BIG SUNSPOT ALERT: A potentially significant sunspot group is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb, right here. Astronomers are encouraged to monitor the active region, which may be unusually large and a source of strong flares. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
THE STORM IS SUBSIDING: A close encounter with a CME during the early hours of Aug. 4th sparked a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm. Just before sunrise in Colorado, "we saw a nice display of auroras," reports Aaron Watson, who sends this picture from Grand Mesa, CO:
"There was a brief burst of color at the start of the storm just after 3 am local time (9:00 UTC), then it faded for awhile, then came back even stronger just before morning twilight," says Watson. "Once it got going, the aurora was visible as a glow to the north with the unaided eye, although I couldn't distinguish the pink hue without the camera."
Storm levels are now subsiding to category G1 (Minor). This will cause auroras to withdraw toward the Arctic Circle. Nevertheless, camera-only (too faint for the naked eye) auroras may still be photographed across central Europe and northern-tier US states during the night of Aug. 4-5. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Dan Bush of Albany, Missouri; from Harlan Thomas of Carstairs, Alberta; from David Sweeney of Lake Stevens, Washington
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A CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUNSPOTS: Sunspots do like to talk to one another. Yesterday, Aug. 3rd, sunspot AR3775 produced a strong M7.3-class solar flare. An unnamed sunspot just behind the sun's eastern limb quickly responded with its own M5.4-class explosion:
These are called "sympathetic solar flares"--that is, pairs of explosions that occur almost simultaneously in widely-spaced active regions. Long ago, researchers assumed the eruptions were just coincidence, but a 2002 study proved otherwise. Some sunspots are linked by nearly-invisible magnetic loops in the sun's corona. Instabilities can rapidly travel from one to another, creating a chain reaction of explosions.
If AR3775 is indeed linked to the unseen sunspot, more twin flares may be in the offing as both turn toward Earth in the days ahead. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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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 $249.95. 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.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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