MINOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 4th and 5th in response to an incoming CME. Hurled into space by the M8.6-class flare of Feb. 28th, the CME is not heading directly for Earth. Instead it will deliver only a glancing blow, mitigating the intensity of any geomagnetic storms. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
A NEW SOURCE OF FLARES: New sunspot AR3242 is magnetically complex and crackling with M-class solar flares. This morning in Hong Kong, David Leong pointed his solar telescope at the sun and immediately saw an explosion:
"AR3242 was already flaring when I started shooting at 5:11 UT," says Leong. "The unusually dark filaments kept changing shape minute by minute on my computer screen. It was an hour of wonder and excitement."
This sunspot is turning toward Earth, and it will soon be in our planet's strike zone. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE (UPDATED): Departing sunspot AR3234 produced another X2-class solar flare on March 3rd (1752 UTC). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas. Aviators and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal and other unusual propagation effects at frequencies below 30 MHz for as much as an hour.
The explosion also produced a coronal mass ejection (CME), shown here in a video from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):
Although the bulk of the CME will clearly miss Earth, there is a hint of an Earth-directed component in the full coronagraph movie. A low-confidence glancing blow is possible on March 6th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
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AURORAS OVER THE DEVIL'S TOWER: On Feb. 26th, a CME struck Earth's magnetic field, sparking a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm with rare auroras at mid-latitudes. Tom A. Warner was waiting with his camera at Devil's Tower, Wyoming, when the CME arrived:
"The geomagnetic storm lit up the Devil's Tower with bands of green and beautiful red rays," says Warner.
Located at latitude +44.6N, the Devil's Tower rises 867 feet above the surrounding terrain. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America. The tower's unique appearance has made it a popular subject for photographers and filmmakers, and it was even featured in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
The auroras didn't stop there. As the storm intensified, the light show descended all the way to latitude +40N, with sightings in Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri. More mid-latitude auroras are in the offing as Solar Cycle 25 intensifies. Stay tuned! Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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STERLING SILVER RAINBOW DRAGONFLY (GOLDEN HEART): Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider a rainbow dragonfly from the edge of space. On June 3, 2022, this sterling silver pendant hitched a ride onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $172.95. The dragonfly's heart is a golden Celtic love knot, and its wings are decorated with a spray of rainbow-colored crystals. The students are selling dragonfly pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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