MINOR CME IMPACT POSSIBLE TODAY: A beautiful solar flare (M4-class) on April 29th hurled a CME into space. It might sideswipe Earth today. The glancing blow, if it occurs, could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm on May 2nd or 3rd. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
A TIGER ELVE OVER TEXAS: For a few milliseconds last Friday night, an enormous (100 km wide) red ring of light appeared over west Texas. Thomas Ashcraft photographed it from across the state line in New Mexico:
This is an "ELVE"--short for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources. It's a rare species of sprite discovered in 1990 by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Ashcraft may have just taken the best ever picture of one from the ground.
"The ELVE was generated by a super-strong lightning stroke that occurred over west Texas near the town of Borger at April 28 2022 0439:10.5326 UT," says Ashcraft. "Note also the sprite elements at the bottom of the ELVE."
The lightning bolt was so strong, it generated an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The red ring marks the spot where the EMP hit Earth's ionosphere. Normal lightning bolts carry 10 to 30 kilo-ampères of current; this bolt was about 10 times stronger than normal.
Above: A close-up view of the ELVE shows "tiger stripes" and sprites near the center of the ring.
"The lightning stroke that manifested this event registered on VLF radios at least as far away as Germany," notes Ashcraft. "You can actually hear the lightning stroke in my video."
Bonus: This is also a Tiger ELVE. Note the linear corrugations across the red ring. These are impressed on the ELVE by gravity waves in the upper atmosphere. Like a tiger, this ELVE has stripes.
Learn more about the history and physics of ELVEs here and here.
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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!
Mother's Day Special: Use coupon code "SPACEMOM" at checkout for a 10% discount. Offer valid from now until Mother's Day (May 8, 2022) .
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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