MINOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: NOAA forecasters say that minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on June 2nd when a stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a pair of holes in the sun's atmosphere. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
POLLEN CORONAS: Something in the air is making the sun over Finland look unusual. "It's pollen," says Mikko Peussa, who photographed the phenomenon on May 30th from the city of Turku near the Baltic Sea:
The air is sparkling and the sun is surrounded by pastel rings. These are called "pollen coronas," caused by sunlight scattered from swarms of pollen in the air. The "sparkles" in Peussa's photo are some of the individual grains.
"The pollen is coming from pine trees in the area," says Peussa. Springtime cones are opening, spreading pollen so that pines can reproduce. Individual grains are very tiny, with optical properties that produce compact, intensely colored pastel rings.
Above: Pine pollen seen through a microscope [more]
Viewed through a microscope, pine pollens look like Mickey Mouse ears. The ears are air sacs, which act like little sails for riding on the wind. Air currents naturally align the "mouse ears" in the same direction. This is why pollen coronas tend to be elliptical, not circular.
Got pines? The sun over your head might look unusual, too. Submit your photos here.
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FAR-OUT FATHER'S DAY GIFT: Have you ever wished your dad smelled like Jean-Luc Picard? Make it Soap! Scented like Earl Grey tea, this bar of soap flew to the stratosphere on May 26, 2023, onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $99.95. The students of Earth to Sky are selling space soap to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each bar comes with a greeting card showing the soap 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
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