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ACTIVITY ON THE SUN HEATS UP
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The Sun has been busy
this week, with a solar flare eruption that has
sent billions of tonnes of matter streaming toward
Earth.
The
'coronal mass ejection' is a sudden release of
magnetic energy stored in the Sun's atmosphere.
The
current storm is likely to create more frequent and
intense displays of aurora, the beautiful Northern
Lights or Southern Lights of charged particles in
the atmosphere that look like eerie, dancing neon
lights in the sky.
There
are also concerns the flare will disrupt satellite
communications and global positioning systems, and
some airlines have rerouted aircraft away from polar
regions – however, it seems the effects this time
around will be mild to moderate.
Solar
activity goes through an 11-year cycle, waxing and
waning in periods marked by varying intensity of
‘sunspots’.
At
present, our Sun is moving from a period of sunspot
minimum to the more intense and frequent magnetic
storms, expected to peak in 2013.
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AURORAS AROUND THE WORLD
The extra solar activity has already produced some of
the most spectacular aurora ever seen – here’s a
gallery of some of the best photos to date.
SPACE ROCKS
A
freezing cold mission to the Antarctic for nine
meteorite hunters has returned more than 300
specimens of rocks from other worlds.
COSTA CONCORDIA FROM SPACE The
Costa Concordia shipwreck has made headlines around
the world … but for a completely different
perspective, it has been captured in an amazing
image from space.
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Could it happen in 2012? Watch this space!
IS SANTA BRINGING A CHRISTMAS COMET?
The unexpected survival of Comet Lovejoy around the Sun this month means there could be a spectacular sight for astronomers just after Christmas, low in the eastern sky in the morning.
http://www.universetoday.com/91957/surprising-comet-lovejoy-now-becoming-merry-and-bright/
CASSINI STILL PRODUCING TOP PICS
TOP TEN ASTRONOMY DISCOVERIES OF 2011
Total Eclipse of the Moon
The eclipse will begin just after 12:30am and be visible from all of New Zealand, where the skies are clear. The period of total eclipse lasts for less than an hour, from just after 3am to just before 4am.
Observatories around the country will be hosting special events to allow the public to observe this phenomenon through powerful telescopes. In Auckland a large crowd is expected to gather at Stardome Observatory & Planetarium where the public are invited to participate in viewing the event between 12am and 6am for a gold coin donation.
- 12:33am – First contact with penumbra (part shadow begins to creep across the Moon)
- 1:46am – First contact with umbra (full shadow begins to cross the Moon)
- 3:06am – Total eclipse starts (Moon in full dark shadow)
- 3:32am – Mid-Eclipse
- 3:57am – Total eclipse ends (lighter penumbral shadow only is across the Moon)
- 5:18am – Final contact with umbra (full light begins to cross the Moon again)
- 5:30am – Moon sets in NZ at this time
Stardome Astronomy Educator David Britten says, “The eclipsed Moon is likely to appear copper coloured to us. This is caused by a scattering of sunlight as it passes through the thin ring of the Earth’s atmosphere, removing the blue light and passing mainly the red, some of which weakly illuminates the Moon.”
The last lunar eclipse able to be observed in New Zealand was a total lunar eclipse in June of this year, but New Zealanders were only able to watch the first half of the eclipse before the Moon set for us. There are no total lunar eclipses in 2012. However, New Zealand is privy to prime viewing of two major celestial events next year: the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on 6 June, and a solar eclipse on 14 November.
The Stardome Observatory & Planetarium is proudly supported by:
