A CME MIGHT GRAZE EARTH THIS WEEKEND: On Feb. 1st, a filament of magnetism in the sun's northern hemisphere erupted, hurling a CME into space. Most of the CME will sail north of our planet, but not all. A NASA model predicts a glancing blow on Sunday, Feb. 4th. The impact could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm with auroras at high latitude. CME impact alerts: SMS Text
HERE COMES THE MARTIAN SUNSPOT: A sunspot so big it is visible from Mars (Perseverence saw it last week) is turning toward Earth today. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is watching it emerge over the sun's eastern limb:
NOAA has designated this sunspot AR3576. Because of its location on the sun's far-eastern limb, we can't yet get a good look at its magnetic field to assess possible instabilities. However, we already know that the active region is cracking with M-class solar flares. That, plus its formidable size, suggests it is a threat for X-flares as well. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Does your sweetheart love space? Shop the Earth to Sky Store for their perfect Valentine's gift. All items have flown to the stratosphere on board cosmic ray research balloons--and from now until Feb. 14th, everything is 10% off:
Each purchase comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Don't forget to enter the coupon code "ILOVESPACE" for your Valentine's discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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