INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters have increased the odds of a flare today (40% M-class, 5% X-class) in response to developments inside sunspot AR3361. The active region has an increasingly unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. Any flares will be geoeffective as the sunspot is directly facing Earth. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
A GREEN FLASH IN A FERRIS WHEEL: Sometimes when the sun is setting over the ocean and just about to vanish beneath the waves, observers see a surprising flash of emerald green--the rare "green flash." On July 8th, Italian photographer Claudio Balella captured an extra-rare "green flash in a Ferris Wheel."
"I was photographing the sunset when I noticed this big Ferris Wheel about 15 km down the coast," says Balella. "To my amazement, a green flash beamed right through the middle of it."
It's not unusual for the setting sun to split into multiple colors. The atmosphere acts like a prism, separating the solar disk into red, green, and blue components. Green flashes happen when a mirage magnifies the normal atmospheric refraction, transforming green into a startling flash. A layer of warm air next to the ocean produced the magnifying mirage for the flash Balella saw.
"Watching the green flash evolve inside the wheel was fantastic," says Ballela. "Such a lucky shot!"
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AMBER BUMBLEBEE SPACE PENDANT: Bumblebees don't usually fly so high. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this one to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. Here it is floating 115,158 feet above California's Sierra Nevada:
You can have it for $179.95. This bee is made of genuine Baltic Amber with a sterling silver exoskeleton. The rich Cognac-colored pendant measures 3/4 inch and comes with a matching 18-inch sterling silver chain.
The students are selling these unique pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the bumblebee in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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