CHANCE OF FLARES TODAY: Earth-facing sunspot AR3112 has a 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong solar flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% chance of M-class flares and a 10% chance of X-flares on Oct. 9th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
'LOST CME' SPARKS AURORAS OVER ICELAND: Every day the sun hurls multiple CMEs into space. Many are faint; some overlap; they go in all directions. It's inevitable that space weather forecasters lose track of some of them. On Sept. 26th, one of those "lost CMEs" hit Earth, sparking this display over Iceland:
"Lying on the ground, looking directly up and seeing the auroras right above me was just incredible!" says photographer Wil Cheung.
No one knows where the instigating CME came from. Probably, it was one of two CMEs that left the sun three days earlier. Neither was supposed to hit Earth and, indeed, this was not a direct hit. The CME passed very nearby, snowplowing dense (73 protons/cc) solar wind plasma onto Earth's magnetic field. The sudden load triggered a G2-class geomagnetic storm.
Studies show that the sun can produce anywhere from 4 to 10 CMEs per day during years around Solar Maximum. Solar Cycle 25 is ramping up to that level now. Get ready for more "lost CMEs." Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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STERLING SILVER HUMMINGBIRD PENDANT: This hummingbird has touched space. On Sept. 22, 2022, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the sterling silver pendant to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, more than 117,710 feet high:
You can have it for $149.95. The students are selling hummingbird pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the bird and red lily in flight, and telling the story of their trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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