SOLAR ECLIPSE BALLOON LAUNCH: We're in Texas! Dr. Tony Phillips and the staff of Spaceweather.com are in the Lone Star State for tomorrow's total eclipse, getting ready to launch an Earth to Sky cosmic ray balloon. The payload will carry cameras above the clouds to photograph the Moon's shadow from the stratosphere. Will it work? Stay tuned! Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
Realtime Eclipse Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
THE STRANGE CHILL OF THE MOON'S SHADOW: A 100-mile wide shaft of cool air is about to race through Earth's atmosphere faster than 1500 mph. It's the shadow of the Moon created by Monday's total eclipse of the sun. This animation shows the progress of darkness across the United States:
Animation credit: GreatAmericanEclipse.com
Solar eclipses make their own weather--starting with the temperature. How much the temperature falls depends on the humidity. Dry environments could see a drop of 8 to 14 degrees, less so if it’s humid. According to NASA, an eclipse in Zambia on June 21, 2001, reduced the temperature nearly 15 degrees.
The reduction in temperature can make clouds disappear. Satellites observing eclipses from Earth orbit have detected many examples. A 10-year study just published in Nature found that cumulus clouds begin dissipating when a mere 15 percent of the sun is covered. In some cases, clouds didn’t start to return until 50 minutes after maximum eclipse.
This could be good news for eclipse chasers in Mexico and Texas, where widespread cloudcover is expected on April 8th. The eclipse itself might help clear the sky. Stay tuned!
More: Why a Cloudy Forecast Doesn't Mean Your Eclipse is Ruined -- from CNN
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 tomorrow'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