SpaceWeather.com Archive — Mon, Apr 8, 2024

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THE BALLOON LAUNCH WAS A SUCCESS: On April 8th, Dr. Tony Phillips and the staff of Spaceweather.com launched two Earth to Sky cosmic ray balloons during the total solar eclipse in Texas. Both balloons were in or near the stratosphere when the Moon's shadow arrived. We don't yet know what kind of footage the cameras recorded, but the launches themselves were a success. Stay tuned for updates after the payloads are recovered from the Texas hill country. Solar flare alerts: SMS Tex t

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: Millions of people in North America just had their minds blown. On April 8th, the Moon passed directly in front of the sun, producing a total eclipse visible from Mexico to Maine. In Carbondale, Illinois , astronomer Jimmy Westlake witnessed two of the most amazing phenomena--Bailey's Beads and red prominences visible to the naked eye:

"The sky was crystal blue for today’s eclipse in Carbondale," says Westlake. "It was just as incredible as it looks!"

NOAA's GOES-16 satellite saw what happened from Earth orbit. The Moon's shadow raced across North America faster than 1500 mph, creating a mind-altering cone of darkness:

A great number of people inside that shadow are now asking themselves just one question: When is the next eclipse?! The next total solar eclipse with a coast-to-coast path spanning the Lower 48 states will occur on August 12, 2045. Until then, browse the Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery.

Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
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AMBER DRAGONFLY SPACE PENDANT: This dragonfly has touched space. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, 109,228 feet above California's Sierra Nevada:

You can have it for $179.95. Made of genuine Baltic Amber with a sterling silver exoskeleton, the pendant measures 1 1/4 inch and comes with a matching 18-inch sterling silver chain. The wings of the dragonfly include four pieces of natural amber colored Cognac, Olive Green and Honey Yellow.

The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.