SUNSPOTS ARE BACK: They were only gone for one day. On Sept. 19th, the solar disk was blank--no sunspots. This happens sometimes during the years immediately after Solar Max when solar activity begins to ebb. However, Solar Cycle 25 is far from over. We can expect hundreds more sunspots before we reach Solar Minimum in ~2029. The first of these appeared today, breaking a "string" of 1 spotless day.
SPACEX ROCKETS CAN BE SEEN 800 KM AWAY: David Blanchard was at Ashurst Lake near Flagstaff, Arizona, last night when a space jellyfish swam across the western horizon:
This was exhaust from a SpaceX rocket, which had blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 carried 27 Starlink satellites, adding themselves to a constellation of more than 11,000 already in orbit.
"About 45 minutes after the launch the rocket cloud began to take on amazing colors," says Blanchard.
Remarkably, Blanchard could see the exhaust more than 800 km from the launch site. One reason is that he had a clear sightline to California. Nothing was in the way. It also helped that the exhaust, blooming in sunlight, was about 200 km above the ground (~23 Mount Everests tall).
Would you like to see a SpaceX jellyfish? Sign up for Backyard Astronomy Alerts. Subscribers within viewing range (CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, OR, CO, ID) receive instant text alerts when rockets blast off from Vandenberg.
more images: from Bruce LaFrance of Phoenix, AZ
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SOLAR SYSTEM CRYSTAL BALL: Think of it as a combination optics experiment and fundraiser: The Solar System Crystal Ball. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere, and now they're selling it to help pay their helium bill.
You can have it for $134.95. This 800-gram crystal ball contains a model of the Solar System, including all eight planets and their moons. It's also a night light. An accompanying LED stand produces a soothing glow in four colors--soft white, red, green or blue.
Your order comes with a full-color greeting card showing the crystal ball in flight with the Sierra landscape 98,000 ft below stretched and distorted by the spherical lens--very cool!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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