NASA Sees Monster Sunspot Growing Fast, Solar Storms Possible
Source: Yahoo News
A colossal sunspot on the surface of the sun is large enough to swallow six Earths whole, and could trigger solar flares this week, NASA scientists say.
The giant sunspot was captured on camera by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory as it swelled to enormous proportions over the 48 hours spanning Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 19 and 20). SDO is one of several spacecraft that constantly monitor the sun's space weather environment.
"It has grown to over six Earth diameters across, but its full extent is hard to judge since the spot lies on a sphere, not a flat disk," wrote NASA spokeswoman Karen Fox, of the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in an image description.
The sunspot region is actually a collection of dark blemishes on the surface of the sun that evolved rapidly over the last two days. Sunspots form from shifting magnetic fields at the sun's surface, and are actually cooler than their surrounding solar material.
Read more: http://za.news.yahoo.com/nasa-sees-monster-sunspot-growing-fast-solar-storms-003249636.html
moobu2
(4,822 posts)The bottom two black spots are part of the same system that NASA says is rapidly expanding.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Orrex
(63,219 posts)mountain grammy
(26,642 posts)kentauros
(29,414 posts)can be directly blamed on Obama!
Berlum
(7,044 posts)Last week. I'm just sayin...
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-mexico-firegod-pyramid-20130213,0,7555042.story
snooper2
(30,151 posts)He only gets like one trick a month if I remember correctly
Berlum
(7,044 posts)Just stating the facts: Fire God disturbed at apex of Sun Pyramid. Badass Meteor strikes. Colossal solar storm stirred up.
You can draw any kind of idea you want from that. But you cannot argue that they have not happened in close sequence. They have. Those are the facts.
Is that just pure absolutely unrelated coincidence? Is it some Stupefyingly Stunning Synchrony on some cosmic order? Or is it somehow related to the Mayan calendar and what the traditional Native keepers of the ways have said would unfold at the start of the Fifth World?
I don't know and don't pretend to know. But I do think the facts and the timing are worthy of note. To blow them off with haughty derision is -- as my professors oft said -- the sure sign of an uncurious mind.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Posting so we keep track/have record of all these events
Berlum
(7,044 posts)Now if only the Republicans would embrace that value...
Smll_Ax3
(24 posts)what to get a fire god that's already a god, for heavens sake?
Berlum
(7,044 posts)Smll_Ax3
(24 posts)(in my best Homer impersonation...)
truthisfreedom
(23,151 posts)Sounds like a big hairy deal.