MAGNETIC FILAMENT ERUPTION: A filament of magnetism in the sun's northern hemisphere (N16E10) erupted this morning, March 20th at 0745 UT: movie. The explosion produced a C4-class solar flare, caused a Type II solar radio burst, and sent a shock wave racing through the sun's corona. Explosions with these characteristics usually produce a CME as well. Confirmation awaits fresh data from SOHO coronagraphs. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE FIRST AURORAS OF SPRING: Today is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. In Alaska, the season began with an outburst of green. "Happy Equinox, everyone!" says Todd Salat who sends this picture from Broad Pass in the Alaska Range:
"Auroras kicked in just after local midnight (08:00 UTC) at the very beginning of the Spring Equinox," says Salat. "A lunar halo rising over the mountains added spice and balance."
The display was caused by a passing CME. The storm cloud did not actually hit Earth. However, NOAA's DSCOVR spacecraft detected ripples of magnetism from the near miss. Those ripples touched Earth's magnetosphere and sparked the display. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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AURORA PAREIDOLIA: Eyewitnesses are still marveling at the geomagnetic storm of March 13th when a CME impact sparked bright auroras over northern Europe. "It was an all-mighty display--one of the best I've ever seen," says Sebastian Sainio of Helsingby, Finland. During the storm he experienced an episode of aurora pareidolia:
"The auroras overhead took the shape of a raven in flight, with its head and round-edged left wing in the center of the image," says Sainio.
Pareidolia is the human tendency to see familiar shapes in random patterns. Usually it happens when you look at a cloud. In this case, it was the aurora borealis.
"The auroras overhead took shapes that made my imagination run wild--one after another," he says. "They flickered with speeds that where almost like geomagnetic lightning." A marvelous night, indeed.
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STERLING SILVER DOLPHIN PENDANT: On Feb. 28, 2022, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon. This sterling silver dolphin hitched a ride, flying 111,101 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California:
You can have it for $142.95. Leaping through blue crystal waves, the playful cetacean is 100% 925 sterling silver. It comes with a matching 18-inch sterling silver chain The entire pendant is lead-free, nickel-free, cadmium-free, and totally hypoallergenic.
Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the dolphin in flight, and telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again. All sales support the student's cosmic ray research program.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education