GEOMAGNETIC STORM TODAY: Earth is moving deeper into a stream of solar wind flowing faster than 500 km/s from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere. The action of the stream produced a G1-class geomagnetic storm midday UT on March 5th. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras after local nightfall. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
A PLASMA VORTEX ON THE SUN: Imagine a vortex of hot plasma wide enough to swallow Earth swirling faster than 50,000 mph. Actually, here it is:
Amateur astronomer Alexander Golitschek photographed the structure yesterday with his local astroonomy club in Darmstadt, Germany. "I recorded this 25 minute movie using a Lunt Solar Systems 152mm H-alpha solar telescope," he says. "I estimate the loop's outer diameter as twice that of Earth."
The vortex might not last long. It gets its structure from curling magnetic fields, which confine the plasma into a loop. At this very moment the loop is winding tighter and tighter--a buildup of tension that could tear the vortex apart.
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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.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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