SOLAR WIND, INCOMING: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Nov. 5th when a solar wind stream is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Friday. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
NASA WANTS YOUR SPRITES: Last summer, Frankie Lucena spent an August evening tracking a powerful thunderstorm south of Puerto Rico. He knew that lightning sensors were detecting powerful bolts, so he trained his cameras above the clouds. This is what he saw:
"A spectacular sprite leapt into the sky," he says. "It was generated by a lightning stroke carrying an incredible 160,000 amps of currrent." (For comparison, typical lightning bolts carry only 30,000 amps.)
Lucena is a leading photographer of upper atmospheric lightning. He has been chasing sprites for years, and compiling a catalog of many strange forms over Caribbean storms.
"I enjoy capturing these types of events, and I'm glad to see that NASA is showing an interest in them, too," says Lucena. "They want to link citizen scientists like me to the scientific community and construct the first crowd-sourced sprite database."
Led by NASA scientist Dr. Burcu Kosar, a new project called "Spritacular" invites photographers from around the world to share their observations. The goal is to monitor global sprite activity and learn how sprites affect Earth’s global electric circuit.
Ready to begin? Here's where to look.
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"I LOVE YOU FOREVER" MOONSTONE PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the "I Love You Forever" Moonstone. This one hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research ballooin on Oct. 15, 2022:
You can have it for $162.95. The moonstone's sterling silver infinity wrap is inscribed with the words "I love you forever." It makes a great anniversary, Christmas or birthday gift. The moonstone comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight, telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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