IT'S STORMING AGAIN: Geomagnetic storming has resumed on March 22nd as Earth moves through the magnetized wake of a CME. Storm levels are fluctuating between minor (G1) and strong (G3). These storms could continue on March 23rd with the arrival of solar wind flowing from a large hole in the sun's atmosphere. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
ARIZONA AURORAS: Auroras love equinoxes, and this weekend proves it. After a relatively minor CME hit Earth on March 20th (2053 UTC), auroras exploded inside the Arctic Circle, then spread so far south that they were sighted in Arizona:
"The storm flared up at 12:36am on March 21st and lasted about an hour," says photographer Chris Schur of Payson, AZ. "This pair of shots taken only minutes apart shows the sudden appearance of the deep-red auroral glow to the north."
This is a result of the Russell-McPherron effect, which amplifies geomagnetic storms and auroras during nights around the equinoxes. It helped the CME impact create a strong category-G3 event.
more images: from Marybeth Kiczenski of Fairbanks, AK; from Dean Cosgrove of Curtis, NE; from Taichi Nakamura of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand; from Michael Zimbleman of Colorado Springs, CO; from Jan Curtis of Cheyenne, WY; from Robert Trejo of Healy, AK
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THE METEOR CRATER PENDANT: Have you heard of Moissanite? It's a very rare mineral discovered by 19th-century chemist Henri Moissan in Arizona's Meteor Crater. At first, he thought it was diamond, but later realized it was even more rare. It's a diamond lookalike that, until the 1950s, was found naturally only in meteorites.
On Aug. 2, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this Moissanite pendant to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $169.95. Engraved with the words "I love you always and forever," the sterling silver frame bends around the Moissanite in a heart-shaped curve--all highlighted by glittering 5A cubic zirconia nuggets.
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
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