THE STORM IS SUBSIDING: A geomagnetic storm that began with a CME impact on April 3rd is subsiding now. At its peak, the storm registered G3 (Strong) on NOAA storm scales with bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Now, however, there is only a chance of minor G1-class storms for the rest of the weekend. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
DID COMET MAPS JUST DIE? Today, sundiving Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) is flying through the sun's atmosphere only 160,000 km above the sun's surface. SOHO coronagraphs are monitoring the dive--and it might have turned into a Death Dive:
This is SOHO's C2 coronagraph. See also C3.
A sudden brightening between 0600 UTC and 0800 UTC might indicate a fragmentation of the nucleus. If so, the comet could emerge from behind the coronagraph's occulting disk (which blocks the glare of the sun) as a "headless wonder"--all tail and no head.
Stay tuned for updates!
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THE STERLING SILVER ARTEMIS PENDANT: On March 31st, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon to the stratosphere. They also launched The Artemis Pendant. Here it is floating 113,209 feet above California's White Mountains with the nearly full Moon in the background:
You can have it for $179.95. At the time of the flight, NASA's Artemis II Moon rocket was poised for its own successful launch from Florida the very next day. The Artemis Pendant celebrates their success. Wrapped in a sterling silver infinity-shaped frame, the authentic Swarovski citrine crystal spent 3 hours in the stratosphere in the same space-black frame as the beckoning Moon.
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