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FAKE ASTRONAUT HIT
BY ARTIFICIAL SOLAR FLARE: Researchers are
blasting a fake astronaut complete with blood cells and simulated
human tissue to an artificial solar flare. How the unlucky volunteer
emerges from the radiation storm will reveal for the first time
how much of a threat severe solar flares pose to astronauts en route
to the Moon and Mars: full
story.
NIGHT-SHINING CLOUDS:
"Last night, we had our first really
beautiful display of noctilucent
clouds this season. They have really taken off now!" reports
John C. McConnell of Maghaberry, Northern Ireland, who took the
picture below using a Canon
400D. "The display started just after twilight ended and
lasted until 03:00 o'clock in the morning."
Photo details: Canon
400D, ISO800, 8-10 seconds
Also in Northern Ireland, photographer Martin Mc Kenna witnessed
the display. "The clouds had great electric blue colours and
intricate structures--bands, whirls and veils all visible at the
same time. I can't wait to see the major displays over the next
few weeks if this is what we are getting now!"
Indeed, the weeks ahead could be good. There is a well-known correlation
between noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and the solar cycle: NLC activity
tends to peak during years of solar minimum, possibly because low
solar activity allows the upper atmosphere to cool, promoting the
growth of ice crystals that make up the clouds. With a century-class
solar minimum underway, the stage is set for NLCs.
2009
Noctilucent Photo Gallery
[previous years: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003]
DAYLIGHT STATION
SIGHTING: How bright is the International
Space Station? It's so bright, you can now see it in broad daylight.
Just a few hours ago, Yaron
Koler photographed the station framed in blue as it zipped past
the Moon in the afternoon skies of Modiin, Israel:
"I used a Canon
500D with a 1.4x Kenko Telephoto Converter Lens," says
Koler.
The ISS has been under construction almost continuously for the
past 11 years: assembly
sequence. The behemoth spacecraft now reflects so much sunlight,
it rivals the surface brightness of the Moon in the daytime sky.
Sunlight
glinting
from the station's solar arrays can cause flares
as bright as magnitude -8, more than 25 times brighter than Venus!
Imagine how it looks when the sky is actually dark! Check the Simple
Satellite Tracker for nightime flybys of your home town.
April
2009 Aurora Gallery
[previous Aprils: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003, 2002]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle
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