SOLAR ACTIVITY IS LOW: There are 8 sunspots scattered across the solar disk. All of them are stable and quiet. NOAA forecasters say there is no more than a 5% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours despite the large number of sunspots. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
THE MILKY WAY FROM 35,000 FEET: Summer is prime time for Milky Way photography in the Northern Hemisphere, especially the bright galactic core. The usual advice? Get away from city lights. This week, pilot Matt Melnyk tried something different: He got above them.
"While flying the Dreamliner from Seoul Korea to Calgary Alberta, the sky was completely dark, and offered an amazing view of the Milky Way over Japan from 35,000 feet," says Melnyk, who photographed the galaxy from the cockpit.
The result is a breathtaking juxtaposition of Earth and sky. Below, the planet glows with the scattered lights of Japanese cities, their brightness softened by the aircraft window and high-altitude haze. Above, the stars blaze with unusual clarity, free from the light pollution and atmospheric turbulence that trouble ground-based observers. The dense star clouds and dust lanes of the Milky Way’s core are plainly visible.
Conclusion: 35,000 feet is a good place to see the Milky Way.
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BLACK MOONCAT STUD EARRINGS: For the first time ever, earrings have flown to the edge of space. On July 7, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon, and these Black Mooncat Stud 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 stud 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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