Space
Behold: The 62,000-Mile-High ‘Plasma Waterfall’ That Erupted From The Sun
The ‘waterfall’ of plasma on the Sun is a polar crown prominence. (Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau)
A stunning solar “waterfall” has been spotted on the surface of the sun.
The
picture, taken by astrophotographer Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau on March
9, shows a wall of plasma being shot “some 100,000 kilometers” – or
about 62,000 miles – up towards space, Poupeau told Spaceweather.com.
That’s high enough to engulf about eight Earths.
The plasma then seems to be cascading back down to the sun, giving the structure its “waterfall” nickname.
“On
my computer screen, it looked like hundreds of threads of plasma were
dripping down a wall. It really was a spectacle that left me
speechless,” Poupeau told the publication.
Scientists estimate that the plasma is falling back down at tremendous speeds – up to 22,370 mph per Space.com.
These plasma waterfalls are the solar equivalent to Earth’s auroras
This structure is what is called a polar crown prominence.
Prominences
on the sun usually take the form of giant tentacles of hot plasma,
stretching out towards space in a big arc, as can be seen below.
But
when these prominences happen near the poles of the sun, more
specifically around the polar circle, the magnetic fields are so strong
that instead of bursting towards space, the plasma can cascade back down
to the sun very quickly.
Because of the location of these prominences, NASA likens them to
aurora, because they circle the poles at about 60 to 70 degrees of
latitude on the sun.
( Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau )
“Instead of Northern Lights, however, the sun’s ovals are filled with dancing sheets of plasma,” per a NASA blog post.
You can see these structures lining up around the polar circle below.
The sun is nearing a peak of activity
This is just the latest of a string of brilliant solar events that have happened in recent months as our sun nears a peak of activity.
About
every decade, the sun’s magnetic poles flip, which causes havoc with
local magnetic fields that are bursting all over our star. In that
period, remarkable solar events are more likely to happen.
Examples of recent solar events include:
A plasma vortex swirling like a whirlpool around the solar pole.
A massive coronal “hole” in our sun that spewed energy towards the Earth in recent weeks.
Auroras spotted as far down as New Mexico.
A solar “tornado” the size of 14 Earths that appeared when a prominence got caught in between magnetic fields.
Space weather is not just pretty
Scientists don’t only
look to the sun to see these beautiful structures. With solar events
comes space weather, which can be damaging to our planet.
Any of
these big solar events can release waves of energy that hurtle from the
sun into space. If they are pointed at the Earth, these so-called solar storms could be damaging to power grids and other infrastructure if not managed properly, scientists previously told Insider.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
According to NASA, a rogue, hyper-speed object, which is over
27,306 times the size of Earth, is hurtling so fast through our galaxy
that it might break free of the Milky Way.
Scientists say they have determined that the mysterious object was
cruising at a breakneck one million miles per hour when they spotted it
more than 400 light years from Earth. One light-year is equal to six
trillion miles.
Could this latest find be connected to the fake alien invasion that has long been in the pipeline?
The Mail Online reorts: While experts have not determined what the newfound celestial body is, they speculated it is a ‘brown dwarf,’ a star which is larger than a planet but lacks the mass to sustain long-term nuclear fusion in its core like Earth’s sun.
If the object confirmed as a brown dwarf, it would be first-ever to
be documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit capable of breaking free
from our home galaxy.
A coalition of citizen-scientists with NASA’s ‘Backyard Worlds: Planet 9’ projectwere the first to spot the celestial body, the US space agency confirmed this week.
‘I can’t describe the level of excitement,’ German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a long-time member of NASA’s Backyard Worlds program, said in statement.
‘When I first saw how fast it was moving,’ the Nuremberg-based
researcher confessed, ‘I was convinced it must have been reported
already.’
Backyard Worlds citizen-scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle
and Dan Caselden were the first to spot this million mph object a few
years ago, earning the hyper-speed object the catalogued name CWISE
J124909.08+362116.0.
According to astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer,
who has collaborated with them on better understanding the object,
several astrophysics theories could explain how the object, CWISE J1249
for short, could have gotten to its incredible speed.
In one theory, CWISE J1249 rocketed out of a two star or binary star
system after its ‘white dwarf’ sister star died off — collapsing in an
explosive runaway nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova.
Another viable theory has it that CWISE J1249 originated inside a
tight cluster of starts called a ‘globular cluster’ where it was flung
free via the pull of a black hole.
‘When a star encounters a black hole binary,’ Dr Kremer said in a
NASA statement on the discovery, ‘the complex dynamics of this
three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular
cluster.’
Sławosz Uznański will be the second Pole in space and the first to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
Uznański revealed that his mission to the ISS is planned for 2025 and will last about two weeks. He will launch from Cape Canaveral on a rocket provided by SpaceX. This journey not only represents a significant milestone for Uznański but also for Polish space exploration.
Last year, Uznański was officially selected for this mission, after which he commenced his training at the European Space Agency’s facility in Cologne, Germany. Initially planned for 2024, the mission faced delays, but new details have recently emerged on Uznański’s social media profiles.
During his two-week stay on the ISS, he will focus on Polish scientific projects and technology tests, including artificial intelligence applications in space and studies on the effects of microgravity on the human immune system.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) received numerous project proposals for Uznański’s mission. Due to limited space, only seven were selected, highlighting the extensive interest and potential impact of this mission.
Uznański will travel to the ISS in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a vehicle regularly used by NASA for transporting astronauts. The Crew Dragon will be mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket, with the launch also set to take place at Cape Canaveral. While the exact launch date is yet to be confirmed, preparations are in full swing.
In a move to further his training, Uznański has relocated to Houston, Texas. Starting Monday, he will begin a new training phase at Axiom Space, a partner in the mission, followed by sessions at NASA and SpaceX facilities. This mission not only propels Uznański into space but also significantly advances Poland’s stature in the global aerospace sector.
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