WEEKEND AURORAS IN THE USA: Two days of G1-class geomagnetic storms are subsiding as Earth exits a stream of high-speed (~700 km/s) solar wind. During the apex of this solar wind event on May 3rd, auroras were photographed in the United States as far south as Colorado. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
QUIET GIANT SUNSPOT: Big sunspots usually produce big solar flares. That's why the eerie quiet of sunspot 4079 is so strange. Despite being more than half the size of Carrington's sunspot, the today's behemoth has produced only a handful of puny C-class flares:
Is this the calm before the storm? Or just plain calm?
A clue may lie in the heart of the sunspot, which is bisected by a canyon of light. The split is shown here in a multiwavelength animation from Yvan Trembley of Versailles, France:
Solar physicists call this a "light bridge." The nature of light bridges is not fully understood. Often they herald the break-up of a sunspot, but not always. Some research suggests that magnetic fields at the base of a light bridge are busy cross-crossing and reconnecting--the same explosive process that sparks powerful solar flares.
Does this mean the primary core of sunspot 4079 will explode? Or quietly fall apart? No one can say. However, the appearance of a light bridge usually means that something is about to happen. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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BLACK MOONCAT EARRINGS: For the first time ever, earrings have flown to the edge of space. On April 20, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon, and these Black Mooncat Earrings went along for the ride:
You can have a pair for $149.95. Supported by a sterling silver frame, each black cat is curled around a genuine blue moonstone. The earrings floated through the stratosphere for almost 3 hours, reaching a peak altitude of 110,555 feet. They're the perfect companion for the Geomagnetic Black Cat Pendant.
Each pair of earrings comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of their trip to the stratosphere and back.
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