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SUNSPOT SYZYGY:
Sunspot group 1023 has an eye-catching shape--it is a
straight line. The group's four spots have formed a rare "sunspot
syzygy."
The formation makes a nice target for backyard solar
telescopes.
more images: from
Andy Dodson of Huirangi, New Zealand; from
Pavol Rapavy of Observatory Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia; from
Steve Wainwright of Swansea South Wales, UK;
SARYCHEV PEAK VOLCANO:
Perfect timing. On June 12th, just as Russia's
Sarychev Peak volcano was erupting for the first time in 20 years,
the International Space Station flew directly overhead. Astronauts
had their
camera ready and snapped one of the most dramatic Earth-science
photos ever taken from space:
Researchers are studying this rare
photo to learn about the early stages of powerful volcanic eruptions.
A few phenomena stand out:
(1) The volcano erupted with such force, the plume
actually punched through the atmosphere. Note how clouds around
the volcano have parted in a circular ring--that is a result of
a shock wave produced by the upward blast. (2) The plume is a mixture
of brown ash and white steam. A "dirty thunderstorm" complete
with lightning could be in progress within the roiling cloud. (3)
The smooth white bubble on top of the plume is probably a mass of
water condensing from air shoved upward by the rising ash column.
If so, it is akin to the iridescent pileus clouds sometimes featured
on spaceweather.com.
If you're not amazed yet, try this: Put on a pair
of red-blue stereo glasses and behold the
eruption in 3D. The anaglyph was created by graphic artist Patrick
Vantuyne of Belgium. No stereo glasses? A cross-eyed
version is also available.
CROSS CURRENTS:
Noctilucent clouds are not like other clouds. They light up at night,
electric blue, after regular clouds go dark. They float so high
above Earth (80 km--at the edge of space), they make ordinary clouds
seem like ground huggers. And, of course, noctilucent clouds go
their own way. All of these differences are on display in a movie
made by German photographer Christoph Rollwagen. Click on the image
to set the scene in motion (DivX required):
The movie is available in two formats: #1
(avi), #2 (mov)
"Yesterday evening, June 23rd, I noticed these noctilucent
clouds shining through cirrus clouds above my home in Potsdam-Bornstedt,"
says Rollwagen. "It was a colorful and dynamic scene. Note
how the noctilucent and cirrus clouds move in opposite directions."
"I made the movie using my Canon
EOS 300Da," he adds.
Summer is the season for noctilucent clouds. Browse the gallery
for more examples and observing tips:
2009
Noctilucent Photo Gallery
[previous years: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle
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