Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Astronomy

Solar Activity Then and Now

Old Sol continues to increase in activity, moving toward the eleven-year peak. Solar activity affects climate, auroras, (possibly) the electric power grid and radio propagation. For an impressive animation of this comparison, play the video below. To view the full-sized video, click here.

From SOHO Pick of the Week:

A side-by-side comparison of the Sun from precisely two years ago (left, from SOHO) to the present (right, from Solar Dynamics Observatory) dramatically illustrates just how active the Sun has become (Mar. 27-28, 2011). Viewed in two similar wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light, the Sun now sports numerous active regions that appear as lighter areas that are capable of producing solar storms. Two years ago the Sun was in a very quiet period (solar minimum). The Sun?s maximum period of activity is predicted to be around 2013, so we still have quite a ways to go.

09 Apr 2011 by Aerospace Astronomy Environment Science

Perigee Moon

CURRENT MOON

Maybe if the cloud cover burns off here this evening, we will be able to see the perigee full moon. I looked at the weather maps for here and the old house in California and it appears that we may not get to see much of it, if any. We did see it big and bright last night when it was at 92% of full, though. It sure was pretty.

We are planning to depart tomorrow morning for the old house. We have some business there this coming week. The weather report says that we’re going to encounter rain, perhaps along the entire route. We’re not looking forward to driving in the rain, but c’est la vie.

Moon widget lifted from moonconnection.com

19 Mar 2011 by Astronomy Environment

It’s Official: The Sun is A Sphere

From the STEREO website:

February 6, 2011: It’s official: The sun is a sphere.

On Feb. 6th, NASA’s twin STEREO probes moved into position on opposite sides of the sun, and they are now beaming back uninterrupted images of the entire star—front and back.

“For the first time ever, we can watch solar activity in its full 3-dimensional glory,” says Angelos Vourlidas, a member of the STEREO science team at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC.

“This is a big moment in solar physics,” says Vourlidas. “STEREO has revealed the sun as it really is–a sphere of hot plasma and intricately woven magnetic fields.”

Each STEREO probe photographs half of the star and beams the images to Earth. Researchers combine the two views to create a sphere. These aren’t just regular pictures, however. STEREO’s telescopes are tuned to four wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet radiation selected to trace key aspects of solar activity such as flares, tsunamis and magnetic filaments. Nothing escapes their attention.

[more]

07 Feb 2011 by Aerospace Astronomy

STEREO Spacecraft at Solar Opposition This Weekend

Why would that be significant? Well, it would allow for a full 4PI (360×360°) view of the sun. The animated movie of the sun on STEREO’s Website currently has a gap in the coverage of the sun. The spacecraft are in a heliocentric orbit drifting away from the Earth, one leading and one lagging. This diagram shows the current position of spacecraft A (ahead) and B (behind). The scale is in astronomical units, the average distance between the earth and sun.

Sun-monitoring instrumentation on spacecraft like SOHO and STEREO have gone a long way in discovering what makes the sun behave in mysterious ways. Also, the data coming back (when not intentionally distorted by the IPCC, the CRU or NASA’s James Hansen) can be used to chart the relationship between solar activity and global climate.

whereis.jpg

NOTE: This is the second posting of this article (the original article posted June 16, 2010) because the actual opposition will take place this weekend on Sunday, February 6, 2011. I updated the position graphic for Ahead and Behind and added a NASA STEREO Teaser Video.

04 Feb 2011 by Aerospace Astronomy Global Warming Science

Blobs of Plasma Fall on the Sun

We have seen many coronal mass ejections from the sun in the past but this is the first video I have seen (that I can remember) where blobs of plasma seem to rain from a prominence. An amateur astronomer captured this video in Ocean Beach, CA.

Speaking of amateurs, NASA is soliciting reports from amateur radio operators to listen for NanoSail-D’s beacon signal at 437.270 MHz to verify that NanoSail-D is operating.

Video via SpaceWeather.com (repackaged in Flash®).

20 Jan 2011 by Astronomy Environment

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