A GLANCING-BLOW CME IS COMING (MAYBE): NOAA forecasters say that a CME might graze Earth's magnetic field late on March 2nd. It was hurled into space yesterday when a magnetic filament attached to sunspot AR3592 erupted. The impact could spark minor G1-class geomagnetic storms. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
MARCH IS THE BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR FOR AURORAS: Did you know that March is the best month of the year for auroras? It's true. A 75-year study by retired NASA solar physicist David Hathaway shows that March has more geomagnetically active days than any other month of the year. (October is a close second.)
According to historical records, geomagnetic disturbances are almost twice as likely in spring and fall vs. winter and summer. This is due to the Russell-McPherron effect. In short, cracks tend to form in Earth's magnetosphere during weeks around equinoxes, allowing solar wind to spark Northern Lights. Happy March! Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
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ARCTIC ICE HALOS: Winter is a special time around the Arctic Circle. Long periods of darkness and twilight give residents a special appreciation for the sunrise--especially when it looks like this:
"I saw this magnificent display on Feb. 28th from Pangnirtung (an Inuit village on Canada's Baffin Island)," reports Daniel Kulugutuk, who removed his gloves just long enough to take the picture. "The air temperature outside was -30 C!"
These are ice halos--the kind best seen where Arctic cold fills the air with ice crystals whose forms approach gemlike perfection. Kulugutuk witnessed a 22-degree halo, a parhelic circle, an upper tangent arc, a supralateral arc, a circumzenithal arc, and a pair of sundogs.
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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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