Daily Archives: June 15, 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 15, 2014

Several C-class and two M-class flares were reported in last 24 hours. The strongest one was the impulsive M1.4 flare which peaked at 19:29 UT on June 14. The flare originated from the active region just behind the east solar limb and was associated with the type II radio burst (indicating the shock wave speed of about 400 km/s). The associated CME was first seen in the SOHO/LASCO C2 field of view at 19:48 UT and had projected plane of the sky speed of about 600 km/s. The angular width of the CME was about 100 degrees and the bulk of the CME mass was directed south-east from the Sun-Earth line, therefore we do not expect this CME to arrive at the Earth. The C9.0 flare (peaked at 20:17 UT) on June 13 which originated from the Catania sunspot group 81 (NOAA AR 2087) was associated with narrow CME first seen in the SOHO/LASCO C2 field of view at 20:36 UT. We expect C-class and possibly also M-class flares in the coming hours.The solar wind speed is still about 400 km/s, and the interplanetary magnetic field magnitude has presently value of about 5 nT. Late today we expect the arrival of the glancing blow from the CME-driven shock wave, associated with a partial halo CME from June 12. The arrival of the fast flow associated with the small low latitude coronal hole (between S20 and S40) which reached the central meridian late on June 12, might be expected early tomorrow (June 16). Arrival of both, CME-driven shock wave and the fast flow is possible but not very probable. The geomagnetic conditions are quiet and expect to remain so in the coming hours.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 30 frames
Date: 06/15/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory SPONLI

CMB Dipole: Speeding Through the Universe

Image Credit: DMR, COBE, NASA, Four-Year Sky Map

Our Earth is not at rest. The Earth moves around the Sun. The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way Galaxy orbits in the Local Group of Galaxies. The Local Group falls toward the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. But these speeds are less than the speed that all of these objects together move relative to the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). In the above all-sky map from the COBE satellite, radiation in the Earth’s direction of motion appears blueshifted and hence hotter, while radiation on the opposite side of the sky is redshifted and colder. The map indicates that the Local Group moves at about 600 kilometers per second relative to this primordial radiation. This high speed was initially unexpected and its magnitude is still unexplained. Why are we moving so fast? What is out there?
APOD NASA 15-Jun-14

Orion Nebula

The entirety of the Orion Nebula extends across a 1° region of the sky, and includes neutral clouds of gas and dust, associations of stars,ionized volumes of gas, and reflection nebulae.

The Nebula is part of a much larger nebula that is known as the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex extends throughout the constellation of Orion and includes Barnard’s Loop, the Horsehead Nebula, M43, M78, and the Flame Nebula. Stars are forming throughout the Orion Nebula, and due to this heat-intensive process the region is particularly prominent in the infrared.

The nebula forms a roughly spherical cloud that peaks in density near the core. The cloud has a temperature ranging up to 10,000 K, but this temperature falls dramatically near the edge of the nebula.Unlike the density distribution, the cloud displays a range of velocities and turbulence, particularly around the core region. Relative movements are up to 10 km/s (22,000 mi/h), with local variations of up to 50 km/s and possibly more.

The current astronomical model for the nebula consists of an ionized region roughly centered on Theta Orionis C, the star responsible for most of the ultraviolet ionizing radiation. (It emits 3-4 times as much photoionizing light as the next brightest star, Theta² Orionis A.) This is surrounded by an irregular, concave bay of more neutral, high-density cloud, with clumps of neutral gas lying outside the bay area. This in turn lies on the perimeter of the Orion Molecular Cloud.
Observers have given names to various features in the Orion Nebula. The dark lane that extends from the north toward the bright region is called the “Fish’s Mouth”. The illuminated regions to both sides are called the “Wings”. Other features include “The Sword”, “The Thrust”, and “The Sail”.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Meade Starfinder 10″
Imaging cameras: QSI 683wsg-8
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding cameras: The Imaging Source DMK41AF02.AS
Software: Main Sequence Software Sequence Generator Pro, PHD guiding, PixInsight, photoshop
Filters: B, R, L, Astronomik Green, Astronomik 12nm SII Filter S2 12nm, astronomik 12nm H-Alpha
Dates: Dec. 27, 2013
Frames: 32×300″
Integration: 2.7 hours

Author: Andrew Lockwood
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI
15 June 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 14, 2014

The strongest flare reported in last 24 hours was the C9.0 flare (peaked at 20:17 UT) on June 13. The flare originated from the Catania sunspot group 81 (NOAA AR 2087) and was possibly associated with the CME (based on SDO/AIA data). More will be reported as soon as coronagraph data become available. No Earth directed CMEs were observed in last 24 hours. We expect C-class and possibly also M-class flares in the coming hours.The solar wind speed is currently 400 km/s. The interplanetary magnetic field magnitude has presently value of about 4 nT. During last 24 hours the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field is fluctuating with the short intervals of negative values of about -7 nT, which resulted in unsettled to active geomagnetic condition (K=3, 4 as reported by local stations Dourbes and Izmiran). The arrival of the fast flow associated with the small low latitude coronal hole (between S20 and S40) which reached the central meridian late on June 12, although not very probable, can be expected at the Earth in the morning of June 16. The arrival of the glancing blow from the CME-driven shock wave, associated with a partial halo CME from June 12, is possible but not very probable in the evening of June 15. The geomagnetic conditions are quiet to unsettled and expect to remain so in the coming hours.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 06/14/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory SPONLI

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