A HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A large hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind toward Earth. Estimated time of arrival: Feb. 24-25. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when the gaseous material arrives. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THE FIRST SPOTLESS DAY IN 4 YEARS? Click on this image and take a careful look around the solar disk. Can you find any sunspots? We can't either:
If the situation persists, Feb 22, 2026, will be recorded as the first "spotless day" since 2022.
Spotless days are a key indicator the solar cycle. During years around Solar Minimum, whole months can go by without a single sunspot, racking up dozens of spotless days in a row. Between 2018-2020 (the last Solar Minimum) there were more than 700 spotless days!
Today's blank sun does not mean Solar Minimum has arrived. On the contrary, it is still years away. However, it does tell us that Solar Cycle 25 is waning. Sunspots will be back--probably tomorrow--but today is a preview of things to come.
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A GIFT FOR TOLKIEN FANS -- THE ONE RING OVER HOBBITON: Need a far out gift for a Tolkien fan? Consider the One Ring over Hobbiton. During a rare South Pacific balloon flight, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this ring to the stratosphere directly over the movie set for Peter Jackson's Lord of the RIngs:
You can have it for $199.95. On the southern winter solstice, it reached an altitude of 108,345 feet, flying alongide a suite of cosmic radiation sensors that the students use to monitor atmospheric radiation. The ring is made of gold-plated tungsten and inscribed with the authentic Mordor script of the One Ring.
Your purchase comes with a greeting card showing the ring in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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