STRANGE BUT TRUE: CURIOSITY'S SKY CRANE: How do you deposit a massive SUV-sized nuclear-powered rover to the surface of an alien planet without making an SUV-sized crater? NASA's solution for Curiosity will be attempted for the first time on August 5/6 when they gently lower the rover to the red sands of Mars using a Sky Crane. [full story]
EARLY PERSEID METEORS: Earth is entering a broad stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Meteoroids in the outskirts of the stream are now hitting Earth's atmosphere, producing as many as 10-15 meteors per hour according to worldwide counts from the International Meteor Organization. NASA's network of all-sky meteor cameras captured 17 Perseid fireballs on the nights of July 28th through 30th. Here are their orbits:
The position of Earth is denoted by the red starburst; all of the meteoroid orbits intersect at that point. The purple line traces the orbit of the parent Comet Swift-Tuttle. Fortunately, the comet itself does not intersect Earth.
In the days ahead, Earth will plunge deeper into the meteoroid stream, and meteor rates will increase accordingly. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on August 12-13 with as many as 100+ meteors per hour visible from dark-sky sites. Monitor the realtime meteor gallery for sightings.
SUBSIDING MAELSTROM: Sunspot AR1532 has been active, producing an M-class flare almost every day since it appeared last Friday. On July 28th, amateur astronomer Viljo Nylund of Finland photographed the maelstrom of hot plasma surrounding the sunspot's dark core:
Nylund used an H-alpha telescope tuned to the red glow of solar hydrogen. "The area around AR1532 looked very active and interesting, so I decided to try my luck. I made an inverted version of the image to highlight the 3D feel."
The maelstrom might be subsiding. A full day has gone by without a significant flare, and the active region's underlying spotted area is decreasing. NOAA forecasters estimate the chances of an M-class flare today to be 35%. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
Solar wind
speed: 419.7 km/sec
density: 0.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1446 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C2 1252 UT Aug01
24-hr: C2 0402 UT Aug01
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 1400 UT
Daily Sun: 01 Aug 12
Sunspot AR1535 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 116
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 01 Aug 2012
Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days
Updated 01 Aug 2012
The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 136 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 01 Aug 2012
Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2 quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.9 nT
Bz: 0.1 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1446 UT
Coronal Holes: 01 Aug 12
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA
