[AstroNet] Astro News

[Samir Dhurde]

Dear All,

  The rains have subsided just in time when there is exciting news from the Sun.

  Our nearest star has already entered the active phase of it's 11 year cycle. Last week there were huge sunspots visible and I attach a picture of one taken yesterday evening from the IUCAA terrace. Although tiny compared to the sun, the 'spot' is bigger than the Earth.

  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=277832878905579&l=b5d96707ee

  This Spot No. 1305, along with 1302 erupted in quick succession on Oct 1, revealing a long-distance connection (entanglement) which was not obvious before. The solar wind from this, after travelling 150 million km, is to strike the Earth's atmosphere today and may produce great aurora displays at higher latitudes and kick off moderate geomagnetic storms. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded the double blast on the Sun's surface. See the movie...

  http://spaceweather.com/images2011/02oct11/ipad/doubleeruption.m4v

  More exciting news came yesterday when the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) released a recording of a comet crashing into the Sun followed soon by a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).

  http://spaceweather.com/images2011/03oct11/cometandcme.gif

  A similar coincidence was seen on May 11 too.

  http://spaceweather.com/images2011/12may11/cme.gif

  Possibly a coincidence, it is still a great visual. The comets disintegrated as much as a million kilometers above the Sun's surface. There is no known way that the wispy, vaporous remains of a relatively lightweight comet could cause a billion-ton cloud of hot plasma to fly away from the sun at 400 km/s (the observed speed of the CME).

  Here is a film of a sungrazing comet as seen on July 5. It also gives more information about how the Solar Space Observatories work.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9pfbh_iCM


Wishing all Astronomy enthusiast clear skies...

Samir :)


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 Samir Dhurde,         Sci./Tech. Staff  - Public Outreach
       IUCAA, Pune University Campus, Pune - 411007, India
       Tel: (O)91-20-25604603         Fax:  91-20-25604699
       http://www.iucaa.ernet.in/~samir
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