QUIET WEEKEND: As the first weekend of the New Year begins, there are no CMEs heading for Earth. Our planet's magnetic field should remain quiet with few auroras outside the Arctic Circle. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
THESE AURORAS ARE NOT AURORAS: On Jan. 5th, two seemingly unrelated things happened in Stockholm, Sweden: A punishing cold wave hit the city, plunging the air temperature almost 30 degrees below freezing. At the same time, aurora-colored lights filled the sky. Yet these were not auroras:
"With the extreme cold, ice crystals filled the air," says photographer Peter Rosén in downtown Stockholm. "This created a magnificent display of light pillars that looked almost like Northern Lights."
Light pillars are manmade lights spread into colorful columns by large wobbly snowflakes and other crystals. No solar activity is required. The only ingredients are ice and light pollution.
The red lights in Rosén's photo are aircraft warning beacons on tall buildings and construction cranes. Other colors correspond to high pressure sodium lamps (warm orange) and modern LED lamps (blue-white).
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VALENTINE'S CRYSTAL BEAR AND ROSE: Valentine's Day is coming. Looking for a far-out gift? This Crystal Bear and Rose flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on Dec. 17th:
You can have it for $129.95. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space bears to support their high-altitude ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the ursine astronaut in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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