HELP US SUPPORT OUR INTERPRETER: Katharine Allen is a professional interpreter who has helped us spread our student ballooning program to multiple countries and indigenous populations. Now you can help us return the favor. Katharine has been nominated for a prestigious "Interpreting Influencer Award." To show our collective thanks, please click here, scroll down and vote for Katharine Allen.
A GREEN FLASH FROM VENUS: You've heard of green flashes on the sun. But what about green flashes on Venus? They're real. Peter Rosén just saw one over Stockholm, Sweden:
"On Monday morning I woke up early to get a beautiful view of Venus and the Moon rising over Stockholm's skyline," says Rosén. "Because of the extreme cold that still persists over southern Sweden, I also got an unexpected bonus in the form of a rare green flash on Venus."
Green flashes happen because Earth's low atmosphere acts like a prism, splitting white light into R-G-B colors. A low-hanging planet like Venus can turn into a miniature rainbow. The flash appears when unusually sharp temperature gradients in the air magnify one color or another--in this case, green.
Green flashes on Venus have been observed before, but Rosén's video may be the best ever. "It was a magnificent sight," he says.
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"TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART" PENDANT: This is a rare and precious item. On Aug. 21, 2017, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched 11 space weather balloons into the Great American Solar Eclipse. This premium pendant went along for the ride, floating 101,004 feet high, where it was swallowed by the shadow of the Moon at the edge of space:
You can have it for $299.95. During the 2.5 hour flight, the pendant was wrapped in the Moon's shadow for more than two minutes, experiencing a spooky darkness colder than -50 C.
The pendant's blue Swarovski crystal is wrapped in a sterling silver frame engraved with the words "I ♥ u to the Moon and Back." It comes with a unique gift card showing the jewelry passing through the Moon's shadow and telling the story of its flight.
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