QUIET SUN: Today, solar activity is low. The solar disk is peppered with sunspots, but all of them have stable magnetic fields unlikely to explode. NOAA forecasters say there is a 5% chance of M-class flares and no more than a 1% chance of X-flares on Sept. 8th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
WHAT HEAT WAVES DO TO THE SUNSET: A record-breaking heat wave is smothering California this week. In some cities around the San Francisco Bay, daily records have been shattered by more than 10 degrees. It's even affecting the sunset:
"The sun split in two," says Mila Zinkova, who photographed the phenomenon just as a flock of cormorants flew by. It was Sept. 5th, one of the hottest September days ever on the beach in San Francisco.
San Francisco sunsets are often strange ("No two are ever the same," says Zinkova), but the heatwave may be amplifying the effect. Record-hot air (90 F) sitting on top of cool ocean water (60 F) creates unusually intense temperature gradients. When the sun passes behind the mix of hot and cold, the solar disk is naturally distorted.
In Zinkova's picture we see evidence of two thermal ducts trapping the sun's rays in relatively narrow layers. "The mirages were different in these two ducts," says Zinkova. "In the upper duct, the solar disk looked like a rectangle; in the lower duct it was more like a stack of pancakes."
The complete sunset may be seen on Zinkova's youtube channel.
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A PEARL FROM THE STRATOSPHERE: On Aug. 19th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon to the edge of space, 104,002 ft high. This sterling silver pearl necklace went along for the ride:
You can have it for $169.95. The students are selling these pearls to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each cultured "space pearl" comes with greeting card showing the necklace in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again. These make great birthday and Christmas gifts.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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