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SUNSPOT 1016:
A ring-shaped
sunspot numbered 1016 has emerged near the sun's equator. Its magnetic
polarity identifies it as a member of old Solar Cycle 23. Until
these old cycle sunspots go away, the next solar cycle will remain
in
abeyance. Readers with solar telescopes should point their optics
here.
SPACE STATION FLARE:
Just before sunrise on April 28th, Nicolas Biver watched the International
Space Station (ISS) cross the starry sky above Versailles, France.
Suddenly "the station flared," he says. "It was brighter
than Venus!" A digital video taken through his 16-inch Dobsonian
telescope reveals what happened:
"Sunlight glinted off some of the station's solar
panels," says Biver. "The reflection was intense."
Under construction
for more than ten years, the ISS has only recently received its
full complement of solar arrays. Space shuttle astronauts added
a final set of "wings" in March 2009, boosting the surface
area of the photovoltaic system to a whopping 16,000 square feet.
With so much sun-collecting area, occasional glints are inevitable--and
very bright.
Check the Simple Satellite Tracker
to find out when the ISS might be flaring over your home town.
ZENITH HALO:
"April 26th is the day here in Guam (13.5o N) that
the sun passes directly overhead at local noon," says Tom Wittman
of Andersen Air Force Base. "When the time came, I stepped
outside and was treated to a beautiful ice
halo." This photo, he says, was taken at the exact moment
the sun reached zenith:
Zenith suns are not required for ice halos, but they make good
ones: The Guam display is probably a combination of a 22o
halo and a circumscribed
halo, two halos that overlap
for maximum luminosity when the sun is directly overhead.
"Later in the summer, as the sun returns south from the Tropic
of Cancer, the islanders here in Guam will be treated to another
zenith sun," adds Wittman. "I wonder what optical extra
may make an appearance then?" Stay tuned.
April
2009 Aurora Gallery
[previous Aprils: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003, 2002]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle
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