Daily Archives: June 30, 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 30, 2014

There are currently 8 sunspot groups visible, with NOAA 2104 and NOAA 2107 the most complex and having a small delta. These two regions, together with an active area near the northeast limb, produced most of the C-class flares observed during the last 24 hours. The strongest event was a C3.4-flare peaking at 04:19UT on 30 June. No CMEs with an Earth directed component were observed. Further C-class flares are expected, with a chance on an M-class flare in particular from NOAA 2104. The solar wind speed was around 350 km/s over the last 24 hours. Bz was negative between 22:00 and 02:00UT (max. value around -8 nT), then mainly positive at +5 nT. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet with an usettled period around midnight. A small equatorial coronal hole passed the central meridian early on 27 June and may influence the geomagnetic field on 1 July.
Quiet geomagnetic conditions are expected, with locally a brief active episode possible.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 06/30/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A

Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari

What’s happened to the center of this galaxy? Unusual and dramatic dust lanes run across the center of elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. These dust lanes are so thick they almost completely obscure the galaxy’s center in visible light. This is particularly unusual as Cen A’s red stars and round shape are characteristic of a giant elliptical galaxy, a galaxy type usually low in dark dust. Cen A, also known as NGC 5128, is also unusual compared to an average elliptical galaxy because it contains a higher proportion of young blue stars and is a very strong source of radio emission. Evidence indicates that Cen A is likely the result of the collision of twonormal galaxies. During the collision, many young stars were formed, but details of the creation of Cen A’s unusual dust belts are still being researched. Cen A lies only 13 million light years away, making it the closest active galaxy. Cen A, pictured above, spans 60,000 light years and can be seen with binoculars toward the constellation of Centaurus.

APOD NASA 30-Jun-14

Pleiades

10f8fc7aaf78b41e22fe78e3346fb72e.1824x0_q100_watermark
The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygeta, Celaeno, and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione. As daughters of Atlas, the Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades. The English name of the cluster itself is of Greek origin (Πλειάδες), though of uncertain etymology. Suggested derivations include: from πλεῖν plein, “to sail,” making the Pleiades the “sailing ones”; from πλέος pleos, “full, many”; or from πελειάδες peleiades, “flock of doves.”

**Pleiades bright stars**
Name	Pronunciation (IPA & respelling)	Designation	Apparent magnitude	Stellar classification
Alcyone	/ælˈsaɪ.əniː/ al-sy-ə-nee	Eta (25) Tauri	2.86	B7IIIe
Atlas	/ˈætləs/ at-ləs	27 Tauri	3.62	B8III
Electra	/ɨˈlɛktʃrə/ i-lek-trə	17 Tauri	3.70	B6IIIe
Maia	/ˈmeɪə/, /ˈmaɪə/ may-ə, my-ə	20 Tauri	3.86	B7III
Merope	/ˈmɛrəpiː/ merr-ə-pee	23 Tauri	4.17	B6IVev
Taygeta	/teɪˈɪdʒɨtə/ tay-ij-i-tə	19 Tauri	4.29	B6V
Pleione	/ˈplaɪ.əniː/ ply-ə-nee	28 (BU) Tauri	5.09 (var.)	B8IVpe
Celaeno	/sɨˈliːnoʊ/ sə-lee-noh	16 Tauri	5.44	B7IV
Sterope, Asterope	/ˈstɛrɵpiː/, /əˈstɛrɵpiː/ (ə)-sterr-ə-pee	21 and 22 Tauri	5.64;6.41	B8Ve/B9V
—	—	18 Tauri	5.65	B8V

Imaging telescopes or lenses: TMB 92SS
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300C, SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Sky-Watcher HEQ5
Guiding telescopes or lenses: TMB 92SS
Guiding cameras: QHYCCD QHY5
Focal reducers: Teleskop-Service TS 2.5″ flattener
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Baader Planetarium UV/IR Cut Filter, Hutech IDAS LPS-P2
Accessories: Teleskop-Service OAG 9mm
Dates: Sept. 17, 2012, Sept. 24, 2012
Frames:
Hutech IDAS LPS-P2: 40×600″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium UV/IR Cut Filter: 25×600″ bin 1×1
Integration: 10.8 hours

Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 30 June 2014

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