Daily Archives: August 23, 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. August 23, 2014

Solar activity was dominated by two C6 flares from NOAA AR 2146 and 2149. The first one, a C6.4 flare from NOAA AR 2149 peaked at 12:57 UT. The second one, a C6.2 flare from NOAA AR 2146 peaked at 15:52 UT. Flaring at C level is expected to continue with a fair chance for an M flare.  Yesterdays C2.2 flare peaking at 10:27UT from NOAA AR 2146 was associated  with type II radio bursts and with a CME visible in SOHO/LASCO C2 from 11:24 UT onwards. Despite the location of the source region near the
central meridian, the bulk of the mass was expelled in western direction from the sun earth line. The angular width was however underestimated by CACTUS, which due to the weaker additional north-eastern and south-eastern components is almost full halo. The projected speed is around 400 km/s. It was followed by a second partial halo CME first visible in SOHO/LASCO C2 images at 16:36 UT associated to the C6.2 flare peaking at 15:52 from the same region (NOAA AR 2146) and associated type II radio emission. The appearance of the second CME is roughly comparable with the first CME. A
dominant westward component with an additional north-eastern component, but now lacking the south-eastern component. A glancing blow from the combination of both CME’s may be expected around
UT midnight August 26/27.Solar wind conditions were nominal with speeds around 350 km/s (with a maximum of just over 380 km/s around 15:00 UT, and a minimum of just under 310 km/s around 8:30 UT). The total magnetic field is around 4.5 nT with a peak period of around 6 nT and a minimum of around
2 nT. Bz was variable within the +-4nT range. The phi angle was steadily in a positive (away) sector.
Geomagnetic conditions were quiet (both local K Dourbes and NOAA Kp in the 0-2 range). Over the next three days nominal solar wind conditions and quiet geomagnetic conditions are expected. Afterwards, near UT midnight 26/27 we may expect the impact of the August 22 CME’s.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 +  Imaging Source DMK  + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 08/23/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

  

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  2. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 2, 2014
  3. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 4, 2014
  4. The Sun Online and solar activity. August 19, 2014

The Spectre of Veszprem 

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Image Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN)
 

 The city of Veszprem, Hungary was only briefly haunted by this mysterious spectre. On the morning of August 11, its monstrous form hovered in the mist above municipal buildings near the town center. A clue to its true identity is offered by the photographer, though, who reports he took the picture from the top of a twenty story building with the rising Sun directly at his back. That special geometry suggests this is an example of an atmospheric phenomenon called the Glory or sometimes “the Spectre of the Brocken”. Also seen from mountain tops and airplanes when looking opposite the Sun, the dramatic apparition is the observer’s shadow on clouds or fog, the small droplets of water scattering light back towards the Sun through complex internal reflections. Careful night sky watchers can also encounter this spectre’s analog in astronomy, a brightening of zodiacal light opposite the Sun known as the gegenschein.

APOD NASA 23-Aug-14

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Eta Carinae Nebula

c51fbe7690fceea184491c925e629db1.1824x0_q100_watermark_watermark_opacity-15_watermark_position-4_watermark_text-Copyright Stefan Westphal
The Carina Nebula (also known as the Great Nebula in Carina, the Eta Carinae Nebula, NGC 3372, as well as the Grand Nebula) is a large bright nebula that has within its boundaries several related open clusters of stars. Some papers generally refer to this as the Carina Nebula, mostly because of differentiating the many papers published on this object, but the historical precedence as determined by southern observers like James Dunlop and John Herschel, who have both termed it the Eta Argus Nebula or Eta Carinae Nebula. John Herschel also describes “The star η Argus, with the Great nebula about it.” with many of his subsequent published papers supporting this.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L USM II CPS
Imaging cameras: Canon EOS 600Da
Mounts: Vixen GPD2
Guiding telescopes or lenses: TS Optics 60mm Helical Sucher
Guiding cameras: M-Gen Guiding Kamera
Software: Fitswork4, Adobe Photoshop CS 6, Deep Sky Stacker 3.3.3 Beta 51 DSS DeepSkyStacker
Accessories: Lacerta MGEN2
Dates: July 26, 2014
Locations: Namibia
Frames: 27×300″ ISO800
Integration: 2.2 hours
Darks: ~3

Author: Stefan Westphal
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 23 Aug 2014

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The Sun Online and solar activity. August 22, 2014

Flaring activity is mostly originating from the North-East quadrant of the solar disc up to an M3.4 flare from NOAA AR 12149 near the NE limb on Aug 21 13:31. Continued M-flare activity is expected from this region, while also NOAA AR 2148 is expected to produce C-flares.Quiet geomagnetic conditions are expected in the coming  3 days: there are no high speed wind streams expected from coronal holes,  nor are there any new CMEs on the way to the Earth.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 +  Imaging Source DMK  + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 08/22/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

  

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