Uploads from sdomission

Circular CME

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:18:50 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

A corona mass ejection (CME), associated with a solar flare, blew out from just around the edge of the Sun today in a glorious roiling wave (May 1, 2013). The video, taken in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft, covers about 2.5 hours. SOHO’s C2 and C3 coronagraphs shows a large, bright, circular cloud of particles heading out into space. STEREO spacecraft, from their different perspectives in space, observed the flare. CME’s carry over a billion tons of particles at over a million miles per hour.

SAApan

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:44:39 -0800

sdomission posted a video:

UN_Sunshow1

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:41:49 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

Magnificent Outburst - Close up

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:07:40 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Sparked by a medium-sized (C-class) flare, a long, magnetic filament burst out from the Sun, producing one of the best shows that SDO has seen (Aug. 31, 2012). Viewed in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, the filament strand gets stretched outwards until it finally breaks and heads off to the left. Some of the particles from this eruption did hit Earth with a glancing blow on Sept. 3, generating some beautiful aurora. The video clip covers four hours of activity.

Magnificent Outburst - Full disk

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:07:39 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Exhibit at Chabot Space & Science Center

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:15:22 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Opened at the Chabot Space and Science Center (Oakland, CA) in June, 2012

Exhibit at Chabot Space & Science Center

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:15:21 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Opened at the Chabot Space and Science Center (Oakland, CA) in June, 2012

Exhibit at Maryland Science Center

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:15:20 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Opened at the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD) in Feb. 2012

Exhibit at Maryland Science Center

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:15:19 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

Opened at the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD) in Feb. 2012

Blossoming Blast

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:55:36 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

SDO observed a beautiful prominence eruption shot off the east limb (left side) of the Sun (April 16, 2012). Such eruptions are often associated with solar flares, and in this case an M1.7 class (medium-sized) flare did occur at the same time, though it was not aimed toward Earth. The movie (in extreme ultraviolet light) covers four hours of activity. As we have observed in some other events, some of the charged particles do not have enough force behind them to break away and they can be seen streaming back into the Sun.

Magnetic Tendrils

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:16:58 -0700

sdomission posted a photo:

The magnetic fields of a pair of active regions are seen connected to each other over hundreds of thousands of miles in this video clip (Mar. 14-16, 2012). Like thin, twisted vines the field lines from each stretched out above the Sun and established a link with the other. Charged particles are spinning along the field lines making the lines visible in extreme ultraviolet light. The material being observed here is ionized iron heated to over a million degrees (171 Angstrom wavelength). Looping arcs of field lines can also be seen above each of the active regions, often the sources of solar storms.

Active Sun in 3-D

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:10:15 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

If you ever wanted to see an active Sun with lots of sunspots and wonderful active regions in exquisite detail, then your wait is over. We took pairs of high-resolution images from Dec. 4, 2011 about eight hours apart and with some image software magic transformed them into 3-D. The Sun appears rounded and the loops above active regions clearly stand out above the Sun’s surface. Of course, you need 3-D glasses to get the effect. The movie starts with the sunspot image, fades into the extreme ultraviolet image (in the AIA 171 wavelength of light), and then back again several times. To create the 3-D effect, we selected an initial image, then a second image about 10 hours later. The rotation of the Sun creates sufficient perspective difference to convert the pair into 3-D. Note how the magnetically intense sunspots at the surface match up precisely with loops of magnetic field lines (viewed in UV light) arcing above them. If you need 3D glasses, here are some possible resources: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/sun/3D_Glasses.html

Partial Solar Eclipse from SDO

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:53:42 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

The Moon came in between the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite and the Sun (seen here in extreme ultraviolet light) and produced a partial solar eclipse from space. For 1 hour and 41 minutes team SDO observed the lunar transit. This event only happens a few times a year, but it does give the SDO team an opportunity to better understand the AIA instrument on SDO and give it a fine-tuning. The sharp edge of the lunar limb helps researchers measure the in-orbit characteristics of the telescope, e.g., how light diffracts around the telescope's optics and filter support grids. Once these are calibrated, it is possible to correct SDO data for instrumental effects and sharpen the images even more than before.

Plasma Indirection

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:26:11 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

As if it could not make up its mind . . . darker, cooler plasma slid and shifted back and forth above the Sun’s surface seen here for 30 hours (Feb. 7-8, 2012) in extreme ultraviolet light. An active region rotating into view provides a bright backdrop to the gyrating streams of plasma. The particles are being pulled this way and that by competing magnetic forces. They are tracking along strands of magnetic field lines. This kind of detailed solar observation with high-resolution frames and a four-minute cadence was not possible until SDO, which launched two years ago on Feb. 11, 2010. So it’s our 2nd Anniversary!

Let’s Twist Again

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:47 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun’s hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt out into space, propelled by magnetic forces from the Sun’s atmosphere. Ultraviolet emission in this wavelength (ions of helium at 304Å) shows the upper chromosphere (not far above the visible surface) at a temperature of about 100,000 degrees F. For a size comparison, the Earth would be no larger than your little fingertip.

Sun Shades of Warhol

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:44 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

This close-up of a solar eruption seemed to lend itself to a modernistic approach with color tables. The original image combined three wavelengths in extreme UV light.

Magnetic Loop Swirls

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:42 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

A close up of an active region in extreme UV light reveals tangles of loops and coils of arcs. This static image of particles spinning along magnetic field lines conceals the fact that the dynamic region is in motion every second.

Volcanic Eruption

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:40 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

Not a volcano really, but a spectacular solar blast of particles called a coronal mass ejection viewed in extreme UV light. A small part of this cloud fell back to the Sun's surface but much more rocketed into space at over a million miles per hour.

Flash of a Flare

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:38 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

A solar flare on August 9, 2011 overwhelmed the SDO imager with such strong light that it caused the brightness to spread out in broken lines above and below the flare site for just a few minutes. When flares erupt, they unleash a lot of radiation into space that can be harmful to astronauts.

Old Man in the Sun

nobody@flickr.com (sdomission) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:35 -0800

sdomission posted a photo:

By sheer coincidence several active regions seen in extreme UV light, without any re-arranging, aligned themselves to resemble a contemplative face.