GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (UPDATED): NOAA forecasters have downgraded today's geomagnetic storm watch from category G2 (Moderate) to category G1 (Minor). This is in response to the late arrival of the Jan. 20th halo CME. At the same time, the new G1 geomagnetic storm watch has been extended through the next 3 days. The sun has expelled multiple overlapping CMEs in the past 24 hours, including this beauty. One or more of them may graze Earth's magnetic field before the weekend. CME impact alerts: SMS Text
A STRONG DOUBLE SOLAR FLARE: What are the odds? This morning (Jan. 23rd @ 0331 UTC) two sunspots separated by 500,000 km erupted simultaneously. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the double ultraviolet flash:
In this movie, sunspots AR3559 and AR3561 can be seen flaring in tandem from opposite hemispheres, north vs. south. The combined intensity of the two explosions reached category M5.1.
This is called a "sympathetic solar flare." Sympathetic flares are pairs of flares that occur almost simultaneously in different active regions, not by chance, but because of some physical connection. A statistical analysis of such flares in 2002 proved that they are real and linked by magnetic loops in the sun's corona. An even bigger 40-year study of sympathetic flares found that the pairs can be separated by more than 90° in latitude.
Today's sympathetic flare caused a shortwave radio blackout over Australia and Indonesia: map. Ham radio operators and mariners may have noticed a loss of signal at frequencies below 30 MHz for as much as 30 minutes after the flare's peak. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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HAND-CRAFTED CUPID SNOOPY: Is there a Snoopy fan in your life? They will love Cupid Snoopy for Valentine's Day. This hand-painted figurine flew to the stratosphere on Jan. 18, 2024, onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $119.95. Wearing Cupid's wings and armed with the arrow of love, Snoopy makes a fantastic gift for any romantic occasion. It comes with a gift card showing the figurine in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
This Cupid Snoopy figurine is officially licensed by Peanuts and is 100% authentic. Hand-crafted from high-quality stone resin with intricate styling, it is a selection from award-winning artist Jim Shore's Peanuts collection.
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