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OF INTEREST: Solar activity is
so low, NOAA forecasters say the chance of a strong
flare today is less than 1%. Boring? Even the quiet
sun has points of interest. Consider this extreme
ultraviolet image taken during the early hours of
May 20th by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
Shown above, a hedgerow of cool, dark
plasma held aloft by magnetic fields is backlit
by the hot solar corona. The entire "bush"
is about eight times wider than Earth. Before the
Hubble-sharp cameras of SDO were brought to bear
on the sun, structures like this were seen either
in poor detail or not at all. As a result, no one
can say with any surety what will happen next. Will
the plasma weigh down its magnetic support and collapse,
bringing an end to the quiet, or instead remain
a simple point of interest? Stay
tuned.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day..2011 January 15
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.
A Total Eclipse at the End of the World
Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)
Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun?
If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else
there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in
Antarctica during an unusual
total solar eclipse.
Even given the extreme location, a group of
enthusiastic eclipse chasers ventured near the
bottom of the world to
experience the surreal momentary
disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon.
One of the treasures collected was the
above picture -- a composite of four separate images
digitally combined to realistically simulate how the adaptive human
eye saw the eclipse.
As the image was taken, both the
Moon and the Sun peaked together over an Antarctic ridge.
In the
sudden darkness, the
magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the Moon.
Quite by accident, another photographer was caught
in one of the images checking his video camera.
Visible to his left are an equipment bag and a
collapsible chair.
