Researchers Explain Magnetic Field Misbehavior In Solar Flares: The Culprit Is Turbulence

Reblogged from AstroNews:

When a solar flare filled with charged particles erupts from the sun, its magnetic fields sometime break a widely accepted rule of physics. The flux-freezing theorem dictates that the magnetic lines of force should flow away in lock-step with the particles, whole and unbroken. Instead, the lines sometimes break apart and quickly reconnect in a way that has mystified astrophysicists.

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Photo gallery: The most breathtaking auroras

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aurora, Cassini, ISS, northern lights, Southern Lights

Doesn’t it look like this aurora is shining green rays of light through the clouds? Image courtesy of Hugo Løhre via NASA.

Earth isn’t the only planet that has auroras. In this image of the northern region of Saturn, aurora can be seen using two different wavelengths of infrared light. The image was captured by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

We can’t forget Jupiter. Here’s a “spectacular NASA Hubble Space Telescope close-up view of an electric-blue aurora that is eerily glowing one half billion miles away on the giant planet Jupiter.” The description was too good. Photo and caption courtesy of NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team

An aurora in Michigan taken before sunrise in 2011. Image courtesy of Shane Malone via NASA.

An aurora in Canada that appeared 2012. Image courtesy of Joseph Bradley via NASA.

This false-color composite image, constructed from data obtained by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, shows the glow of auroras streaking out about 600 miles from the cloud tops of Saturn’s south polar region. Image and caption courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Leicester

Flying at an altitude of about 240 miles over the eastern North Atlantic, the Expedition 30 crew aboard the International Space Station photographed this nighttime scene. This view looks northeastward. Center point coordinates are 46.8 degrees north latitude and 14.3 degrees west longitude. The night lights of the cities of Ireland, in the foreground, and the United Kingdom, in the back and to the right, are contrasted by the bright sunrise in the background. The greens and purples of the Aurora Borealis are seen along the rest of the horizon. This image was taken in March 2012. Image and caption courtesy of NASA

The Expedition 32 crew on board the International Space Station, flying an altitude of approximately 240 miles, recorded a series of images of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, in July 2012. Image and caption courtesy of NASA

Northern Lights ripple over the US-Canadian border. Image courtesy of  NASA/Zoltan Kenwell

This photo was taken in Nebraska. Image courtesy of Mark Urwiller and NASA.

Beautiful green auroras over Michigan

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Aurora Borealis, auroras, CME, Earth, magnetic fields, northern lights, solar

This is gorgeous!

Last week, days after the sun released a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields toward Earth, the particles collided with our planet’s magnetic field. When the two smash together, they create these amazing displays in the sky.

Green is the most common auroral color, according to Northern Lights Centre.

A pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.

The above photograph, courtesy of NASA, was taken over Marquette, Mich., on May 18. Image by Amy Cherrette

Sun releases X-Class solar flares; first in 2013

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2013, flares, NASA, solar flare, x-class

It’s been awhile since I posted anything about solar flares. (Though, it’s also been awhile since I’ve written about anything in general  … Hopefully the astronomy news hanging out in the dark tunnels of my email archive will soon see the light.) Anyway, here’s a video of X-Class solar flares, a first for 2013.

The video was taken earlier this month when, within a 24-hour time period, the sun emitted three fairly large flares.

There’s more to the ring nebula than meets the eye

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Hubble, lyra, nebula, ring

“The nebula is not like a bagel, but rather, it’s like a jelly doughnut, because it’s filled with material in the middle,” stated C. Robert O’Dell of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. in a NASA release.

Photo of the week: Blue moon, August 2012

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2012, Blue moon, full moon, New Jersey

Photo by Lillian M. Ortiz

RIP Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on moon [with video]

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1969, Apollo 11, died, first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, walk on the moon

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, sits inside the Lunar Module as it rests on the lunar surface after completion of his historic moonwalk. Caption and photo courtesy of NASA

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died. He was 82.

Here’s a video of the historic July 20, 1969 descent onto the moon.

This is the second time in a little over a month that the science community has lost a historic figure in space flight history. Sally Ride – the first American woman in space – died on July 23 at the age of 61.

Photo of the week: The surface of Mars

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curiosity, Gale Crate, Mars rover, panoramia

This mosaic image shows part of the left side of NASA’s Curiosity rover and two blast marks from the descent stage’s rocket engines.Caption and image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

This week has been all about Mars and the Curiosity rover. We’ve posted lots of images taken on the Martian surface this week including a pretty awesome color panorama. We’ve selected a new image as our Photo of the Week as it shows the left side of Curiosity, blast marks from the mission’s descent stage and the rim of the Gale Crater.

Radiation probe will explore Earth’s magnetosphere

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Earth, magnetosphere, radiation belt, Van Allen

Earth’s protective shield takes quite a beating, especially during these peak times of solar activity. Later this month, NASA will send a probe – dubbed the Radiation Belt Storm probe – to explore the Van Allen Radiation Belts in the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Here’s a video explaining it all. Enjoy!

Curiosity rover snaps first color panoramic of Mars

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curiosity, Gale Crater, Mars, nasa mission, panorama, photos, rover

This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera. Caption and image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

We’re loving all these photographs! Curiosity, the Mars rover that landed on the red planet just three days ago, has been snapping away and feeding our obsession with this amazing NASA mission. For the next 23 months, the rover will analyze rock and ground samples in the fascinating Gale Crater to see if it had, or still has, conditions that are favorable to microbial life.

The panorama above, which was taken today, is made up of 130 images. According to NASA, the image was brightened a bit as Mars receives only half the sunlight Earth does.

Here’s a closer look at a portion of the shot:

This is a portion of the first color 360-degree panorama from NASA’s Curiosity rover, made up of thumbnails, which are small copies of higher-resolution images. Photo and caption courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

We can’t wait to see a closeup of the mountain’s summit!