SpaceWeather.com Archive — Mon, Sep 2, 2024

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NO CMEs ARE HEADING FOR EARTH... Our planet's magnetic field should remain quiet for the next 2 to 3 days. Why? Because currently no CMEs are heading for Earth. Several, however, are targeting Venus; see below. CME impact alerts: SMS Tex t

BUT A BIG ONE IS HEADING FOR VENUS: Yesterday, Sept. 1st, something exploded behind the sun's southeastern limb. The source of the blast was not visible, but it hurled a magnificent CME into space:

The CME won't hit Earth. Instead, it is heading for Venus. A NASA model predicts it will strike on Sept. 3rd. This will be the third CME hitting Venus in as many days, each one eroding a thin layer of the planet's unprotected cloudtops.

As seen from Earth, the explosion that produced this CME registered category M5.5. It was probably much stronger. The blast site was eclipsed by the edge of the sun, so the true intensity may have been X-class.

Today, a complex sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb. This could be the source of the blast, now turning toward Earth. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Tex t

more images: from Alan Friedman of Buffalo, NY; from Douglas Kostyk of Ionia, NY; from Efrain Morales of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; from Chris Schur of Payson, Arizona

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GLOW-IN-THE-DARK AURORA PENDANT: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the Glow-in-the-Dark Aurora Pendant. On July 8, 2024, it flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:

You can have it for $99.95. For 3 hours, the necklace floated 106,444 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California while radiation sensors inside the balloon's payload gathered data for the students' cosmic ray monitoring project. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and explaining the Earth to Sky Calculus radiation experiment.

The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space jewelry to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Don't wait for Christmas--get yours now!