THE HEAT SHIELD WORKED: NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean today at 12:40 EST as the final major milestone of the Artemis I mission. Engineers will perform several additional tests while Orion is in the water and before powering down the spacecraft. Updates.
AN OUTBURST OF PINK AURORAS: Last night, a magnetic substorm erupted over Tromsø, Norway--and it was very pink. "We were all so blown away, speechless really," says aurora tour guide Markus Varik, who photographed the display:
Auroras are normally green. That's the color oxygen atoms make when they are hit by energetic particles 100 km to 300 km above Earth's surface. Pink appears when energetic particles descend lower than usual, striking nitrogen molecules at the 100 km level and below. Sometimes this is called "the nitrogen fringe" for reasons that are obvious when viewed from the side.
"This was only the 2nd-best display of pink I have ever seen," says Varik. If that seems hard to imagine, just take a look at the 1st.
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GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
These unique gifts have floated above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out. Don't forget to enter coupon code "SPACESANTA" at checkout for a 10% holiday discount.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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