Thanks to your support we have crossed the 50 percent mark! And we have got to celebrate, so I’m gonna give you a little update on the book, some cool science tips, and as is tradition, a recipe. Well, actually three. You get a bake, a cocktail, and a mocktail. And you can enjoy them in written form or in video form.

 To keep you updated regarding the book, I think I have just one person left to interview. Recently I talked to somebody who went to the South Pole to do Radio Astronomy, and I got some great gossip about one of the biggest disagreements in cosmology of the last few years. That will make for a very good section in the Microwave chapter.

The science update is about solar flares. This is partly because I needed something to rhyme with ‘halfway there’ and partly because I hope you saw the aurorae a few weeks ago (hopefully you didn’t go to bed like my friend who thought I was just doing a jokey bit online!). Solar flares are enormous releases of energy from the Sun. They are believed to be linked to magnetic energy stored in the solar atmosphere that gets suddenly, and dramatically, released.

Their emission is seen across the whole spectrum of light but it’s in the x-rays and extreme ultraviolet that we study them. The release of this light affects the Earth in multiple ways. The light ionizes the upper atmosphere creating radio interference and even radio blackouts on the day side of Earth.

If you too were asleep, you might be wondering if we will see such a spectacle again. The true answer is that we are not good at predicting this, but we probably will, and the slightly better news is that we are at an excellent time for a repeated spectacle. The Sun goes through cycles of activity of about 11 years. We are around the peak of the cycle. That means a lot of flares and a lot of eruptions. There are definitely better chances to see more in the following months, but there’s no guarantee. But the Sunspot responsible for the spectacle of two weeks ago is now back on the visible side of the Sun, and it still seems to be very active. We might get lucky!

Here are the recipes:

For the lime and mint syrup:

Zest two limes and juice them. Cut some mint (I went with 50 grams, but it is to taste). In a small pan add 150 grams of sugar, 150 grams of water, and the other ingredients. Reduce it over medium heat (keep an eye on it, it can easily bubble over) until you have about half of the liquid.

For the madeleines:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of honey
• Zest of 1 lime
• 50 grams of caster sugar
• 50 grams of self-raising flour
• 50 grams of melted butter that has cooled down a bit. Melt a bit more for the madeleine tray (I swear by my silicon one).

You’ll get nine chonky madeleines with these quantities.

Beat the eggs, sugar, and honey with an electric whisk until it triples in volume.

Then we can add flour and the lime zest, whisking manually and adding the butter slowly as things get mixed in. 

For the white chocolate ganache:

Melt 50 grams of white chocolate on low heat with one shot of the syrup

For The Solar Flare Martini:

One shot of vodka, one of limoncello, one of the syrup, shaken over ice, served in a chilled martini glass.

For the Coronal Mint Elation:

Brew and refrigerate some Earl Grey Tea and add the lime and mint syrup to taste. Serve over ice.

Thank you again for your support of Invisible Rainbows. We’re halfway there, so please keep telling people about this book, and let’s get to 100%!