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
GIANT SUNSPOT VISIBLE FROM MARS: For the past two weeks, astronomers on Earth have marveled at the size and violence of sunspot AR3590. It unleashed the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 (X6.3) and, at one point, was more than half the size of Carrington's sunspot. Now AR3590 is visible from Mars. Mars rover Perseverance saw it yesterday from Jezero crater:
Perseverance's images of the sun come from its MASTCAM (stereo mast camera), which puts about 90 pixels across the solar disk. It takes a large sunspot to show up in these low-resolution images. AR3590 is an easy catch, even with these limitations.
This weekend, AR3590 will rotate off the Earthside of the sun. Perseverance can keep track of it for us; the Mars rover has a good view of the sun's farside, where AR3590 will spend the next two weeks. If it does not decay, the sunspot could become a renewed threat for Earth-directed flares in mid-March when it turns our way again. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
more images: from Mohammad Talafha of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; from Philip Smith of Manorville, NY; from Thomas Jorgenson of Oro Valley, AZ; from Frank A. Rodriguez of Gran Canaria Island, Canary Islands;
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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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