WEAK IMPACT: A CME grazed Earth's magnetic field today, Feb. 25th (~1645 UT), but the impact was weak and it did not cause a geomagnetic storm. The CME was hurled into space on Feb. 21st by an erupting filament of magnetism (movie) in the sun's northern hemisphere. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY ECLIPSE GLASSES: The total solar eclipse is still more than a month away (April 8, 2024), but you should buy your eclipse glasses now. There's something to see this week. Giant sunspot group AR3590 is more than ten times wider than Earth and can be safely viewed through ordinary eclipse glasses:
Speaking of size, this sunspot is about half as big (by surface area) as the great sunspot that caused the Carrington Event in Sept. 1859. Even a half-intensity Carrington Event occuring today could cause problems for satellites, power grids, and internet connectivity. That's why AR3590 merits watching.
NOAA forecasters say there is a 30% chance of a powerful X-class flare this weekend. If it happens, the flare will be geoeffective because AR3590 is directly facing Earth. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Stuart Green of Preston, Lancashire, UK; from Astro Tafelberg of Austria; from Túlio Aguiar of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; from Judah of Baton Rouge, LA; from Biswajit Bose of Kolkata, India; from Todd Bush of Banner Elk, NC;
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WHAT A RADIO BLACKOUT LOOKS LIKE: On Feb. 22nd, giant sunspot AR3590 unleashed an X6.3-class solar flare, the strongest flare of Solar Cycle 25. Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere in a broad region centered on the Pacific Ocean and touching the western USA. This, in turn, blacked out shortwave radio transmissions in that same area. Jim Tegerdine recorded the blackout from Roseburg, Oregon:
"I was monitoring radio transmissions at 20 MHz when all the signals started to fade," says Tegerdine. "At the peak of the flare (2234 UT), the signal strength was near zero."
Tegerdine's chart recorder plot shows that the fading began about 10 minutes before the flare's peak, giving him an early warning of what was about to happen. After reaching the nadir of signal strength, the blackout persisted as a "deep fade" for more than 20 minutes. In total, there was loss of signal for about a half an hour.
Ham radio operators who wish to catch these events in progress can sign up for Spaceweather Alerts. Both PRO and BASIC plans come with instant X-flare alerts.
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18K GOLD "LOVE YOU TO THE MOON" LOCKET: This is a very special locket. It's heart-shaped, plated with 18K gold, and we will fly it again during this year's total eclipse of the sun. Keep reading...
On Jan. 26, 2024, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this locket to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 111,535 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
Buy it now for $149.95, and we'll fly it again--FOR FREE--during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The students will be launching multiple balloons from the path of totality in Texas. Your pendant will go along for the ride, touching the shadow of the Moon at the edge of space. (Simply type "FLY IT AGAIN" in the comments box at checkout.)
The locket, which opens to hold a personal photo or other small item, comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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