Metallic photos of the sun by renowned photographer Greg Piepol bring together the best of art and science. Buy one or a whole set. They make a stellar gift. | | |
SOLAR STORM HEATS UP EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE: A flurry of solar activity in early March dumped enough heat in Earth's upper atmosphere to power every residence in New York City for two years. The heat has since dissipated, but there's more to come as the solar cycle intensifies. [full story] [video]
INCREDIBLE SUNSPOT AR1429: Big sunspot AR1429, the source of so many strong flares and geomagnetic storms earlier this month, is still erupting. The active region produced a significant coronal mass ejection on March 24th at 00:39 UT. Because of the sunspot's location on the far side of the sun, this particular CME will not hit Earth. An animated forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab shows the trajectory of the expanding cloud:
The leading edge of the CME is expected to arrive at the STEREO-B spacecraft on March 25th at 13:08 UT (+/- 7 hours). None of the inner planets will be affected.
Since March began, sunspot AR1429 has propelled CMEs into every corner of the solar system, stirring up stormy space weather around every planet and spacecraft. If the sunspot remains active for another week or so, it will turn back toward Earth for a new round of geoeffective eruptions. Stay tuned.
SUNSET SKY SHOW, AGAIN: A month ago, Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon aligned beautifully for evening sky watchers around the world. It's about to happen again. On March 24th, 25th and 26th, the trio will appear side by side in the western sky at sunset. Observing tip: Catch them before the sky fades completely black. These bright objects are extra-beautiful when they are framed by twilight blue. Sky maps: March 24, 25, 26.
Looking for something to do while you're waiting for the Moon to arrive? Try juggling:
"Thanks to my girlfriend for helping me me create these planet action shots on March 22nd," says photographer Kiss Csongor of Derecske, Hungary.
more images: from Danny Ratcliffe of Scarborough, Queensland, Australia; from Johnathan A. Esper of Lake Durant, Adirondack Park, New York; from Petr Horálek of Ústupky, Seč reservoir, Czech republic; from Ahmed Al Ali of Sharjah Desert Park, United Arab Emirates; from Veerayen of Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia; from Jean-Baptiste Feldmann of France; from John Stetson of Sebago Lake, Maine
February 2012 Aurora Gallery
[previous Februaries: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002]