GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): NOAA forecasters are predicting a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm on May 9th when a high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to exert pressure on Earth's magnetic field. A glancing blow from a CME (it left the sun on May 5th) is also possible, further boosting the odds of a storm. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
ON THE SUN, THIS IS WHAT 'QUIET' LOOKS LIKE: All week long, solar activity has been low with a persistent quiet causing the sun's X-ray output to flatline. However, everthing is relative. On the sun, this is what 'quiet' looks like:
David Wilson recorded this two-hour movie from his backyard observatory in Inverness, Scotland. "I was testing an old barlow lens on May 7th when I caught sight of this tempest between the clouds," he says.
How can a solar tornado big enough to swallow Earth with 150,000 mph winds be "quiet"? For starters, there's no sound in space. But that's not the real reason. Space weather analysts rank solar activity by explosiveness. If there's an X-class solar flare, forecasters will say "solar activity is high." But if there are no flares and no CMEs, then "solar activity is low" or "quiet." This magnificent tornado simply did not explode.
Quiet never looked so good.
more images: from Michael Jaeger of AZM Martinsberg, Austria; from Alain Malfait of Esterel, France; from Richard Schrantz of Nicholasville, Kentucky; from Frank J Melillo of Holtsville, NY;
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OVAL SUN HALO: 99 out of 100 sun halos are perfectly circular. On May 7th, John Dartnell looked into the blue sky over North Wiltshire, UK, and saw the 100th. "This display was oval in shape," he says.
"I have seen circular sun halos before, but I was mystified by this," adds Dartnell. "At first I thought it was lens distortion, but it was definitely oval."
This is called a "circumscribed halo." It appears when the low sun shines through pencil-shaped ice crystals in the air. Bright circumscribed halos require that the crystals be aligned with their long axes parallel to the ground--hence the rarity. When the sun rises toward the zenith, this oval halo will shape-shift to become perfectly circular. Check it out!
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CONSTELLATION CAT NIGHT LIGHT (CRYSTAL BALL): It's the most far-out feline night light ever--the Constellation Cat Crystal Ball. On April 23, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a giant helium balloon.
You can have it for $139.95. Outlined by stars in the style of an astronomical constellation, the laser-etched cat comes with an LED stand that produces a soothing glow for your bedside table. Also included: A unique greeting card shows the crystal ball in flight and tells the story of its journey to the edge of space.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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