AURORAS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY? Another solar wind stream is heading for Earth. It is flowing from a canyon-like hole in the sun's atmosphere. First contact with the stream on Feb. 14th could cause a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm with Arctic auroras for Valentine's Day. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
ANOTHER STARLINK LAUNCH: Twenty-three more Starlink satellites are now in Earth orbit following yesterday's SpaceX launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. Ross Stone watched them soar into space from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) near Big Pine, California:
"I was ready for the launch and caught the Falcon 9 rocket's exhaust above the 40 meter dish at OVRO," says Stone. "It was totally awesome watching technology at its best."
The Falcon 9 deployed 23 new Starlink satellites, bringing the total number of Starlinks launched this year to 276 . And it's only February! Sky watchers may be able to observe the newest "Starlink train" as a string of bright lights in the night sky. Visit Heavens-Above.com for flyby predictions.
more images: from Aurora Dora Redman between the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, Arizona; from Disneyland in Anaheim, California; from Ross Stone of Big Pine, California; from David Blanchard of Flagstaff, Arizona; from Mark Turner of Las Vegas, NV; from Rob Ferber of Panoche, California
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REINDEER AND AURORAL SPIKES: A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 9th, causing a G1-class geomagnetic storm. Petr Horálek and more than a dozen reindeer watched the light show from Kilpisjärvi, Finland:
"My friends and I drove 4 hours from cloudy Tromso to clear skies in Finland," says Horálek. "We stopped at a frozen lake where a giant herd of reindeer were crossing. The auroras overhead were truly brilliant with 'spike' structures that I had never seen before."
The spike structures Horálek saw are caused by discrete streams of electrons raining down from space. They're a bit like electron beams in the picture tubes of old-fashioned TV sets. Usually these streams are so numerous they blend together into continuous auroral waves and curtains but, occasionally, the individual "spikes" can be seen.
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VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Does your sweetheart love space? Shop the Earth to Sky Store for their perfect Valentine's gift. All items have flown to the stratosphere on board cosmic ray research balloons--and from now until Feb. 14th, everything is 10% off:
Each purchase comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Don't forget to enter the coupon code "FAROUT" for your Valentine's discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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