APRIL FOOL'S DAY MOON LAUNCH--NO KIDDING: NASA's Artemis program is roughly eight years behind schedule and tens of billions of dollars over budget. All of that could be forgotten if, next week, the agency successflly launches four astronauts to the Moon. They won't land, but Artemis II would carry the explorers farther than any humans have gone before as they test systems for Artemis III. The launch window opens on April 1st (6:24 p.m. EDT). Stay tuned!
LONG DURATION SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot 4405 erupted on March 28th, producing a very long duration solar flare. The explosion lasted more than 7 hours, shown here in a time-lapse movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
The flare peaked at M1.3, but it was actually much more powerful than a typical M-flare. Hours of explosive uplift hurled a significant CME into space. However, it will not hit Earth. The sunspot is just outside our strike zone.
Sunspot 4405 is large and complex, and it is turning toward Earth. Don't be surprised if the next eruption is geoeffective. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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FAITHFUL HEARTS IRON SCULPTURE: Astronomers have long known that the element iron (Fe) is created in supernova explosions. Keep that in mind when you consider the Faithful Hearts iron sculpture. On Nov. 13, 2025, it flew to the edge of space onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $159.95. Handmade from the "stuff" of exploding stars, this iron sculpture celebrates a love that is powerful and enduring. It comes with a keepsake card showing the sculpture at the top of Earth’s atmosphere, and telling the story of its flight to space and back again.
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