Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Russian Asteroid Explosion and Past Impactors Paint a Potentially Grim Future for Earth

Russian Asteroid Explosion and Past Impactors Paint a Potentially Grim Future for Earth:
Impactors strike during the reign of the dinosaurs (image credit: MasPix/devianart)
Russian Asteroid Explosion and Past Impactors Paint a Potentially Grim Future for Earth
An artist’s sketch of asteroids striking the Earth 65 million years ago during the reign of the Dinosaurs.  Humanity will face potentially dangerous impactors, both large and small, from space in the (distant/near?) future. It is inevitable. (image credit: MasPix/deviantart).
The recent meteor explosion over Chelyabinsk brought to the forefront a topic that has worried astronomers for years, namely that an impactor from space could cause widespread human fatalities.  Indeed, the thousand+ injured recently in Russia was a wake-up call. Should humanity be worried about impactors? “Hell yes!” replied astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson to CNN’s F. Zakharia .
(...)
Read the rest of Russian Asteroid Explosion and Past Impactors Paint a Potentially Grim Future for Earth (1,577 words)
© Dan Majaess for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
28 comments |


Post tags:


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:13 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Violent Martian Waters Carved Secret Trench

Violent Martian Waters Carved Secret Trench:
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed about 1,000 km of underground channels, called Marte Vallis, shown at center in this map. The rendering of Mars is in false color to highlight elevation differences. Credit: NASA/MOLA Team/Smithsonian Institute
Violent Martian Waters Carved Secret Trench
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed about 1,000 km of underground channels, called Marte Vallis, shown at center in this map. The rendering of Mars is in false color to highlight elevation differences. Credit: NASA/MOLA Team/Smithsonian Institute
Massive floodwaters on Mars gouged a channel more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) long, making a trench that was hidden to scientists until now because volcanic flows buried it underground.
Erupting groundwater, perhaps triggered by a volcano or an earthquake, forced water across the surface during the past 500 million years. This carved a trench about 62 miles (100 kilometers) wide; it would take runners more than two marathons (at 26 miles each) to cross the expanse.
Later, as volcanoes erupted in Mars’ Elysium Planitia plain, lava flows covered the channel. The trench, now called Marte Vallis, finally came to light from radar measurements by an orbiting spacecraft. The results were published in the journal Science Thursday.
(...)
Read the rest of Violent Martian Waters Carved Secret Trench (296 words)
© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
7 comments |


Post tags: ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

How Could Aliens Blow Up Earth ?

How Could Aliens Blow Up Earth?:
Scientists say that a ten-second burst of gamma rays from a massive star explosion within 6,000 light years from Earth could have triggered a mass extinction hundreds of millions of years ago. In this artist's conception we see the gamma rays hitting the Earth's atmosphere. (The expanding shell is pictured as blue, but gamma rays are actually invisible.) The gamma rays initiate changes in the atmosphere that deplete ozone and create a brown smog of NO2. Credit: NASA
How Could Aliens Blow Up Earth ?
Not quite blowing up the Earth, but certainly destructive: A 2005 study suggested that an exploding star 6,000 light-years away could send gamma rays towards Earth and cause widespread extinction as it sucked away ozone and made smog. Credit: NASA
Earth. It seems so solid and permanent. But really, all you need to do is expand the Sun enough, and the entire planet would melt away. Or worse, find yourself at the mercy of some seriously powerful and angry aliens.
Actually, the beings who destroy Earth in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which first aired on BBC Radio 4 on this day (March 8) in 1978, were not so much angry as logical about their reasons.
In the novel, Earthlings are shocked when extraterrestrial beings — known as the Vogons — arrive with plans to build a hyperspatial express route that runs through Earth’s orbit. The plans for the route were apparently lodged in Alpha Centauri (a star system four light-years away) for the past 50 Earth years, leaving residents of the planet “plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint.”
(...)
Read the rest of How Could Aliens Blow Up Earth? (556 words)
© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
43 comments |


Post tags: , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

A Day in the Life of a Living Mars

A Day in the Life of a Living Mars:

Back in January we posted some intriguing images showing concepts of what a terraformed “living Mars” might look like from orbit. With a bit of creative license, software engineer Kevin Gill turned the Red Planet into its own version of the Blue Marble. He’s now created an animation showing a rotating Mars and compressed 24 hours to one minute.
Kevin explains how he did the animation:
(...)
Read the rest of A Day in the Life of a Living Mars (305 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
9 comments |


Post tags: ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Astrophotos: Beautiful Aurora Over Norway

Astrophotos: Beautiful Aurora Over Norway:
Aurora seen from Nøss, Nordland in Norway, on March 4, 2013. Credit and copyright: Frank Olsen.
Astrophotos: Beautiful Aurora Over Norway
Aurora seen from Nøss, Nordland in Norway, on March 4, 2013. Credit and copyright: Frank Olsen.
Photographer Frank Olsen from Norway heads out almost nightly this time of year to regularly see and photograph what many of us can only dream about seeing: beautiful, shimmering aurorae. These beautiful sights must be payback for enduring the long winters in northern Norway. You can see more of Frank’s beautiful imagery of aurora, the night sky and more at his Flickr page, his website (he has prints for sale) or his Facebook page.
More below:
(...)
Read the rest of Astrophotos: Beautiful Aurora Over Norway (83 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
2 comments |


Post tags: ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 4:01 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Saturn to Shed its Spooky Spokes for Summer

Saturn to Shed its Spooky Spokes for Summer:
Cassini image of Saturn's rings from Dec. 20, 2012 (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)
Saturn to Shed its Spooky Spokes for Summer
Cassini image of Saturn’s rings from Dec. 20, 2012 (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)
As Saturn steadily moves along its 29.7-year-long orbit toward summertime in its northern hemisphere NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is along for the ride, giving astronomers a front-row seat to seasonal changes taking place on the ringed planet.
One of these fluctuations is the anticipated disappearance of the “spokes” found in the rings, a few of which can be seen above in an image captured on Dec. 20 of last year.
(...)
Read the rest of Saturn to Shed its Spooky Spokes for Summer (279 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
No comment |


Post tags: , , , , , ,


Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 3:59 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night

Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night: I am happy to announce the results of the Colors category for the Panoramio contest of February 2011.
The Second Prize is for a photo taken by roa006 in Hungary.
Scenery First prize
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night



Honorable Mentions are:
Honorable Mention
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night
Honorable Mention
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night

Honorable Mention
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night

Honorable Mention
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night

Honorable Mention
Google Panoramio Contest of March 2012: Night

You can see all the winners in the results page for March 2012.
Update May 10th: The winner of the 1st Prize deleted his Panoramio account so that is deserted.
Posted by +Gerard Sanz, Panoramio Community Manager

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 8:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains

NPC: May 2012 - Mountains: NPC as Non Prize Contest is the contest that the Panoramio Community organizes every month.
The May entry was about mountains and I am publishing the results in this post. Entries for June are opened until the 10th and the topic is boating.
Congratulations to these amazing images:
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains
Google Panoramio NPC: May 2012 - Mountains


Posted by Nelio Inacio at 8:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love: The First Prize is for a photo taken by anaturephotographer in Australia.
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

The Second Prizeis for a photo taken by Shutter in Kuwait.
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

Honorable Mentions are:

The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love

The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love
The Nature Of Love : Panoramio Contest of May 2012: Love



You can see all the winners in the results page for April 2012.



Posted by +Gerard Sanz, Panoramio Community Manager

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:28 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Dancing Polar Auroras Captured by Thierry Legault

Dancing Polar Auroras Captured by Thierry Legault:
aurores_1138
Aurora over Komagfjord, Norway (northern end of Scandinavia, 70°N). Credit and Copyright: Thierry Legault. Used by permission
One of our favorite astrophotographers, Thierry Legault from France, took a trip to Finland and Norway so he could see and photograph the Northern Lights for the first time. Socked in with clouds in Finland, Thierry traveled to the Alta region in Norway to find clear skies. “We were rewarded with incredible auroras,” he said via Skype. “At moments, the auroras moved like curtains in the wind, too fast to be photographed!”
See below for a stunning video compilation of two nights of observing the Northern Lights over the Kamagfjord in Norway, as well as more gorgeous images of aurora and a view of the fjord in the “twilight” of midday, since there was no sunrise that far north for several days in December.
(...)
Read the rest of Dancing Polar Auroras Captured by Thierry Legault (126 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:15 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

New Images Show a “Living” Mars

New Images Show a “Living” Mars:
Wet Mars
A conception of an ancient and/or future Mars, flush with oceans, clouds and life. Credit: Kevin Gill
Over the years, scientists have found evidence revealing that an ocean may have covered parts of the Red Planet billions of years ago. Others suggest that a future terraformed Mars could be lush with oceans and vegetation. In either scenario, what would Mars look like as a planet alive with water and life? By combining data from several sources — along with a bit of creative license — software engineer Kevin Gill has created some gorgeous images showing concepts of what a “living Mars” might look like from orbit, turning the Red Planet into its own version of the Blue Marble.
(...)
Read the rest of New Images Show a “Living” Mars (545 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 26 comments |
Post tags: , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Astrophoto: Comet Shower at Captain Cook’s Monument

Astrophoto: Comet Shower at Captain Cook’s Monument:
capt cook
Comet shower at Captain Cook’s Monument. Credit: Peter Greig
An obelisk dedicated to Captain Cook sits atop of Easby Moor in North Yorkshire, England. In this stunning image, Peter Greig and his colleague David Relph captured ‘comet like’ star trails during the Geminid meteor shower last month. This is a composite of twenty 30-second exposures that give the stars a comet-like appearance. It almost looks like a snow-shower, too!
Be on the lookout tonight for the Quadrantid meteor shower. Best viewing will be in the northern hemisphere.
Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , ,

Kepler Finds Hundreds of New Exoplanet Candidates

Kepler Finds Hundreds of New Exoplanet Candidates:
Kepler exoplanets 10c and 10b
Artist’s depiction of the Kepler 10 system, which contains planets 2.2 and 1.4 times the size of Earth. (NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech)
Kepler mission scientists announced today the discovery of literally hundreds of new exoplanet candidates — 461, to be exact — orbiting distant stars within a relatively small cross-section of our galaxy, bringing the total number of potential planets awaiting confirmation to 2,740. What’s more, at least 4 of these new candidates appear to be fairly Earth-sized worlds located within their stars’ habitable zone, the orbital “sweet spot” where surface water could exist as a liquid.
Impressive results, considering that NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft was launched a little under 4 years ago (and watching 150,000 stars to spot the shadows of planets is no easy task!)
“… the ways by which men arrive at knowledge of the celestial things are hardly less wonderful than the nature of these things themselves.”
— Johannes Kepler
(...)
Read the rest of Kepler Finds Hundreds of New Exoplanet Candidates (428 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 20 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Exciting Potential for Habitable ExoMoons

Exciting Potential for Habitable ExoMoons:
Artistic rendition of a sunset view<br /> from the perspective of an imagined Earth-like moon orbiting the giant planet, PH2 b. Image Credit: H. Giguere, M. Giguere/Yale University
Artistic rendition of a sunset view
from the perspective of an imagined Earth-like moon orbiting the giant planet, PH2 b. Image Credit: H. Giguere, M. Giguere/Yale University
Imagine moons like Europa or Enceladus that are orbiting distant gas giant exoplanets located in the habitable zone of their star. What would be the potential for life on those moons? Hopefully one day we’ll find out, as that could be the scenario at an exoplanet that has been found by the Planet Hunter citizen science project. This is the second confirmed planet found by Planet Hunters, and the newest planet, PH2 b, is a Jupiter-size world in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.
(...)
Read the rest of Exciting Potential for Habitable ExoMoons (663 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 17 comments |
Post tags: ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:02 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

4 Cool Views of the Hot, Loopy, Spotty Sun

4 Cool Views of the Hot, Loopy, Spotty Sun:
The Sun in H-Alpha on 01-07-2013, as seen with a Lunt Solar LS60Scope/LS50, and Hydrogen Alpha Solar filter. Credit: John Chumack
The Sun in H-Alpha on 01-07-2013, as seen with a Lunt Solar LS60Scope/LS50, and Hydrogen Alpha Solar filter. Credit: John Chumack
A few sunspots are now ‘peppering” the surface of our Sun — Spaceweather.com lists about 12 different sunspot groups today. Yesterday (January 7, 2013), astrophotographer John Chumack stepped outside over his lunch break and captured some cool-looking views of the Sun from his observatory in Ohio, using different filters.
See more below, plus the Solar Dynamics Observatory has a spectacular video of coronal loops on the Sun during January 5 through 7.
(...)
Read the rest of 4 Cool Views of the Hot, Loopy, Spotty Sun (144 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 7:01 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Clouds of Sand and Iron Swirl in a Failed Star’s Extreme Atmosphere

Clouds of Sand and Iron Swirl in a Failed Star’s Extreme Atmosphere:
This artist's conception illustrates the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026.
Artist’s concept of brown dwarf  2MASSJ22282889-431026 (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The complex weather patterns within the atmosphere of a rapidly-rotating brown dwarf have been mapped in the highest detail ever by researchers using the infrared abilities of NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes… talk about solar wind!
(...)
Read the rest of Clouds of Sand and Iron Swirl in a Failed Star’s Extreme Atmosphere (566 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 6 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:56 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Astrophoto: Beautiful Electric Blue Pleiades

Astrophoto: Beautiful Electric Blue Pleiades:
M 45: The Pleiades. Credit: Chuck Manges
M 45: The Pleiades. Credit: Chuck Manges
What a great shot of the Seven Sisters! M45, or the Pleiades is a cluster of stars that contains hundreds of stars, but just a handful are commonly visible to the unaided eye. The stars in the Pleiades are thought to have formed together around 100 million years ago, making them 1/50th the age of our Sun, and they lie about 450 light years from Earth. Chuck Manges, (astrochuck on Flickr) took this image on January 5, 2013 with a QHY9M camera and an Orion ED102CF telescope, and processed it in Photoshop. Gorgeous!
Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:55 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , ,

The Orion Nebula as You’ve Never Seen it Before: Jaw-dropping New Image from Gemini

The Orion Nebula as You’ve Never Seen it Before: Jaw-dropping New Image from Gemini:
This image, obtained during the late commissioning phase of the GeMS adaptive optics system, with the Gemini South AO Imager (GSAOI) on the night of December 28, 2012, reveals exquisite details in the outskirts of the Orion Nebula. Gemini Observatory/AURA
This image, obtained during the late commissioning phase of the GeMS adaptive optics system, with the Gemini South AO Imager (GSAOI) on the night of December 28, 2012, reveals exquisite details in the outskirts of the Orion Nebula. Gemini Observatory/AURA
This is the part of the Orion nebula. Recognize it? You may not, as this stunning new image comes from the Gemini Observatory’s recently-commissioned advanced adaptive optics (AO) system named GeMS. It shows clumps of gas ejected from deep within the Orion Nebula which are nicknamed ‘Orion Bullets.’
(...)
Read the rest of The Orion Nebula as You’ve Never Seen it Before: Jaw-dropping New Image from Gemini (233 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 5 comments |
Post tags: ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:54 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

What Craters on the Moon Teach Us About Earth

What Craters on the Moon Teach Us About Earth:
EarthMoonCratering
When the Moon was receiving its highest number of impacts, so was Earth. (NASA/LPI)
Some questions about our own planet are best answered by looking someplace else entirely… in the case of impact craters and when, how and how often they were formed, that someplace can be found shining down on us nearly every night: our own companion in space, the Moon.
By studying lunar impact craters both young and old scientists can piece together the physical processes that took place during the violent moments of their creation, as well as determine how often Earth — a considerably bigger target — was experiencing similar events (and likely in much larger numbers as well.)
(...)
Read the rest of What Craters on the Moon Teach Us About Earth (698 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 4 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:53 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Behold: The Largest Known Spiral Galaxy

Behold: The Largest Known Spiral Galaxy:
This composite of the giant barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 combines visible light images from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope with far-ultraviolet (1,528 angstroms) data from NASA's GALEX and 3.6-micron infrared data acquired by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ESO/JPL-Caltech/DSS
This composite of the giant barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 combines visible light images from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope with far-ultraviolet data from NASA's GALEX and 3.6-micron infrared data acquired by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ESO/JPL-Caltech/DSS
Astronomers have long known that a spectacular barred spiral galaxy named NGC 6872 is a behemoth, but by compiling data from several space- and ground-based observatories and running a few computer simulations, they have now determined this is the largest spiral galaxy we know of.
Measuring tip-to-tip across its two outsized spiral arms, NGC 6872 spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
(...)
Read the rest of Behold: The Largest Known Spiral Galaxy (264 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 7 comments |
Post tags: ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:50 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

So. Many. Stars…

So. Many. Stars…:
The globular star cluster 47 Tucanae
Infrared image of globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) captured by ESO’s VISTA telescope.
“My god, it’s full of stars!” said Dave Bowman in the movie 2010 as he entered the monolith, and one could imagine that the breathtaking view before him looked something like this.
Except this isn’t science fiction, it’s reality — this is an image of globular cluster 47 Tucanae taken by the European Southern Observatory’s VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. It reveals in stunning detail a brilliant collection of literally millions of stars, orbiting our Milky Way galaxy at a distance of 15,000 light-years.
The full image can be seen below.
(...)
Read the rest of So. Many. Stars… (267 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 13 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:49 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

AR1654 is a Monster Sunspot. (And It’s Aiming Our Way.)

AR1654 is a Monster Sunspot. (And It’s Aiming Our Way.):
AR1654
Active Region 1654 on the Sun’s western limb, seen by SDO on Jan. 11 (NASA/SDO/HMI team. Diagram by J. Major.)
Like an enormous cannon that is slowly turning its barrel toward us, the latest giant sunspot region AR1654 is steadily moving into position to face Earth, loaded with plenty of magnetic energy to create M-class flares — moderate-sized outbursts of solar energy that have the potential to cause brief radio blackouts on Earth and, at the very least, spark bright aurorae around the upper latitudes.
According to SpaceWeather.com, AR1654 “could be the sunspot that breaks the recent lengthy spell of calm space weather around our planet.”
The image above, captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory earlier today, shows the structure of AR1654 upon the Sun’s photosphere — its light-emitting “surface” layer. Stretching many tens of thousands of miles, this magnetic solar blemish easily dwarfs our entire planet. And it’s not just a prediction that this sunspot will unleash a flare — it already has.
(...)
Read the rest of AR1654 is a Monster Sunspot. (And It’s Aiming Our Way.) (205 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 4 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:45 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

A Moon With Two Suns: Making Art from Science

A Moon With Two Suns: Making Art from Science:
Screen Shot 2013-01-13 at 9.08.20 PM
A view of Kepler 47c and binary stars. ©Digital Drew. All rights reserved.
What would it look like on a hypothetical icy moon orbiting the exoplanet Kepler 47c? Perhaps something like this.
This is an illustration by an artist who goes by the name Digital Drew on Flickr. Drew creates landscapes of imagined alien worlds orbiting stars (and sometimes planets) that actually exist in the Universe. With 3D software, a little science and a lot of imagination, Drew shows us what skies might look like on other planets.
(...)
Read the rest of A Moon With Two Suns: Making Art from Science (440 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | 5 comments |
Post tags: , , , , , , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 6:42 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)