CME FAILS TO SPARK GEOMAGNETIC STORM: As predicted, a CME struck Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 20th. However, the impact was weak and it did not cause a geomagnetic storm. The CME came from the powerful X2.2-flare of Feb. 17th. The bulk of the CME missed Earth, which is why its glancing impact was so ineffective. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY IN PROGRESS: New sunspot AR3234 is crackling with solar flares including multiple M4- and M5-class events on Feb. 21st. This interest-compressed movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a day's worth of extreme ultraviolet flashes:
Pulses of radiation from AR3234 are ionizing the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a rolling series of shortwave radio blackouts around all longitudes of our planet. Ham radio operators may notice intermittent loss of signal and other unusual propagation effects at frequencies below ~20 MHz. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
SUNSET SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Venus and Jupiter are shining brightly in the twilight sky, converging for a close encounter less than one week from now. Balint Doman sends this picture from Öjersjö, Sweden:
"Every night Jupiter and Venus are getting closer to each other," says Doman. "They look great from Sweden!"
Tonight the Moon joins the show, rising below Venus to begin a 3-day march past the bright planets. There's something to see every night--but if you have to pick just one, we suggest Feb. 22nd when the crescent Moon with Earthshine glides by Jupiter. Sky maps: Feb. 21, 22, 23.
At closest approach on March 1st, Venus and Jupiter will be just 0.5 degrees apart--a beautiful pairing and one of the best astrophoto-ops of 2023. Take a look and submit your photos here.
more images: from Ruslan Merzlyakov of Lanjaron, Spain; from Petr Horálek of Soneva Jani, Maldives; from Claudio Balella on the coast of Italy; from Matt Melnyk flying 30,000 feet above British Columbia Canada; from Sylvio Müller of Dresden, Germany; from Carla Goldschmidt of Duluth, Minnesota
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SOLAR ECLIPSE CRYSTAL PYRAMID: On Aug. 21, 2017, during the Great American Solar Eclipse, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched 11 space weather balloons from the path of totality. The armada soared into the stratosphere, touching the shadow of the Moon more than 100,000 feet above Earth's surface. This pyramid hitched a ride:
You can have it for $159.95. With the sun, Earth, and Moon perfectly aligned, the faces of the 5-sided crystal caught the reflection of the eclipsed sun. Watch the video! The pyramid comes with a gift card showing the crystal floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere and passing through the Moon's shadow. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight and confirms that this gift has been to the edge of space and back again.
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