AND EVEN THE SUN NEEDS WATCHING

This is an extreme ultraviolet image, using false colours to trace different gas temperatures and shows superheated material swirling across the sun's surface in unprecedented detail. At the top left of the image there is a solar prominence, a huge loop of plasma, that is being blasted into space. One of the least hysterical predictions for 2012, is that it might see the peak of a new cycle of solar activity. (Thanks to Elf Hellion for the heads up.)

“NASA’s latest space telescope, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, is delivering unprecedented images of our local star. The telescope was launched Feb. 11. NASA released the first tremendously exciting data from the mission today. “These initial images show a dynamic sun that I had never seen in more than 40 years of solar research,” said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA, in a release. “SDO will change our understanding of the sun and its processes, which affect our lives and society. This mission will have a huge impact on science, similar to the impact of the Hubble Space Telescope on modern astrophysics.” The sun’s internal dynamics were the subject of intense interest over the last few years as the normal waxing and waning of solar activity did not follow past cycles as closely as anticipated. The solar minimum of 2008 stretched deep into 2009, raising questions about how well we understand the complex internal dynamics that drive sun spots, solar flares and coronal-mass ejections. Because solar storms can disrupt human technologies, it’s important to know when we might expect a serious event that could shut down the electrical grid, for example.” (Click here for more)

Click here for early Floyd