POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SUNSPOT: Sunspot 4513 has developed a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares. Unlike Thursday's M8-class flare, which missed Earth, future flares will not miss. We're in the strike zone now. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
OPPOSITE LIGHTNING AMONG THE PERSEIDS: It's rare to catch even one Transient Luminous Event (TLE) photobombing a meteor shower. On Aug. 13th, Frankie Lucena caught two:
"I was photographing the Perseids from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, when a Gigantic Jet appeared with a sprite right beside it," says Lucena. "They came from a powerful thunderstorm due south of the island."
This is weird because Gigantic Jets and sprites are created by opposite physics. Gigantic Jets are a type of lightning that emerges from the top of an electrical storm. To escape the thundercloud, it has to punch through an overhanging wall of opposing charge.
Red sprites, on the other hand, are caused by lightning striking the ground.
"I found a -144 kA stroke associated with this event in the Vaisala Xweather Lightning data," says Lucena. (That's 5 times stronger than a typical stroke.)
When such a powerful bolt hits, it suddenly removes a large amount of the storm's electric charge. For a few thousandths of a second, a strong electric field appears in the sky above the storm. Fifty miles up, the air is so thin it breaks down and glows red--a sprite.
Catching both in one frame means the same storm system, in the same split second, produced two rare events that require completely different conditions. What will Frankie capture next?
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CONSTELLATION CAT NIGHT LIGHT: It's the most far-out feline night light ever--The Constellation Cat. On April 23rd, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a giant helium balloon:
You can have it for $139.95. Outlined by stars in the style of an astronomical constellation, the laser-etched cat comes with an LED stand that produces a soothing glow for your bedside table. Also included: A unique greeting card shows the crystal ball in flight and tells the story of its journey to the edge of space.
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