"DUD" CME IMPACT SPARKS MINOR STORM: A CME hit Earth's magnetic field on May 12th at 0635 UT, deflecting magnetometer needles at the Ottawa Magnetic Observatory by 34 nT. A bit of a dud, the impact sparked only a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm and no widespread auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
BIG FARSIDE SUNSPOT: You might suppose that the farside of the sun is hidden from view. However, researchers using a technique called "helioseismology" can make crude maps of the sun's hidden hemisphere. Their latest map reveals a huge farside active region:
The black blob is a sunspot group--big enough to alter the way the sun vibrates. Sunspots on this scale are usually active. The sun's rotation will turn it to face Earth late next week. Between now and then, we might see some nice farside CMEs in SOHO coronagraph images. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
SILVER SNOOPY SPACE PENDANT: Snoopy has touched space. This sterling silver pendant flew to the stratosphere on April 15, 2023, floating on a cosmic ray balloon 117,400 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $159.95. Space Snoopy 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 Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter