MARTIAN SUNSPOTS: Almost no sunspots are facing Earth. However, several big ones are facing Mars. Today's sun photo from Mars rover Perseverance shows multiple sunspot groups including old friend AR4366, which unleashed six X-flares in early February. These Martian sunspots will turn to face Earth next week. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
THESE ARE NOT AURORAS: Montana is a good place to see auroras, so on Feb 17th when Jane Horton of Helena MT saw towering lights in the night sky, she naturally wondered. "Are these auroras?" Not exactly:
These are light pillars caused by city lights shining into freezing air. Ice crystals catch the rays of urban bulbs and spread them into luminous vertical columns. Light pillars are a common sight in northern cities during winter.
"At the time, the air temperature was 12 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping," she says."The pillars were very bright white, and lasted for about an hour."
Light pillars can resemble auroras, but they have nothing to do with solar flares or CMEs. The only ingredients are ice and light pollution.
more images: from Mikko Peussa of Turku, Finland
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THE COSMIC CROWBAR: No toolkit is complete without one: A crowbar from space! On Dec. 24, 2025, the Cosmic Crowbar hitched a ride to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 112,222 feet above central California:
You can have it for $97.95. This 15-inch steel bar is light enough to fly on a balloon, yet strong enough to pull out nails and pry apart old carpentry. Bright red paint makes it hard to misplace, while the ends are unpainted to avoid marking work surfaces.
The Cosmic Crowbar comes with a card showing the tool floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight and confirms that this gift has been to the edge of space and back again.
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