X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Yesterday, the sun surprised forecasters with a dramatic X1.1-class solar flare (March 28th @ 1520 UTC). The explosion caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas, and it hurled a massive CME into space. That CME will narrowly miss Earth. The sunspot that caused the flare (AR4046) is now turning toward Earth, so future explosions may be more effective. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
"HORNS OF FIRE" SOLAR ECLIPSE: When the sun rose over Maine this morning, something was issing--about 85% of the sun. A solar eclipse was underway. "We witnessed an amazing 'horns of fire' eclipse," reports Fabrizio Melandri, who sends this picture from Monticello:
I had to withstand an air temperature of -10°C (14°F), but it was worth it," says Melandri. "Although the sun was covered for 85%, the sunrise was dazzling. After a few minutes, it was necessary to use a solar filter to protect my eyes from the glare."
In New York, the eclipse was not as deep, but the sunrise was equally beautiful. Bob Kelly watched the show from Rye Beach, NY:
"The eclipsed sun beamed through some gaps in the cloud cover," says Kelly. "What a morning!"
We are receiving lots of photos from around the eclipse zone. Browse the gallery for the latest:
Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
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THE VULCAN EASTER BUNNY: It's the weirdest/coolest Easter gift ever: The Vulcan Easter Bunny. On March 14, 2025, this flop-eared explorer traveled to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $99.95. This is a plush bunny riding inside a Mr. Spock koozie, which displays a "Live Long and Prosper" salute and a Star Trek tricorder. It flew to the edge of space on Pi Day and Einstein's birthday--the logical launch date for any Vulcan Bunny.
The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling far-out gifts to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. 100% of the items in the Earth to Sky Store have been to the stratosphere, touching the edge of space for at least 2 hours. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the gift in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Venus Photo Gallery
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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