GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on July 20th or 21st when a slow-moving CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The CME was hurled into space by an unstable filament of magnetism, which erupted on July 15th. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
SOUTHERN LIGHTS SEEN BY SOFIA: NASA's famous airborne infrared observatory, SOFIA, is retiring later this year, but first, there's an item on its bucket list: The Southern Lights. Yesterday, July 17th, the Boeing 747 flew through the auroral oval south of New Zealand and photographed a magnificent display of aurora australis:
"Despite a bright moon, SOFIA's new aurora camera system managed to capture an outburst of activity at around 9:44pm NZ time," reports Ian Griffin of the Otago Museum in Dunedin. "We were flying at latitude 62 degrees south."
Griffin has been wanting to do this for years. "I noticed in 2016 that SOFIA regularly flies through the southern auroral oval, so I have been working to get a decent high resolution camera on board," he explains. "NASA has high engineering standards, so the Museum got a local engineering firm in Dunedin to produce two camera platforms (port and starboard) that fit into the seat tracks on the upper deck of SOFIA."
The new cameras can take pictures with a high cadence, every 5 to 10 seconds. Such rapid-fire photography may help researchers understand some strange things that have been happening in the southern auroral zone:
Above: All-sky images show an SAR evolving into STEVE over Dunedin, NZ. [more]
On March 17, 2015, Griffin and colleagues watched a red auroral arc (SAR) over New Zealand turn itself into STEVE. The two phenomena are supposed to have little to do with one another, and current theories can't explain how it happened. Cameras onboard SOFIA might catch the transformation again.
"I am hoping we may spot something interesting," says Griffin.
"The Museum’s camera system was aligned and tested on July 17th while SOFIA continued her primary science observations using the 2.5M onboard telescope," he adds. "The system is still not perfect, but I am hopeful we will get data on SOFIA's remaining flights south of New Zealand--maybe up to 4 more flights!" Stay tuned.
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HUGE SOLAR PROMINENCE MIGHT BE COMING APART: For days, astronomers have been monitoring a huge prominence on the sun. It might be coming apart. On Saturday, July 16th, Dr. Sebastian Voltmer watched part of the structure fly away:
"The sheer size of the prominence is impressive," says Voltmer. "It was spectacular to see a very fast moving part of it ejecting and detaching to the side." Voltmer watched the action through a small refracting telescope protected by a Daystar Quark filter system.
Structures like this, in which hot plasma is held above the sun's surface by dynamic magnetic fields, are inherently unstable. The entire prominence could come down at any moment. If it falls today, amateur astronomers will get a fantastic side-on view of its disintegration. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau of Rafaela, Argentina; from Sylvain Weiller of Jerusalem, Israel ; from Pepe Manteca of Begues, Barcelona, Spain; from Maxime Spano of AstroVal Observatory, Switzerland; from Alessandro Bianconi of Dolianova, Italy; from Maximilian Teodorescu of Magurele, Romania; from P-M Hedén of Vallentuna, Sweden; from Jay Messeroff of Charleston, SC
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STERLING SILVER TIGER HEART PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the sterling silver Tiger Heart Pendant. On June 26, 2022, this one hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $133.95. The golden tiger is surrounded by a partial halo of sparkling cubic zirconia crystals, tracing the shape of a heart. A rich layer of rhodium plating ensures the longevity of the pendant and its 18-inch chain.
The Tiger Heart Pendant makes a great anniversary, Christmas, or birthday gift. It 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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