GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): NOAA has issued a minor (G1-class) geomagnetic storm watch for April 4th when a stream of solar wind is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field. The storm could cause bright naked-eye auroras around the Arctic Circle, with fainter photographic auroras as far south as the US-Canadian border. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THE SUNSPOT REPORT FROM MARS: Giant sunspot AR3615 is no longer visible from Earth. Over the weekend it rotated onto the farside of the sun. From Mars, however, it is still clearly visible. Mars rover Perseverance sends this picture taken earlier today from Jezero crater:
Perseverance looks at the sun once a day to check the air for dust. The rover uses 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. AR3615 is very large, indeed.
The giant sunspot will return to the Earthside of the sun approximately two weeks from now. Thanks to Perseverance, we will be able to monitor AR3615 for another 7 or 8 days, to see if it remains large and potent as it approaches its return. Stay tuned! Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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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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