INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: With the emergence of new sunspot AR3889 near the sun's eastern limb, there are now three big sunspots posing a threat for X-class solar flares. AR3889 joins AR3883 and AR3886, all of which have mixed-polarity (delta-class) magnetic fields susceptible to explosive magnetic reconnection. NOAA forecasters estimate 35% chance of X-flares on Nov. 8th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
CME SPARKS ARCTIC AURORAS: As expected, a CME hit Earth on Nov. 7th. The glancing blow was so subtle that, at first, it did not trigger our CME alarms. As Earth moved into the CME's wake, however, it became clear that a solar storm had arrived. Auroras spread around the Arctic Circle, including these over Fáskrúðsfjörður, Iceland:
"Beautiful Northern Lights could be seen tonight despite the clouds," says photographer Jónína Óskarsdóttir. "It was very windy and +11°C, which is unusual in November."
This wasn't a geomagnetic storm. The CME's influence was too weak. Full-fledged storms are not required for auroras in Iceland, which is so close to the Arctic Circle that even mild disturbances can cause bright displays. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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14K ROSE GOLD BUTTERFLY LOCKET: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the 14K Rose Gold Butterfly Locket. On Oct 11, 2024, it flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, reaching an altitude 109,003 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of California:
You can have it for $149.95. Made of 14K rose gold and engraved with dozens of butterflies, the locket floated in the stratosphere for 3 hours while radiation sensors inside the payload gathered data for the students' radiation monitoring project. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
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!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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