Daily Archives: August 15, 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. August 15, 2014

One C flare as well as several high B flares were registered during the past 24 hours. The C1.1 flare was released by NOAA AR 2139 and peaked at 12:00 UT on August 15. In the next 48 hours, eruptive conditions (C flaring) are likely, especially from NOAA AR 2141 and 2139.Over the past 24 hours, solar wind speed as observed by ACE varied between about 325 and 360 km/s, while the magnitude of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) varied between 1.5 and 4.5 nT. Over the past 24 hours, geomagnetic conditions were quiet (K Dourbes between 1 and 2; NOAA Kp between 1 and 2). Quiet geomagnetic levels (K Dourbes < 4) are expected on August 15, 16 and 17.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 +  Imaging Source DMK  + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 08/15/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

  

Related posts:

  1. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 14, 2014
  2. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 13, 2014
  3. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 12, 2014
  4. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 11, 2014

Perseid in Moonlight 

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Image Credit & Copyright: Amir Hossein Abolfath (TWAN)

 Bright moonlight from a Full Moon near perigee illuminates the night and casts shadows in this skyscape from central Iran. Taken on August 12, near the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower the exposure also captures a bright and colorful perseid streak above the shady tree in the foreground. This year the super moonlight interfered with meteor watching into the early morning hours, overwhelming the trails from many fainter perseids in the shower. Brighter perseids like this one were still visible though, their trails pointing back to the heroic constellation Perseus outlined at the right. Swept up as planet Earth orbits through dust left behind from periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, the cosmic grains that produce perseid meteors enter the atmosphere at nearly 60 kilometers per second, heated to incandesence and vaporized at altitudes of about 100 kilometers. Next year, Perseid meteors will flash through dark skies under a New Moon.
NASA APOD 15-Aug-14

Related posts:

  1. A Perseid Below 
  2. The Perseids
  3. Geminid Meteor Shower over Dashanbao Wetlands
  4. Halley Dust and Milky Way 

Nebulae in Orion

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The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 in emission nebula IC 434) is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of the star Alnitak, which is farthest east on Orion’s Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
The reflection nebula NGC 2023 is in the constellation Orion. It is one of the brightest sources of fluorescent molecular hydrogen, and at 4 light-years wide it is one of the largest in the sky. It is powered by the B star (B1.5) HD 37903, the most luminous member of a cluster of young stellar objects illuminating the front surface of the Lynds 1630 molecular cloud (Barnard 33) in Orion B.

The Flame Nebula, designated as NGC 2024 and Sh2-277, is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion. It is about 900 to 1,500light-years away. The bright star Alnitak (ζ Ori), the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame and this knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi TSA 102 f/8
Imaging cameras: Canon EOS 1000D / Rebel XS
Mounts: Takahashi EM-400 Temma2
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Lunatico EZG60
Guiding cameras: QHYCCD QHY5
Software: PHD guiding, PixInsight, Bahtinov Grabber
Filters: Astronomik CLS CCD clip in
Dates: Feb. 12, 2012
Frames: Astronomik CLS CCD clip in: 12×600″ ISO800
Integration: 2.0 hours
Darks: ~20
Flats: ~20
Bias: ~20

Author: Alberto Pisabarro
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 15 Aug 2014

Related posts:

  1. Orion Nebula
  2. Orion Nebula
  3. The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex
  4. Flame Nebula

The Sun Online and solar activity. August 14, 2014

There were no C flares during the past 24 hours. In the next 48 hours, quiet conditions (B flaring) are expected, with a slight chance for a C flare from NOAA AR 2139 and 2135.Over the past 24 hours, solar wind speed as observed by ACE decreased from about 430 to 360 km/s, while the magnitude of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) varied between 2 and 4 nT. Near 1h UT on August 14, the IMF phi angle changed from negative (towards) to positive (away). Over the past 24 hours, geomagnetic conditions were quiet (K Dourbes between 0 and 3; NOAA Kp between 1 and 2). Quiet geomagnetic levels (K Dourbes < 4) are expected on August 14, 15 and 16.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 +  Imaging Source DMK  + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 08/14/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

  

Related posts:

  1. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 11, 2014
  2. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 12, 2014
  3. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 13, 2014
  4. The Sun Online and solar activity. May 21, 2014