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VALENTINE'S RING: "I was coming home from the store after buying a Valentine's Day gift for my wife when I noticed this nice sun halo," says David Williams of Mt. Airy, Maryland. "My wife gets flowers but I got a halo--a fair trade in my opinion!"
Sun halos are caused by ice crystals floating 5 to 10 km above the ground in wispy cirrus clouds. Rays of sunlight shine through the crystals and, in the process, are bent into a rainbow-colored circle of light. These halos are common: put your hand over the sun and look for one today.
QUIET SUN: There are two big 'spots on the sun today, sunspot 733 and 735, each about three times as wide as Earth. Despite their size, they have simple magnetic fields that pose little threat for strong flares. Solar activity should remain low.
On Feb. 12th, Barb Robertson took this picture of the sun shining through clouds over Ottawa, Canada. Sunspots 733 and 735 are the dark spots on the left side of the disk.
Warning: Using clouds as a natural filter to watch the sun can be dangerous. The sun is seldom as dim as it seems. Plus, gaps in clouds can produce unexpected and intense sunbeams. Avoid eye damage: build a safe sun projector.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GALILEO: On February 15, 1564, Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy. If he were alive today he would be (almost) 441 years old.
Galileo is an important person in the history of space weather. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't discover sunspots, but he was one of the first to observe them using a telescope.
Right: Daily sunspot drawings made by Galileo in June 1612. [more]
In Galileo's day, many people thought sunspots were satellites of the sun. Galileo proved otherwise. By drawing sunspots every day, he discovered that the sun spins and that sunspots are located on (or very near) the sun's surface. Learn more about Galileo and sunspots from Rice University's Galileo Project.
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