Schrödinger's Comet | Comet ISON Observing Campaign I'll just say this upfront right now: whatever you read in the following blog post, please feel free to assume it is completely incorrect and the truth is actually quite contrary to what I'm saying. It has been - and continues to be - one of those days. So this will be a relatively brief blog post because we're up to our necks in media inquiries and attempting to do real science to figure out the mystery that is comet ISON, and Matthew and I are basically the only ones that have abandoned our loved ones on this US national Holiday and continued to work. Here's what we know so far: After impressing us yesterday, comet ISON faded dramatically overnight, and left us with a comet with no apparent nucleus in the SOHO/LASCO C2 images. After perihelion, a very faint smudge of dust appeared in the the LASCO C2 images along ISON's orbit. Now, in the latest LASCO C3 images, we are seeing something beginning to gradually brighten up again. I think you get the picture, yes?
Solar Tsunami Rips Across the Sun Two solar observatories have joined forces to witness a rare phenomenon: a solar tsunami. Immediately after an eruption of a coronal mass ejection in the lower corona (the sun’s multimillion degree atmosphere), observations by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Japan’s Hinode solar observatory tracked a vast wave blast across the upper plasma layers of the sun. By doing so, scientists were able to accurately measure the strength of the sun’s magnetic field and test a method that may ultimately help space weather forecasters predict the characteristics of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). PHOTOS: Simmering Solar Views from SDO This particular tsunami — technically known as an “EIT wave” after the EIT instrument on board the veteran NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) that made their discovery — was clocked speeding at up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) per second through the highly magnetized, searingly hot solar plasma. ANALYSIS: There’s a Hole in the Sun!
Local Weather from AccuWeather.com - Superior Accuracy™ Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2016 April 15 Mercury and Crescent Moon Set Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva) Explanation: Innermost planet Mercury and a thin crescent Moon are never found far from the Sun in planet Earth's skies. Taken near dusk on April 8, this colorful evening skyscape shows them both setting toward the western horizon just after the Sun. Tomorrow's picture: Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD at NASA / GSFC& Michigan Tech.
Space Weather Forecast Center | Scientific Frontline CometISONnews : Latest #dustcloud image from... Sound of the Sun SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids COR 1 Instrument A very large and bright prominence erupted off the surface of the Sun around 19:00 UT on August 31, 2012 and just kept going. This video from the STEREO Behind spacecraft shows the prominence and the coronal mass ejection (CME) in which its is embedded as it leaves the Sun (orange, EUVI) and travels through the fields of view of COR1 (green), COR2 (red), and HI1 (blue) telescopes before it finally disappears from HI1 around the end of September 2, still clearly visible more than two days after it erupted. While CMEs are routinely seen in the Heliographic Imager (HI) telescopes, it's very rare for prominences to stay visible for so long. Also visible in the movie is the planet Venus, which appears as a bright spot on the right side of the COR2 field. View