A CME JUST HIT EARTH: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth on May 9th at 2310 UT. The impact did not spark an immediate geomagnetic storm BUT storms are in the offing as Earth passes through the CME's strongly magnetized wake. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on May 9th and 10th.Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
INTENSIFYING SOLAR ACTIVITY: Reversed-polarity sunspot AR3296 won't stop flaring. This morning's strong M7-class explosion was the fourth M-flare in the last day and a half:
The intensity of the flares is increasing, and an X-flare may be in the offing before the backward sunspot rotates off the solar disk this weekend. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
POLAR CAP ABSORPTION EVENT: Don't try to use a shortwave radio inside the Arctic Circle this week. It might not work. A deep polar cap absorption (PCA) event is in progress:
Red zones in this global map show where shortwave transmissions are being absorbed. Frequencies below 15 MHz are almost completely blacked out, while anything below 35 MHz is being attentuated, at least a little.
What's causing this? Protons accelerated by the May 7th halo CME are now hitting our planet. Earth's magnetic field funnels these particles toward the poles where their ionizing effect causes the absorption of shortwave radio. The absorption event could last for days; you can can monitor its progress here.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
STERLING SILVER SIERRA MOONRISE PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out Mother's Day gift? Consider the Sierra Moonrise Pendant. It flew to the edge of space on April 15, 2023, floating on a cosmic ray balloon 117,400 feet above the historically-snowy Sierra Nevada mountains of California:
You can have it for $142.95. The sterling silver pendant shows the craggy Sierra range with a full Moonstone rising overhead. It makes a great birthday, anniversary or Mother's Day gift.
The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space 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 journey to the stratosphere 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