NO CMES ARE HEADING OUR WAY: For the past three days, the sun has emitted a non-stop fusillade of solar flares. Yet no CMEs are heading our way. Why not? The source of the explosions, sunspot AR3234, was not facing Earth. This is about to change, however, as the the sun's rotation turns the sunspot more directly toward our planet. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
SUNSPOT EVOLUTION: Active sunspot AR3234 is not only turning toward Earth, but also growing. This 48-hour movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows AR3234 quadrupling in size as it comes around the solar limb:
AR3234 has a beta-gamma magnetic field that harbors energy for strong M-class solar flares. Any eruptions in the days ahead will be geoeffective as the sunspot lines up with our planet. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
SUNSET SKY SHOW: "Last night, we saw a spectacular scene in the evening sky," reports Marek Nikodem of Szubin, Poland. "The young Moon was approaching Venus and Jupiter, forming a bright triangle in the sunset sky. Even random people stopped and took pictures."
Hours after Nikodem photographed the Moon approaching Jupiter, the two bodies "kissed" over South America.
"Here in Santiago, Chile, we were favoured with an incredible show," says Patricio Leon, who caught Jupiter arcseconds away from the lunar limb:
"The pair was only 12° above the horizon so the turbulence was quite noticeable, but I managed to get a good picture," says Leon. "The last occultation of Jupiter I saw was a long time ago back in 1998, so I really enjoyed this one!"
The show continues tonight with a nearly-vertical Moon-Jupiter-Venus line in the sky. Look west at sunset, and submit your pictures here. Sky map: Feb 23.
more images: from Hari Kumar of Trivandrum, India; from Daniele Gasparri of Nellim, Finland; from Petr Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava) in Thoddoo, Maldives; from Peter Zimnikoval of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia; from Marko Posavec of Virje, Croatia
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
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.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter