THE THUNDER MOON: There's a full Moon tonight and, according to folklore, it has a special name: The "Thunder Moon," named after the booming electrical storms of summer. It's also called the "Buck Moon" and/or "Salmon Moon" by different Native American tribes. Whichever name you prefer, enjoy the moonlight, and submit your photos here.
NITROGEN AURORAS FROM THE WINDOW SEAT: Take a deep breath. 78% of the molecules filling your lungs are nitrogen. Here at ground level, the nitrogen is transparent. Hundreds of kilometers above you, however, the gas turns purple and blue. On July 6th, Darrik Spaude spotted the lavender glow from the window seat at 30,000 feet:
"While on an evening flight, I noticed these auroras as we were flying east over Michigan," says Spaude. "I was not expecting auroras, but there they were!"
At the time, Earth was entering a stream of high-speed solar wind. The resulting geomagnetic storm sparked auroras: Green from O (under the wing) and purple from N2+ (above the wing). Purple nitrogenous auroras are seldom seen from the ground; the window seat, however, is a great place to look.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
IT'S DEFINITELY A COMET: Newly-released images of 3I/ATLAS from Europe's Very Large Telescope (VLT) confirm that the interstellar visitor is definitely a comet. Play the video:
In this VLT timelapse, 3I/ATLAS moves to the right over the course of about 13 minutes. At the end of the video, all of the frames have been stacked into a single image: the deepest and best to date. It clearly shows a cometary atmosphere, elongated in one direction where the tail will grow as the comet comes closer to the sun.
more images: from Dennis Simmons of Brisbane, Australia; from Alberto Quijano Vodniza of Pasto, Colombia
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
"ALWAYS AND FOREVER" RUBY HEART PENDANT: Are you looking for a far out gift? Consider the Always and Forever Space Pendent. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $219.95. Engraved with the words "I love you always and forever", this sterling silver pendant has a heart-shaped ruby crystal in the middle surrouunded by a ring of glittering 5A cubic zirconia nuggets. It is a visually striking necklace perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or romantic birthdays.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one 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 Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter