Finally! A clear day for some solar imaging and what a view today! My phone has been buzzing all day as all of these spots are firing off solar flares.
Last Friday, I set out to do something fun: capture the rotation of the sun! The challenge with this is that the sun rotates very slowly - roughly one rotation every 27 days. I captured images every 5 minutes from about 8AM to 5PM and then stuck them all together in a time lapse.
The so-called “great instability” event that sent gas giants careening through space until they settled into orbits occurred between 60 and 100 million years after the birth of the solar system. Migrating planets primarily Jupiter, it turns out, may have led to the formation of Earth’s moon. Live Science explains: https://flip.it/wWBTEy #Science#Space#Jupiter#Earth#Moon#SolarSystem
The sun and moon captured about 6 hours apart on April 23. The sun was super active with tons of sunspots and the moon was 100% full. I captured the moon right after it cleared the trees and the color is unedited.
Both were captured from my backyard with my QHY168C camera and EQ6-R mount. I used a homemade solar filter with Thousand Oaks film for the sun shots.
Astronomers think they’ve detected an extremely rare, luminous phenomenon known as “glory” in the hellish atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. The discovery would be the first time one of these rainbow-colored light shows has been seen outside of our solar system. Live Science reports: https://flip.it/RiSqJN#Science#Space#SolarSystem#Planets#SpaceExploration
Thirty years after the first exoplanets were discovered, hundreds of additional exoplanets have been identified within the “habitable zone,” a place where liquid water and maybe even life may exist. The MIT Press Reader asks, could a self-sustaining starship carry humans to distant worlds? https://flip.it/0q093h #Science#Space#SolarSystem#Planets#Humans#SpaceExploration
Our nearest star about thirty minutes ago. That large sunspot region, 3615, right of center, is unusually large. That tiny spot to the left of 3615 is designated as 3617. It is how big the Earth would appear if it were on the surface of the Sun (which thankfully it isn't!) Sadly, I do not think I will make it to see the total eclipse. I will be in the Four Corners region. I may make a dash to see it, however.
I wasn't planning to do any solar imaging yesterday, but I changed my mind once I saw what the sunspots were up to! That large sunspot region is cranking out solar flares at an impressive rate. Hopefully I'll get another chance to image on a clearer day before they disappear around the side.
As it turns out, Jupiters moon #Europa has substantially less oxygen than previously thought. Albeit, it still produces enough oxygen
in a 24 hour period
to keep approximately
one million humans breathing.
Researchers suggest a global ocean lies 15 miles beneath the surface of Saturn’s moon, Mimas - a shocking discovery that could redefine what a habitable world looks like