THE X-FLARES ARE FINISHED (FOR NOW): Sunspot 4098, which produced a surprising X1.1-class solar flare on May 25th, has lost its "delta-class" magnetic field. That means it will probably quiet down and stop Xploding. The best chance for another X-flare comes from big old sunspot 4079, which is returning after a two-week trip around the farside of the sun. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
HOW A THUNDERSTORM MADE GREEN RIPPLES OVER COLORADO: In the early hours of May 25th, photographer Aaron Watson set up his camera beneath the dark skies of Colorado and captured a silent drama triggered by distant thunderstorms. As the Milky Way rose and lightning flickered to the south, green waves began to ripple through the upper atmosphere:
"I saw flashes of lightning from a thunderstorm complex to the south and ran a timelapse sequence for about 30 minutes," says Watson. His camera revealed faint, watery-green bands flowing northward across the sky, as if emanating directly from the storm system.
Watson recorded a display of green airglow. The green light comes from the sun, while the ripples are created by thunderstorms. Strong updrafts from thunderstorms make a bullseye pattern in the airglow layer like throwing a stone into a pond.
"The ripples were invisible to the unaided eye," Watson noted. "But the sky did look brighter than usual along the horizons. North is down in my image set, so the waves were flowing from south to north, away from the storms."
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
THE REDSHIFT PENDANT: Give a gift that’s truly out of this world. The Redshift Pendant has journeyed to the edge of space, lifted 104,002 ft above our planet by an Earth to Sky cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $179.95. The premium Swarovski crystal has a deep ruby hue inspired by the expansion of the Universe--or "redshift" in the love language of astronomy. It is surrounded by a dozen glittering 5A cubic zirconia nuggets in a frame plated with hypoallergenic 18k rose gold. Also, it comes with a photo of the pendant in space for a truly unforgettable presentation.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry 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 Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter