GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH--CANCELED: A CME expected to graze Earth on Dec. 27th has not arrived. Either it missed or it is moving more slowly than expected. Either way, the chances of a geomagnetic storm today have subsided. Maybe next time! CME impact alerts: SMS Text
WIDESPREAD POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS: Last week, Dec. 17th-24th, temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere dipped to a 40-year low. The result was a widespread outburst of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). Normally confined inside the Arctic circle, the aurora-like clouds descended all the way to Italy and the south of France:
Spaceweather.com reader Jamie McBean created this map of sightings drawing on a variety of sources: "I used the SpaceWeather Photo Gallery, Twitter, Facebook and other forums such as Netweather for the UK and 3BMeteo for most of the sightings from Italy," says McBean.
" I've almost certainly missed out on some locations as I can't have scoured *everything,*" says McBean. "For example, you can see that with big gaps in Germany. Cloud cover has been pretty extensive in NW Europe recently, so I am sure more locations would have seen these amazing clouds if not."
The outburst is over--for now. PSCs typically appear two or three times every winter in response to cold waves in the stratosphere. If this first apparition is a sign of outbursts to come, we could be in for a great season. Stay tuned.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
THE COLD MOON SETS: Last night's Full Moon was the final Full Moon of 2023. Astrophotographer Jordi Coy spent months planning this farwell shot:
"I photographed the Moon setting behind the mystical village of Olvera in Cádiz, Spain," says Coy. "To get this photograph I had to move 5.7 kilometers away from the village. It was a difficult job to find the exact place to align the Moon with the village, the terrain is very hilly and getting a clean place took me months of searching, but I finally found it."
"Olvera is one of the most beautiful villages in Spain," adds Coy. "It belongs to the World Heritage Site and the so-called white villages of Andalusia, for having all its houses painted in lime. The reason for whitewashing their houses dates back to the time of the Roman Empire to protect them from epidemics."
Realtime Full Moon Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
AMBER DRAGONFLY SPACE PENDANT: This dragonfly has touched space. On Nov. 28th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, 109,228 feet above California's Sierra Nevada:
You can have it for $179.95. Made of genuine Baltic Amber with a sterling silver exoskeleton, the pendant measures 1 1/4 inch and comes with a matching 18-inch sterling silver chain. The wings of the dragonfly include four pieces of natural amber colored Cognac, Olive Green and Honey Yellow.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry 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
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter