Metallic photos of the sun by renowned photographer Greg Piepol bring together the best of art and science. Buy one or a whole set. They make a stellar gift. |
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WHAT'S
HITTING EARTH? Have you ever seen
a fireball streak through the night sky and gone
to bed wondering, "What was that?" NASA
is deploying a network of smart cameras that will
have an answer waiting for you when you wake up.
Get the full
story from Science@NASA.
MAGNETIC
STORM IN PROGRESS: A solar wind
stream hit Earth's magnetic field during the early
hours of March 1st. The impact sparked a geomagnetic
storm that was, at first, minor, but the storm has
been intensifying
throughout the day. Spotters are now reporting auroras
over Northern Ireland, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden.
If trends continue, the display could spread to
the high latitudes of North America after nightfall.
Stay tuned! [Aurora alerts: phone,
text]
NASA space physicist James Spann sends this picture
from Poker Flat, Alaska, where he is attending a
scientific
conference to study auroras:
"This is the first time I have seen the aurora
borealis in person," says Spann who lives in
Alabama. "It was fantastic--the greatest light
show on Earth. It was cold (<-20 F) outside but
worth every minute of exposure and lost sleep. I
am afraid now that I have been ruined for life since
my first personal viewing of the aurora was so amazing."
As a researcher he also appreciated the greater
meaning of the display: "This is the most obvious
and accessible evidence of the connectivity that
Earth has with our star the sun. Witnessing the
connectivity first-hand was particularly special
to me."
more images: from
Paul Evans of Larne, Northern Ireland; from
Janis Satrovskis of Burtnieki, Latvia; from
Markus Tingsnäs of Rättvik, Sweden; from
Greger Lissollas of Rättvik, Sweden; from
B.Art Braafhart of Salla in the Finnish Lapland;
from
Michael Jones of Anchorage Alaska;
GOOD
WAY TO BEGIN A MONTH: When dawn
broke on March 1st, early risers witnessed a spectacular
sight in the eastern sky. Venus and the cresent
Moon were in conjunction:
"What a great way to begin the day--and
the month," says Piotr Majewski, who sends
this picture from the Nicolas Copernicus Astronomy
Centre near Torun, Poland.
If you overslept and missed the show, there's good
news. A similar meetup between the crescent Moon
and Jupiter (nearly as bright as Venus) will occur
in the evening sky on March 6th. Sign up
for backyard
astronomy alerts, and we'll remind you too look.
more images: from
KamilaM of Pulawy, Poland; from
Adrian New of San Antonio, Texas; from
Louis Suarato of Albany, NY; from
Tomasz Adam of Kraków, Poland
NanoSail-D
Photo Gallery
[NASA: Solar
Sail Stunner] [Photo
Contest]
February
2011 Aurora Photo Gallery
[previous Februaries: 2010,
2009,
2008,
2007, 2006,
2004, 2003,
2002]
