ANOTHER BIG SUNSPOT: Solar activity is increasing again. A large and complex sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb. Numbered 4048, the active region is crackling with M-class solar flares. At the moment it appears to be a greater threat for X-flares than sunspot 4046, which did unleash a dramatic X1.1-flare on March 28th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
SOLAR ECLIPSE MIRAGE: Savvy photographers know the best time and place to catch a mirage: Early morning on the beach when temperature inversions over open water distort the shape of the rising sun. Joerg Schoppmeyer is a very savvy photographer. On March 29th, he positioned himself at Pointe Lebel (Baie-Comeau), Canada, to video record a mirage of a solar eclipse:
"This was my 65th eclipse--a cold, but very special one," says Schoppmeyer, who traveled to Canada to watch the New Moon pass in front of the sun less than a degree above the St Lawrence River.
During Schoppmeyer's video, about 85% of the sun is covered, turning the solar disk into a narrow crescent. Watch the video again. There are actually two crescents: One above the clouds, and another upside down below the clouds. That upside down crescent is not a reflection from the ocean water. It's an "omega mirage."
This eclipse was widely observed from eastern Canada, Iceland, Greenland, and western Europe. If you have a photo from the eclipse zone, please submit it here.
Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
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START YOUR CRYSTAL GARDEN FROM SPACE: This sunflower has touched space. The crystal blossom flew to the stratosphere on Feb. 22nd onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon, floating 112,451 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $139.95. The students are selling stratosphere crystals to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. In fact, you can start a whole crystal garden, as more flowers and butterflies are in the launch queue. They make great Mother's Day, anniversary, and birthday gifts. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the flower in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
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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