SpaceWeather.com Archive — Mon, Aug 5, 2024

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X-CLASS SOLAR FLARES: Earth-orbiting satellites have detected two strong X-class solar flares on Aug. 5th. One (X1.7) came from departing sunspot AR3767 near the sun's western limb, the other (X1.1) from giant new sunspot AR3780 near the eastern limb. Shortwave radio blackouts occured over the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas as a result of the flares. More X-flares are in the offing especially from AR3780. Solar flare alerts: SMS Tex t

CALIFORNIA AURORAS: A close encounter with a CME during the early hours of Aug. 4th sparked a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm. "A beautiful aurora lit up the northern sky from the White Mountains of California at 37°N latitude near the town of Bishop," reports photographer Chris Cook, who took this picture just before local sunrise:

"From my Bortle 2 location not far from a forest of ancient Bristlecone Pines, the display was easily visible to the eye including faint pillars," says Cook. Mid-latitude auroras were also seen in Colorado, New Zealand and China.

The storm is over now. However, isolated episodes of minor G1 storming could re-occur as Earth exits the CME's wake on Aug. 5th. Aurora 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 $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.