A CME IS ABOUT TO SLAM INTO MERCURY: A bright CME that left the sun earlier today is hours away from slamming into Mercury, according to a NASA model. The impact will pepper Mercury with high energy electrons. New research shows that this will probably ignite X-ray auroras at ground level on Mercury's rocky surface. AURORA alerts: SMS Text
M IS FOR 'MAGNIFICENT': Departing sunspot AR3372 erupted on July 28th (1558 UT), producing an M4-class solar flare and a magnificent plume of debris:
The fiery loop that catapulted away from the sun was wide enough to swallow about 20 planet Earths. It won't be swallowing our planet, though, because it is heading in the wrong direction. Like several other significant explosions in July, this one will miss Earth. Maybe next time. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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EARTH'S RING CURRENT IS LEAKING: Did you know that Earth has rings? Unlike Saturn's rings, which are vast disks of glittering ice, Earth's rings are made of electricity--a donut-shaped circuit carrying millions of amps around our planet. On July 26th, heat from this ring current leaked into the upper atmosphere, creating a red arc over Slocan, British Columbia:
"I almost fell over when I checked my camera," says photographer Harlan Thomas. "There was one of the brightest SAR arcs that I have seen! It lasted around 45 minutes."
SARs were discovered in 1956 at the beginning of the Space Age. At first, researchers didn’t know what they were and unwittingly gave them a misleading name: "Stable Auroral Red arcs." However, they are not auroras; the red glow comes from Earth's ring current system.
The ring current springs a leak most often during geomagnetic storms. Indeed, a G1-class storm was underway at the time of Thomas's sighting. That, however, was just a minor storm. Stronger storms and bigger leaks are in the offing as Solar Cycle 25 intensifes. Stay tuned for red.
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STERLING SILVER STARCAT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Introducing the Sterling SIlver StarCat Pendant. On July 14th, it hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $159.95. The silver feline form is wrapped around a genuine moonstone with a matching 18 inch Italian sterling silver chain. It is 100% hypoallergenic.
The students of Earth to Sky 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 trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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