SpaceWeather.com Archive — Sun, Jun 9, 2024

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GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G2): NOAA forecasters say that G2-class geomagnetic storms are possible on June 10th when a CME launched by yesterday's M9.7 flare is expected to hit Earth. The CME is bright and massive; a direct hit would probably cause a severe geomagnetic storm. However, this will be just a glancing blow, so only moderate storming is likely. Aurora alerts: SMS Tex t

POLAR CAP ABSORPTION EVENT: Don't try to use a shortwave radio inside the Arctic Circle this weekend. It probably won't work. A deep polar cap absorption (PCA) event is in progress:

Red zones in this global map show where shortwave transmissions are being absorbed. Frequencies below 15 MHz are almost completely blacked out, while anything below 35 MHz is being attentuated, at least a little.

This is the aftermath of yesterday's M9.7-class explosion on the sun. Protons accelerated by the blast are now hitting our planet. Earth's magnetic field funnels these particles toward the poles where their ionizing effect causes the absorption of shortwave radio. The absorption event could last for days; you can can monitor its progress here. Solar flare alerts: SMS Tex t

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STERLING SILVER GEOMAGNETIC CAT: On May 10, 2024, a CME slammed into Earth's magnetic field, sparking the biggest geomagnetic storm in 35 years. Moments later, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray balloon directly into the storm. The Geomagnetic Cat Pendant went along for the ride:

This sterling silver feline floated through the stratosphere for 3 hours during the storm, gathering radiation data for the students' monitoring program. Later, when the sun set and the sky grew dark, red and green auroras danced above the Sierra Nevada mountains of California where the balloon was launched.

You can have it for $219.95. The pendant comes with a greeting card showing the cat in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime gift.