A HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A large hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind toward Earth. Estimated time of arrival: Feb. 24-25. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when the gaseous material arrives. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THE EVERSHED EFFECT: Something is sucking plasma out of big sunspots. This week, David Wilson observed the process in action from his backyard observatory in Inverness Scotland. Behold, sunspot 4374:
"I was trying out an old solar filter, and found this sunspot to be quite dynamic," says Wilson. "Just look at the sunspot's circumference."
Around he outer edge of the sunspot, material can be seen moving radially outward in narrow flows. This is known as "the Evershed Effect."
British astronomer John Evershed discovered the phenomenon in 1909 while he was working at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in India. (The government of India made a postage stamp to celebrate his work -- the first-ever stamp to highlight sunspot dynamics.) More than 100 years later researchers still aren't certain what causes the flows. A leading theory holds that material is being siphoned out of the sunspot through magnetic flux tubes much like a milkshake sucked out of a straw.
Ironically, 4374 is considered to be a quiet sunspot. During its two-week transit across the face of the sun, it did not produce a single strong solar flare. Yet Wilson showed that any random 15 minutes contains a lot of action and even a little mystery.
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A GIFT FOR TOLKIEN FANS -- THE ONE RING OVER HOBBITON: Need a far out gift for a Tolkien fan? Consider the One Ring over Hobbiton. During a rare South Pacific balloon flight, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this ring to the stratosphere directly over the movie set for Peter Jackson's Lord of the RIngs:
You can have it for $199.95. On the southern winter solstice, June 21st, it reached an altitude of 108,345 feet, flying alongide a suite of cosmic radiation sensors that the students use to monitor atmospheric radiation. The ring is made of gold-plated tungsten and inscribed with the authentic Mordor script of the One Ring.
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