Decade-Class Sunspot, Partial Eclipse And More

[Hypognosis]

There's a nice photo montage of major sunspots (1947, 2001, 2014), all of which are wider than Jupiter; partial eclipse sunset; AR2192 solar flare close-up taken by someone from Corona CA (geddit?).

http://spaceweather.com/

This website changes daily. Top right of the page is a heading "archives". Set this to 25 October 2014, to see the above content, if this is an old thread by the time you find it.

[agchristie]

Hypo, fascinating, but I am out of my depth in understanding it all, strictly esoteric?

I got the corona - very apt!

[Hypognosis]

Hi ag,

yes, strictly esoteric. :o)

If a flare is big enough the aurora can be seen further south than normal, so it's a site I dip into every so often. If I had more sense, I'd travel to see the aurora. However, by checking the map they have, I can see how far it shifts north and south, from one day to another. You could easily book the wrong destination.
Maybe that's half the fun? ;)

[seadogg]

Will be worth checking Aurora Watch from Lancaster University then

http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/

[agchristie]

Hi Hypo!

Yes, wrong destination indeed ;-)

I've always been interested in this sort of stuff but comprehension is another matter! Maybe I need to launch a few flares of my own in distress!!

[Hypognosis]

@seadogg

thanks. I keep an eye on that site as well. Doesn't change the fact that I live too far south but it's interesting to see how it ties in with the warnings the other website puts out. (Time lag of 2-3 days).
Also interesting to see if/how often a computer glitch coincides with a blip in the graph.

@ag

Although it's great to understand what's causing it all, that does rob it of some of its magic. I can only envy those who've evaded all the explanations and can just enjoy the spectacle for what it is.

[agchristie]

Hypo, it's in my character to have to enquiring a mind, not sure if that is always a good thing :-o

[agchristie]

ARS2192 will mimic a giant skull!

[Hypognosis]

@ag

//Hypo, it's in my character to have to enquiring a mind, not sure if that is always a good thing :-o //

It was just that they explain how aurorae work every time they get on the news so I didn't want to subject you to a repeat of that.

They occasionally state how gases get ionised by the incoming energy, usually shortening the story still further, saying atoms are excited and give off light. The explanation why isn't that long but takes leaps of acceptance on the part of the viewer and any pause for such thought would break their concentration for the following item.

Sky At Night would probably do it justice but it's a job tracking down when it's on - you can't series link programmes more than 14 days apart. I think it was shunted to BBC4 too, since Patrick Moore died.

[agchristie]

Morning Hypo, thanks for BA! (I feel a bit of a fraud as it wasn't my original text to claim!)

Anyway, yes I agree about The Sky At Night. Not sure why such an educational and interesting programme should be 'demoted' following Moore's death or is it that the ratings were dropping off regardless?

[Hypognosis]

Hi ag,

//Morning Hypo, thanks for BA! (I feel a bit of a fraud as it wasn't my original text to claim!) //

Oh? Was it meant to be a link to a webpage?

I don't know anything about Sky at Night's ratings nor see any reason why they should dip at all, after the loss of Patrick Moore. The viewer interest is in the subject, not the characterful delivery. Or I hope it wasn't :o)

It was regularly ping ponged to unpredictable days of the week and easy to miss, even before it was punted to an after-midnight slot. Now it's on BBC4, where other 'highbrow' material (subtext: low ratings) lurks.

Astronomy is of casual interest to many people but the in-depth side to it appeals to a much smaller group - mainly hobbyists, I'd imagine. Professionals hardly need to learn more of their subject and will be immersed in astronomy news (the "things to see this month" segment) as part of their work.

The BBC's remit is to generate good ratings for BBC1, which is why the show got moved to such a poor slot. At the same time, it has to provide the kind of content which is educational but unlikely to find favour on a commercial-funded channel so, as a public service, they can't axe it completely.

[Hypognosis]

Halloween fans: You'll love this image from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

Also something of a jaw-dropping co-incidence, for Doctor Who fans...

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/15/tech/nasa-sun-jack-o-lantern/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

[agchristie]

Hypo, no I simply lifted the text from your original spaceweather link!

Yes, I understand what you mean regarding BBC programming. I am extra vigilant when looking at the schedules! Concerning Sky At Night, it should be the content rather than personality that appeals.

Great picture and how uncanny btw!

[Hypognosis]

// and how uncanny btw! //

A bit of an open goal for Team Theist, eh? Luckily, this is the wrong forum section for them to notice. ;)

[Hypognosis]

Just to round off this thread, if you revisit the site today (13/11/14)
www.spaceweather.com
they have a pic of AR2192 re-emerging on the southeastern* limb, much reduced in size.

* I don't understand the convention in use here, other than proper astronomical telescopes display images inverted. "Lower left" of the disc, if it were possible to look without blinding oneself, which I'd call southwest (of the disc). It does, however point to the SE -of the sky-.

Oh and try not to scroll down to the bit about radiation exposure on airline flights…