INCREASING THREAT OF FLARES: Solar activity has been low for more than a week. That could change this weekend. Sunspot 3917 is growing rapidly with an increasingly complex magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. If current trends continue, it could soon break the silence with a significant flare. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
PROBA-3 SOLAR ECLIPSE MISSION: There's no substitute for a natural solar eclipse. The Moon passing in front of the sun reveals the sun's inner corona with a clarity that no manmade coronagraph can match--until now. Last week, the ESA launched a new mission named "Proba 3" that could challenge Mother Nature's solar eclipse supremacy.
Proba-3 is a double satellite. One half of Proba 3 will block the sun, while the other half photographs the corona in exquisite detail. Using a laser to maintain their precise alignment, the two spacecraft can create eclipses uninterrupted for more than 6 hours. The same eclipse on Earth could last no more than a few minutes.
Researchers are going to love this. The sun's inner corona is where the solar wind gats started and where the sun launches CMEs. The ability to study its dynamics for more than a few minutes at a time could lead to breakthroughs in space weather forecasting. If all goes well, the eclipses will begin in early 2025. Stay tuned!
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CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
Carried aloft by giant helium balloons, these unique gifts have flown above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out.
Don't forget to enter coupon code "BLACKCAT" at checkout for a 10% holiday discount.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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