SOLAR RADIATION STORM WATCH: Departing sunspot AR3615 erupted again today, March 30th (2116 UT), producing an M9.4-class solar flare only percentage points below category X. This flare will very likely produce a solar radiation storm in the hours ahead. At its current location near the sun's western limb, the sunspot is magnetically well-connected to Earth via the Parker Spiral. Protons and electrons produced by the blast will naturally spiral back to Earth and rain down upon our planet's atmosphere. Stay tuned! Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
AURORAS AND THE 'DEVIL COMET': If you want to photograph a beautiful comet, this is the week to do it. For the next 7+ days, "devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks will pop out of the twilight after sunset, its magnificent tail pointing up into the night sky. Michal Kaluzny sends this picture from the Solheimajokull glacier lagoon in Iceland:
"Fortunately, the auroras weren't too strong, allowing for the delicate tail of the comet to be exposed," says Kaluzny. Also in Iceland, Wioleta Gorecka photographed the comet emerging from a bright green curtain of Northern Lights.
You don't need to be in Iceland to photograph this comet. It's visible around the world, shining like a 5th magnitude star in the constellation Aries. Technically, it's bright enough to see with the naked eye, but in practice you'll need binoculars or a small telescope to pull it out of the western twilight. Cameras with nightsky settings should have no trouble recording the comet's tail in wide-angle landscape shots. Point your optics here.
sky maps: March 31, April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
more images: from Michael Jaeger of Aicha, Bavaria; from Jeremy Perez of Flagstaff, Arizona; from Danilo Pivato of Maremma Toscana, Italy
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
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
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter