A TWILIGHT SKY SHOW IS COMING: Mark your calendar. On May 18th and 19th, the crescent Moon, Venus and Jupiter will put on a show in the western twilight sky. A tight Venus-Moon pairing on the 18th is the highlight, but the view will be great on both nights. Sky maps: May 18, 19.
SOLAR ACTIVITY ALERT: The odds of an Earth-directed solar flare are increasing as sunspot 4436 turns toward our planet. On May 10th (1339 UTC), the active region produced an M5.7-class solar flare, which blew a massive hole in the sun's atmosphere:
An extreme ultraviolet image of the May 10th solar flare. Credit: SDO/NASA
SOHO coronagraphs are tracking the emerging CME. It appears to be heading for a near miss, passing by Earth on May 13th, according to a NASA model. Ripples of interplanetary gas spreading from the CME's path like the wake of a passing speedboat could touch Earth's magnetosphere and cause geomagnetic unrest around the poles--but no full-fledged storm.
The next explosion might not miss. This sunspot has a history: Last week while it was on the farside of the sun it produced at least 5 CMEs. If the serial explosions continue in the days ahead, Earth will be inside the strike zone. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
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RED AURORAS OVER CUBA: It happened only two years ago. On May 10-11, 2024, auroras spread around the world during the strongest geomagnetic storm in decades. Augusto Gallardo Quesada photographed the display from Gibara, Holguín, Cuba:
"I couldn't believe it," says Quesada. "It was a night not to forget!"
Cuba wasn't the only place seeing rare auroras. Florida, Mexico, the islands of the South Pacific--skies were lighting up everywhere. You can re-visit this historic event in the Space Weather Archive: May 10, 11, 12, 2024.
'ALWAYS AND FOREVER' EMERALD PENDANT: It's the color of a green flash in a golden sunset: The Always and Forever Emerald Pendent. On April 29, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it 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", this 18K gold-plated sterling silver pendant has a synthetic emerald in the middle surrounded by glittering 5A cubic zirconia nuggets. It is a visually striking premium pendant that makes a great anniversary or birthday gift.
You pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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