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
ANOTHER SUNSET ROCKET LAUNCH: SpaceX just added another 22 Starlink satellites to its growing megaconstellation. Sky watchers from California to Arizona watched it happen. "The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base made quite a display in our sunset sky," reports Chris Cook, who sends this picture from Long Beach, CA:
Before SpaceX started launching Starlink satellites in 2019, many Californians had never seen a rocket fly through the night sky. Last night's launch was SpaceX’s 11th from Vandenberg this year alone. The increasing pace of launches has boosted the number of active satellites in Earth orbit to an incredible 9531+, more than half being Starlinks.
Rocket trails may be coming soon to a sky near you. Check the SpaceX launch schedule, and keep looking up.
more images: from David Blanchard of Flagstaff, AZ; from Twila Gore Peck of Poway, California; from Mark Hood of Mission Viejo, CA; from Doug Backlund of Ajo, Arizona
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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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