MORE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY: Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from the impact of a CIR, which produced a strong geomagnetic storm during the early hours of May 29th. The storm is subsiding now, but it might not be over. NOAA forecasters say that minor (G1) to moderate (G2) storms are possible in the hours ahead. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) hit Earth on May 29th, sparking a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm with auroras in both hemispheres. Gregory Ash photographed the display from Ely, Minnesota:
"The aurora was very diffuse for the first hour, then it finally exploded with huge pillars that backlit this tiny island," says Ash.
CIRs are transition zones between fast- and slow-moving streams of solar wind. They contain CME-like shock waves that do a good job sparking geomagnetic storms and auroras. We knew this CIR was coming, but expected it to produce no more than a minor storm. The G3 strength of the storm was a surprise to forecasters. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
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THIS IS *REAL* MONEY FROM SPACE: The US Mint has just released a new $1 coin to honor NASA's longest-serving spacecraft: The Space Shuttle. On May 25, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the coins to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have a single coin for $49.95 or an entire unbroken roll for $299.95. No longer available from the US Mint, these rare coins flew 119,343 feet above the Sierra Nevada on July 16, 2024. One side shows the space shuttle lifting off from Launch Complex 39 at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center; the other side features the Statue of Liberty in profile.
Bonus: If you need to, you can spend these coins. They're real legal tender.
The students are selling space coins to support to support their cosmic ray research program. (Helium is expensive!) Each order comes with a greeting card showing the coins in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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