CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: Geomagnetic storms (G1-class) are possible on April 29th when a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. CIRs are transition zones between fast- and slow-moving solar wind streams. They contain shock waves and compressed magnetic fields that do a good job sparking auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
AFTERGLOW OF A GEOMAGNETIC STORM: An interplanetary shock wave hit Earth's magnetic field on April 27th. It wasn't a big one--just enough to spark an unexpected G1-class geomagnetic storm. Greg Ash photographed the afterglow from Duluth, Minnesota:
"It was really neat listening to the ice growl and shift while watching the auroras," says Ash. "A meteor streaked through the frame just as I was taking the picture."
The shock wave was probably a minor CME overlooked until it hit Earth. Right now the sun is crackling with solar flares, hurling multiple overlapping CMEs into space every day. A faint CME may have slipped through the net of NOAA analysts to deliver yesterday's surprise storm. This will happen increasingly often as Solar Cycle 25 intensifies.
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A NOCTILUCENT CLOUD OVER FLORIDA: Yesterday morning in Florida, Roger Menard went to the beach at sunrise to watch the Venus-Jupiter-Moon conjunction. "I also saw a noctilucent cloud (NLC)," he says. His cell phone captured the electric-blue cloud reaching toward the planetary trio:
"It is quite unusual to see a noctilucent cloud from as far south as Florida," says Menard.
He's right. But this was no ordinary noctilucent cloud. It was a "rocket cloud." Less than an hour earlier, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station. Ice crystals in the rocket's exhaust caught rays of sunlight in the upper atmosphere, producing the unusual NLC.
The noctilucent cloud is gone now, but the conjunction is still underway. Venus and Jupiter are converging for a close encounter on Saturday, April 30th. Set your alarm and enjoy the show. Sky maps: April 28, 29, 30, May 1.
more images: from Daniel Oltmans of Ft. Rucker, Alabama; from David J Kriegler of Gulf Shores, Alabama
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MOTHER'S DAY IS MAY 8TH: Are you looking for an out-of-this world Mother's Day gift? Consider this: Every time the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launch a cosmic ray balloon, they include something extra in the payload--something Mom will love:
Every item in the Earth to Sky Store has flown to the edge of space and comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of the gift's journey from launch to landing. Mom-satisfaction guaranteed!
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