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QUIET SUN:
According to NOAA sunspot counts, the longest stretch of spotless
suns during the current solar minimum was 52 days in July, August
and Sept. of 2008. The current spate of blank suns is putting that
record in jeopardy. There have been no sunspots for almost 42 days
and there are none in the offing. Deep solar minimum continues.
NORTHERN LIGHTS:
Sunspots are not required to make auroras. A solar wind stream can
do the job just fine. Witness this display on August 20th:
The sky lit up north of Edmonton, Alberta, when a solar wind stream
crashed into Earth's magnetic field. "Things were quiet then--POW!"
says photographer Zoltan
Kenwell. "I was able to photograph the Northern Lights
for two hours."
He took the pictures using a Canon
5D2. "I pushed the envelope and set the camera to ISO 1600-5000
for 30 to 50 seconds. There was a substantial amount of fog on the
lake and a few wisps of clouds that give the images a dreamy feel.
The 5D2 is an amazing camera!"
The solar wind is still blowing. High-latitude sky watchers should
remain alert for auroras.
August
2009 Aurora Gallery
[previous Augusts: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003, 2002,
2001]
FLYING ISLANDS:
On August 14th, gravity was revoked in the Netherlands--or so it
seemed when photographer Rik
ter Horst looked out across the water and saw Schiermonnikoog
Island floating in mid-air:
"It was just a mirage," he says. Temperature gradients
in the air over the cool, open water caused light from the island
and its surroundings to curve in unusual ways en route to the camera.
The apparent gap between the island and the sea is actually an upside-down
image of the sky above. Note the hint of antenna pointing into the
water. But don't look too closely, cautions Horst. "You might
start believing islands can fly."
more images: from
Peter von Bagh of Porvoo, Finland; from
Mila Zinkova of San Francisco, California; from
Ivar Marthinusen of Storlien, Sweden; from
Becky Ramotowski of Amarillo, Texas
2009
Perseid Photo Gallery
[Science@NASA: The
Perseids are Coming, Horse
Flies and Meteors]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle
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