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Today in Space: Sun explodes, NASA takes pictures

babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
edited July 2011 in Social Entropy++
By today I mean the 24th.

We are moving towards the 11 year cycle point where the sun's magnetic poles flip, which means increased activity of this nature. NASA's Heliophysics division shot these images and this fucking AWESOME video of the event with the SDO, which is also awesome.


5483196119_739e37d919.jpg

Click image for video!!



For the uninitiated; the scale of this thing is, on a bigness scale of one to ten, fucking huge. If earth were to be put in that flare it would be an almost invisible dot in that giant plume of gas.

Sadly, the event was not pointed at us, or it would have made for some very cool aurora.

This was a class M 3.6 flare, which is not very big compared to what the sun can do, so even if it were pointed at us, pretty lights would be the entire effect. The flare that kills us all won't be here until 2012, anyways.*

*not true at all.

Now talk about how fucking cool the sun is. I can't wait for it to get warmer out and the sun to get a little higher in the sky, because I got a solar filter for christmas and I want to look at sunspots.

Also recently got into the physics of sunspots and flares and man the sun is so awesome and we take it for granted but shit.

Sentence structure in this thread may be affected by me being wicked excited about space stuff.

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babyeatingjesus on
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Posts

  • LTMLTM Bikes and BeardsRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Now talk about how fucking cool the sun is.

    But the sun isn't really cool at all, its really quite hot...

    LTM on
  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    That video is just beautiful

    what kind of philistine would you have to be not to appreciate that

    Man I love this Universe

    Solar on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    LTM wrote: »
    Now talk about how fucking cool the sun is.

    But the sun isn't really cool at all, its really quite hot...

    not-impressed-cat-is-not-impressed.jpg

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • MonkeyfeetMonkeyfeet Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    we are so fucked.

    I can't believe I'm wasting my final hours talking on an internet forum. Might as well load up WoW

    Monkeyfeet on
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  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Solar wrote: »
    That video is just beautiful

    what kind of philistine would you have to be not to appreciate that

    Man I love this Universe

    Oh man I KNOW!!

    Watching that video gives me goddamn CHILLS.

    Stuff like this is why I went for astrophysics in school.

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • LTMLTM Bikes and BeardsRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    LTM wrote: »
    Now talk about how fucking cool the sun is.

    But the sun isn't really cool at all, its really quite hot...

    not-impressed-cat-is-not-impressed.jpg

    Just kidding...

    relevant-thread-cat.jpg

    LTM on
  • UrielUriel Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    We posting lolcats in here?

    Oh hey the sun is awesome, in a literal sense, it inspires awe.

    Uriel on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Special thanks to 3D sun for fucking texting me that this was happening.

    Opposing satellites around the sun and text messages to interested parties, what a time to be alive!

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • RankenphileRankenphile Passersby were amazed by the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited March 2011
    holy fuck

    that video is so goddamn impressive when you realize that the flare there is many, many, many times larger then Earth

    Rankenphile on
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  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Fucking space is so awesome

    Olivaw on
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  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    That's what gets me too

    I mean you can see the curvature of the sun in that image

    the Earth is just a tiny dot in the middle of that flare.

    Mind: Blown

    Solar on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    holy fuck

    that video is so goddamn impressive when you realize that the flare there is many, many, many times larger then Earth

    The next year or two are the busiest times in the solar cycle and the first of these cycles with the SDO up and running, so between now and 2014 we are in for even more impressive videos of potentially much larger flares.

    That's really exciting. This has me all worked up. My friends and family are sick to death of hearing about it, so thank Apollo for SE++!

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • The GeekThe Geek Oh-Two Crew, Omeganaut Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2011
    Lots of time travel opportunities, then.

    The Geek on
    BLM - ACAB
  • ThreadbareSockThreadbareSock Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
  • BusterKBusterK Negativity is Boring Cynicism is Cowardice Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Astronomers from Tacoma to Vladivostok have just reported an ionic disturbance in the vicinity of the Van Allen belt.
    Scientists are recommending that all necessary precautions be taken.

    BusterK on
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  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Older version is better. That one is weird though. Not the version I'm familiar with.

    Fencingsax on
  • undeinPiratundeinPirat Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    that is

    amazing

    undeinPirat on
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  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    BusterK wrote: »
    Astronomers from Tacoma to Vladivostok have just reported an ionic disturbance in the vicinity of the Van Allen belt.
    Scientists are recommending that all necessary precautions be taken.

    That

    is a hell of a reference, Buster

    Olivaw on
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    PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
  • GumpyGumpy There is always a greater powerRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I vote that we do not burn in the suns holy fire

    This is a democracy goddamnit

    Gumpy on
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    space is gay

    PiptheFair on
  • ApollohApolloh Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Gumpy wrote: »
    I vote that we do not burn in the suns holy fire

    This is a democracy goddamnit

    :^::^::^:

    Apolloh on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Seemingly there is no reason for these extraordinary intergalactical upsets. Only Dr Hans Zarkov, formerly of NASA, has provided any explanation.

    Grey Ghost on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I can easily conceptualize things on huge scales and this is still pretty rad. People with less imaginative capacity who aren't amazed need to be put in some kind of facility.

    Have them make shoes or something.

    MKR on
  • xraydogxraydog Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
  • XehalusXehalus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    There was to be some way to harness nuetrinos for energy, transportation, medicine, etc.

    Xehalus on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I fucking love Brian Cox.

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • YoSoyTheWalrusYoSoyTheWalrus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I love his face at the very end, as he's playing with the umbrella

    just a big fucking child who loves finding out some new shit

    why can't everyone be like that

    YoSoyTheWalrus on
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  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Xehalus wrote: »
    There was to be some way to harness nuetrinos for energy, transportation, medicine, etc.

    when you find out how to even interact with them, you tell us

    PiptheFair on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    That's exactly the part that got me. The music cuts him off as he rattles off some math then comes back to him with his solution and he talks about how simple the experiment that yielded a result for something so huge and he's just so happy "...and that's why I love physics."

    Me too, Brian. Me too.

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • DruhimDruhim Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2011
    By today I mean the 24th.

    We are moving towards the 11 year cycle point where the sun's magnetic poles flip, which means increased activity of this nature.

    Actually..

    Druhim on
    belruelotterav-1.jpg
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Druhim wrote: »
    By today I mean the 24th.

    We are moving towards the 11 year cycle point where the sun's magnetic poles flip, which means increased activity of this nature.

    Actually..

    Yeah that's a bummer, but our increased observational capacity this year means that even a slow sunspot year is going to give us a ton of awesome videos and pictures and information.

    The sun is still exciting!

    babyeatingjesus on
    hitthatcheeseburgerfatty.gif
  • L|amaL|ama Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    PiptheFair wrote: »
    Xehalus wrote: »
    There was to be some way to harness nuetrinos for energy, transportation, medicine, etc.

    when you find out how to even interact with them, you tell us

    ok

    but it's still silly because I'm not sure how the sun's energy output is divided between electromagnetic radiation and neutrinos, but I'm pretty sure the vast, vast majority is EMR which we already know how to turn into electricity.

    L|ama on
  • DruhimDruhim Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2011
    Druhim wrote: »
    By today I mean the 24th.

    We are moving towards the 11 year cycle point where the sun's magnetic poles flip, which means increased activity of this nature.

    Actually..

    Yeah that's a bummer, but our increased observational capacity this year means that even a slow sunspot year is going to give us a ton of awesome videos and pictures and information.

    The sun is still exciting!

    Oh absolutely!

    Druhim on
    belruelotterav-1.jpg
  • BusterKBusterK Negativity is Boring Cynicism is Cowardice Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Olivaw wrote: »
    BusterK wrote: »
    Astronomers from Tacoma to Vladivostok have just reported an ionic disturbance in the vicinity of the Van Allen belt.
    Scientists are recommending that all necessary precautions be taken.

    That

    is a hell of a reference, Buster

    Danke

    BusterK on
    Visit http://www.cruzflores.com for all your Cruz Flores needs. Also listen to the podcast I do with Penguin Incarnate http://wgsgshow.podomatic.com
    Amazon Wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/BusterK/wishlist/3JPEKJGX9G54I/ref=cm_wl_search_bin_1
  • Garlic BreadGarlic Bread i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a Registered User, Disagreeable regular
    edited March 2011
    335gmz5.jpg

    this makes my brain explode

    Garlic Bread on
  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    babyeatingjesus on
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  • BYToadyBYToady Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Thinking about the size of the universe makes my head hurt.

    BYToady on
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  • babyeatingjesusbabyeatingjesus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    BYToady wrote: »
    Thinking about the size of the universe makes my head hurt.

    It is completely insane. VV Cephei A is 7,000,000,000 times the size of the sun, the sun is 1,000,000 times the size of the earth, and both are just tiny dots when you look at the galaxy, which is itself a tiny dot in a universe of hundreds of billions of galaxies.

    It is the most impossible scale to imagine, but just the best thing to think about.

    babyeatingjesus on
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  • OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Thinking about the size of the universe makes me all warm and fuzzy

    Now atoms and shit? The microcosmic universe? That can make my head hurt

    Olivaw on
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