Buresh Blog: An aurora borealis for the ages!... Meet a shark with Ocearch

Mike Buresh
·1 min read

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A rare sight for Jacksonville/Northeast Florida & Southeast Georgia - the aurora borealis (northern lights) were visible Fri. night, May 10th.

The cause of the northern lights was a big solar storm (electromagnetic storm) that peaked Wed., May 8th into May 9th. The pic below from Mike Rosset in Mandarin shows the sun spot activity that were so large the spots were even visible with the naked eye (using eye protection!). Sun spot activity & solar storms are measured at the Space Weather Prediction Center.

According to space.com:

Auroras are caused by energized particles from the sun slamming into Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph). Earth’s magnetic field then redirects the particles toward the north and south poles.

The electrically charged particles then enter Earth’s atmosphere, exciting gas atoms and molecules and generating auroras. The process is similar to how neon lights work: When the molecules and atoms get “excited” by electrons, they must return to their original energy (ground state) and do so by releasing the energy as photons (light). The color of the neon light depends on the gas mixture inside the tube, just like the color of auroras depends on the gas mixture in the atmosphere.

Ponte Vedra:

Yulee in Nassau County, Fl:

St. Augustine:

Blackshear, Georgia:

Check this out for OCEARCH!:

Join the OCEARCH crew aboard the M/V OCEARCH for the unique opportunity to meet a shark on their upcoming shark research expedition. The non-profit ogranization’s Meet A Shark Sweepstakes will award one person and a guest to join them this summer in Spain, France or Ireland for Expedition Save the Med. A white shark study of this kind has never been done before and the grand prize winner will have a front row seat to it. Explore European waters, watch some of the world’s top shark researchers at work and help collect crucial scientific data on our oceans’ apex predator.

In addition to the grand prize trip, there will also be 100 prize pack winners chosen. Prize packs include OCEARCH gear and gifts from longtime OCEARCH partners and socially responsible brands Costa Sunglasses and YETI. The sweepstakes will run from May 1, 2024 to August 5, 2024.

Grand Prize Trip Includes:

  • Up to five day trip of a lifetime for the winner & and a guest

  • Meet & tag a shark on an upcoming expedition

  • Roundtrip air transportation plus $500 cash

  • Two prize packs

100 Prize Packs Include:

  • OCEARCH Puzzle, T-shirt and Hat

  • Choice of a pair of Costa Sunglasses

  • Custom OCEARCH YETI Drinkware and Lunchbox

Make a donation for your chance to win the grand prize trip or one of the 100 prize packs. The sweepstakes will run from May 1, 2024 to August 5, 2024 and you can enter as many times as you want. No Purchase necessary. Head to MeetAShark.com for more information on the sweepstakes and official rules.