Space Weather

[RodS]

The Mars Opportunity rover, built to last 90 days, has ended its mission after 15 years on the red planet.

The little rover that could...…


Now, if I could get a computer to last 15 years....   

[thelufias]

LOLOL......I totally agree RodS.....

[thelufias]

And Ray....The Govt doesn't recycle anything...so that theory is out the door 

[sidherose]

When push comes to shove, Humans do.

[thelufias]

There is never any pushing or shoving with the Government LOL

[sidherose]

All things are possibilities at this point because it hasn't happened yet. Say, for example:

[Jherrith]

THE CMEs ARE COMING. MAYBE: Earth is about to be sideswiped by a pair of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Maybe. The two solar storm clouds left the sun on March 8th when sunspot AR2734 erupted, producing a C1-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast:

This movie comes from SDO's extreme ultraviolet telescope--hence the strangely beautiful colors.

The explosion and its ultraviolet afterglow lasted for more than an hour. Such long-duration flares are notorious for producing "solar tsunamis" and CMEs. Indeed, in the global movie, below, a shadowy shockwave may be seen billowing away from the blast site like a ripple in a giant pond. That wave hurled two faint coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space.
NOAA analysts have modeled the eruption and reached the following conclusions: On March 11th, one CME will pass just behind Earth while the other passes just in front. Both could deliver glancing blows to our planet's magnetic field. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible when Earth splits the gap between these two solar storm clouds.

Image

In recent months, geomagnetic storms have been caused mainly by streams of solar wind flowing from holes in the sun's atmosphere. CMEs tend to be more effective instigators of geomagnetic storms and auroras. This is because of intense shocks and strong magnetic fields CMEs often contain.

There's no guarantee these CMEs will hit Earth. Just in case, Arctic sky watchers should be alert for bright lights on Monday night

[sidherose]

Keep an eye out for a few earthquakes of some magnitude as well.

[Jherrith]

No doubt

[Jherrith]

THE FULL WORM MOON:

According to folklore, tonight's full Moon has a special name--the Worm Moon. It signals the coming of northern spring, thawing earth, and the first stirrings of earthworms in long-dormant gardens. Step outside tonight and behold the wakening landscape. "Worm moonlight" is prettier than it sounds.