And here is your possible Aurora sighting forecast for North America. The bright Supermoon certainly does not help. But if you are in the northern States of the US, you might be able to get a glimps of the dancing lights. #NOAA #Aurora #SpaceWeather #Supermoon #FullMoon #Moon #Light #Northern #USA #Canada View high resolution

And here is your possible Aurora sighting forecast for North America. The bright Supermoon certainly does not help. But if you are in the northern States of the US, you might be able to get a glimps of the dancing lights. #NOAA #Aurora #SpaceWeather #Supermoon #FullMoon #Moon #Light #Northern #USA #Canada

Yesterday afternoon I got some great questions by some 5th grade students. So I thought today I would do a couple of “space weather” segments. Let’s start of with a CME; that’s shorty for Coronal Mass Ejection. One was ejected from the Sun a couple of days ago and will be delivering a glancing bow to Earth today. There is a chance for some aurorae, but because of the bright Moon it might not be as easy to spot high up north. Artist’s depiction of an active Sun that has released a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME. CMEs are magnetically generated solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles, or plasma, into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. #nasa #sun #spaceweather View high resolution

Yesterday afternoon I got some great questions by some 5th grade students. So I thought today I would do a couple of “space weather” segments.

Let’s start of with a CME; that’s shorty for Coronal Mass Ejection. One was ejected from the Sun a couple of days ago and will be delivering a glancing bow to Earth today. There is a chance for some aurorae, but because of the bright Moon it might not be as easy to spot high up north.

Artist’s depiction of an active Sun that has released a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME. CMEs are magnetically generated solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles, or plasma, into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. #nasa #sun #spaceweather

Inspiration! So important. What or who has inspired you? #STEM #Inspiration #Rocket #Space #Kids View high resolution

Inspiration! So important. What or who has inspired you? #STEM #Inspiration #Rocket #Space #Kids

I got a special recognition from @Stanford University, Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory for my effort in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). #stanford #nasa #award #stem #sun #science #technology #engineering #math View high resolution

I got a special recognition from @Stanford University, Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory for my effort in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). #stanford #nasa #award #stem #sun #science #technology #engineering #math

. Look at those beautiful coronal loops around Active Region 1745. Coronal loops are found around sunspots and in active regions. These structures are associated with the closed magnetic field lines that connect magnetic regions on the solar surface. Many coronal loops last for days or weeks but most change quite rapidly. #NASA #SDO #Sun #Science #STEM #Amazing View high resolution

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Look at those beautiful coronal loops around Active Region 1745.

Coronal loops are found around sunspots and in active regions. These structures are associated with the closed magnetic field lines that connect magnetic regions on the solar surface. Many coronal loops last for days or weeks but most change quite rapidly. #NASA #SDO #Sun #Science #STEM #Amazing

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare on the right side of the Sun on May 22, 2013. This image shows light in the 131 Angstrom wavelength, a wavelength that shows material heated to intense temperatures during a flare and that is typically colorized in teal. #NASA #SDO #Sun #Space #Astronomy #Science #Cool #wow View high resolution

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare on the right side of the Sun on May 22, 2013. This image shows light in the 131 Angstrom wavelength, a wavelength that shows material heated to intense temperatures during a flare and that is typically colorized in teal. #NASA #SDO #Sun #Space #Astronomy #Science #Cool #wow

Last year a group of high school students from Bishop, CA sent me to the Edge of Space to measure space weather impact. This year NASA launched a mission of their own! A team of scientists launched 20 balloons during a January 2013 campaign in Antarctica to study a space weather phenomenon, during which electrons stream down toward the poles from two gigantic donuts of radiation, the Van Allen Belts, which surround Earth. The NASA-funded mission is called BARREL for Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses and this slide show offers a glimpse of their work under the bright Antarctic Sun. Credit: NASA/BARREL #NASA #Balloon #BARREL #Space #Weather #STEM #Science View high resolution

Last year a group of high school students from Bishop, CA sent me to the Edge of Space to measure space weather impact. This year NASA launched a mission of their own!

A team of scientists launched 20 balloons during a January 2013 campaign in Antarctica to study a space weather phenomenon, during which electrons stream down toward the poles from two gigantic donuts of radiation, the Van Allen Belts, which surround Earth. The NASA-funded mission is called BARREL for Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses and this slide show offers a glimpse of their work under the bright Antarctic Sun. Credit: NASA/BARREL #NASA #Balloon #BARREL #Space #Weather #STEM #Science

Thank you Alan Friedman for this! Our Sun is not a giant blueberry. Our Sun can be made to appear similar to the diminutive fruit, however, by imaging it in a specific color of extreme violet light called CaK that is emitted by the very slight abundance of ionized Calcium in theSun’s atmosphere, and then false color-inverting the image. This solar depiction is actually scientifically illuminating as a level of the Sun’s chromosphere appears quite prominent, showing a crackly textured surface, cool sunspots appearing distinctly bright, and surrounding hot active regions appearing distinctly dark. The Sun is currently near the maximum activity level in its 11 year cycle, and has emitted powerful flares over the past week. During times of high activity, streams of energetic particles from Sun may impact the Earth’s magnetosphere and set off spectacular auroras. #Astronomy #Sun #Science #Aurora View high resolution

Thank you Alan Friedman for this! Our Sun is not a giant blueberry. Our Sun can be made to appear similar to the diminutive fruit, however, by imaging it in a specific color of extreme violet light called CaK that is emitted by the very slight abundance of ionized Calcium in theSun’s atmosphere, and then false color-inverting the image. This solar depiction is actually scientifically illuminating as a level of the Sun’s chromosphere appears quite prominent, showing a crackly textured surface, cool sunspots appearing distinctly bright, and surrounding hot active regions appearing distinctly dark. The Sun is currently near the maximum activity level in its 11 year cycle, and has emitted powerful flares over the past week. During times of high activity, streams of energetic particles from Sun may impact the Earth’s magnetosphere and set off spectacular auroras. #Astronomy #Sun #Science #Aurora

After a day of more calm, the Active Region 1748 started to produce some stronger solar flares again. At 21:53 UT on May 16, 2013 it released a M1.3-class solar flare and at 08:57 UT on May 17, 2013 it, once again, flexed its muscle and produced a M3.2-class flare. Due to the Sun’s rotation this active region has now moved towards the Earth facing side. While the entire active region is not very large, there are much larger ones on the Sun right now, this particular region has a very complex magnetic field. The lines are criss-crossing high above the sunspot and that can produce some strong solar flares. This image shows the M3.2-class solar flare from May 17, 2013. #NASA #SDO #Sun #SpaceWeather #Space #Astronomy #Earth #STEM #Science View high resolution

After a day of more calm, the Active Region 1748 started to produce some stronger solar flares again. At 21:53 UT on May 16, 2013 it released a M1.3-class solar flare and at 08:57 UT on May 17, 2013 it, once again, flexed its muscle and produced a M3.2-class flare.

Due to the Sun’s rotation this active region has now moved towards the Earth facing side.

While the entire active region is not very large, there are much larger ones on the Sun right now, this particular region has a very complex magnetic field. The lines are criss-crossing high above the sunspot and that can produce some strong solar flares.

This image shows the M3.2-class solar flare from May 17, 2013. #NASA #SDO #Sun #SpaceWeather #Space #Astronomy #Earth #STEM #Science

All four X-class solar flares together in a “family portrait”. #nasa #sdo #sun #spaceweather #space #astronomy View high resolution

All four X-class solar flares together in a “family portrait”. #nasa #sdo #sun #spaceweather #space #astronomy