Tag: Sun

Sun’s spectacular ‘Canyon of Fire’ on Halloween stuns scientists
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Sun’s spectacular ‘Canyon of Fire’ on Halloween stuns scientists

[ad_1] The Sun has been acting up over the recent months and space scientists have been privy to some amazing sights. And now, yet another such spectacle has played out and this time during a festival. On October 31, Halloween took an astronomically awesome turn when the Sun threw up a colossal 'canyon of fire' stretching across its southern hemisphere. This mesmerising spectacle resulted from a massive eruption of a magnetic filament originating from our star, Spaceweather.com reported. This remarkable phenomenon quickly captured the attention of scientists and stargazers alike.The enormous magnetic solar filaments, composed of electrified gas, known as plasma, hovered above the Sun's surface. These filaments trace their path through the Sun's atmosphere under the influence of the Sun'...
Solar flares, blackouts, to solar storms: Know how space weather has affected Earth in the last 24 hours
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Solar flares, blackouts, to solar storms: Know how space weather has affected Earth in the last 24 hours

[ad_1] The last 24 hours have been quite a ride for Earth, owing to the Sun nearing the peak of its solar cycle. On November 2, two M-class solar flares erupted on the Earth-facing side of the Sun. Both the flares released extreme ultraviolet radiation directed towards our planet that sparked short-wave radio blackouts. The effects of these blackouts were seen in the American and African continent. Additionally, reports have confirmed that two separate coronal mass ejections (CME) will strike the Earth tomorrow, November 4, and can trigger a minor solar storm.Solar storm can strike tomorrowAccording to a report by SpaceWeather.com, “One and perhaps two CMEs could graze Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 4th. Individually, neither CME is particularly significant, but together they could spar...
Solar maximum arriving earlier than expected; Could bring powerful geomagnetic storms to Earth
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Solar maximum arriving earlier than expected; Could bring powerful geomagnetic storms to Earth

[ad_1] Our Sun is one of the most active members of the solar system and its aggressive activities affect the space weather and the Earth's satellites with massive solar storms and flares. Earlier, experts believed that the solar maximum would peak around July 2025, now researchers believe that it may occur earlier and with increased intensity. For the unaware, solar maximum is the peak of a solar cycle and it arrives every 11 years. Currently, the Sun is experiencing the solar cycle 25. However, the reason behind the early arrival may help researchers find a better understanding of our host star. Know what experts say about the solar activities increasing.Solar maximum and its early arrivalSolar maximum occurs when the Sun's activity is at its peak and it bombards the space weather and...
635266kmph! NASA sets new speed record with Parker Solar Probe! Craft turns fastest human-made object
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635266kmph! NASA sets new speed record with Parker Solar Probe! Craft turns fastest human-made object

[ad_1] In the depths of space, the Parker Solar Probe, launched by NASA in 2018 to explore the Sun, has achieved a remarkable milestone. Racing around our star at an astonishing speed of 635266kmph, it has become the fastest human-made object in history, surpassing the legendary SR-71 Blackbird by nearly 180 times.Breaking the Speed BarrierImagine hurtling through space at such incredible velocity, completing 15 Earth circumnavigations in an hour. This incredible feat occurred during the probe's 17th orbit around the Sun, only three years after setting its previous speed record of 586,863 kph, Business Insider reported. What makes the Parker Solar Probe's achievement even more remarkable is that it doesn't rely on artificial propulsion. Instead, it follows a precisely planned orbit arou...
Aditya-L1 mission: Massive data coming, here is how ISRO is preparing for it
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Aditya-L1 mission: Massive data coming, here is how ISRO is preparing for it

[ad_1] The Aditya L-1 mission spacecraft is well on its way to the L-1 point from where it will constantly watch the Sun. ISRO expects it to generate massive amounts of data and for that, it will require huge manpower. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) recently hosted the fifth Aditya-L1 Mission workshop in collaboration with the Aryabhatta Observational Science Research Institute (ARIES), Nainital. This three-day workshop was organised by the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur and the Aditya-L1 Support Cell. These efforts are expected to yield great results derived from the information provided by Aditya L-1.Bridging Theory and PracticeThe Aditya-L1 Mission, undertaken by ISRO, marks India's inaugural journey to study the Sun, its atmosphere, and its influence on Earth....
Chandrayaan-3 mission: Inside the changes at India’s space agency ISRO
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Chandrayaan-3 mission: Inside the changes at India’s space agency ISRO

[ad_1] When the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the moon, more than 8 million people tuned in for the event's YouTube live-stream - a record for the site. The landing was a win for India's low-cost space engineering, and science, as well as a quiet initiative to rebrand India's 54-year-old space agency as approachable, according to more than a dozen current and former employees, and 10 consultants and industry experts."ISRO used to be a very closed organization. There was hesitation in talking about its missions and somewhat of a culture of secrecy," said Namrata Goswami, a space policy expert and professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. "Fast forward to 2023, I was surprised by the amount of transp...
Aditya-L1 mission: ISRO spacecraft heads towards centre of solar system to spy on the sun
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Aditya-L1 mission: ISRO spacecraft heads towards centre of solar system to spy on the sun

[ad_1] Aditya-L1 mission: India's Sun-monitoring spacecraft has crossed a landmark point on its journey to escape "the sphere of Earth's influence", its space agency said, days after the disappointment of its Moon rover failing to awaken. The Aditya-L1 mission, which started its four-month journey towards the centre of the solar system on September 2, carries instruments to observe the Sun's outermost layers. "The spacecraft has escaped the sphere of Earth's influence," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement late Saturday.Aditya, named after the Hindu Sun deity, has travelled 920,000 kilometres (570,000 miles), just over half the journey's total distance. At that point, the gravitational forces of both astronomical bodies cancel out, allowing the mission to re...
Solar storm alert as CME approaches Earth! Will it spark a Geomagnetic storm today?
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Solar storm alert as CME approaches Earth! Will it spark a Geomagnetic storm today?

[ad_1] When Geomagnetic storms hit Earth, they have the potential to wreak havoc on technological instruments, if they are strong enough. If the initial solar storm churned up by the Sun is weak, it means the impact on Earth will be of much less severity. Although some of the sunspots on the solar surface never even explode, it is important to know the potential impact of such an intense explosion of solar matter. When the approaching CME interacts with Earth's magnetic field, it results in the formation of geomagnetic storms, which are rated on the basis of their intensity. G5-class Geomagnetic storms are the most potent geomagnetic events ever observed and they can send humanity back to the Middle Ages as far as technological prowess is concerned.Now, in a new development, forecasters...
Unstable sunspots could hurl out X-class solar flares! Know the solar storm danger
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Unstable sunspots could hurl out X-class solar flares! Know the solar storm danger

[ad_1] In the past three days, we've seen several geomagnetic storms hit Earth. On September 24, a G2-class storm hit the planet and sparked rare, red auroras over Scotland. Yesterday, a G-1 geomagnetic storm was predicted to hit Earth due to a CME approaching the planet. The effects of the Sun have been felt in the form of solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares over the last few months. In turn, these phenomena have sparked further events such as auroras, blackouts, and disruption of radio communications. This solar activity is expected to increase even more as we approach the solar maximum, the period in the Sun's 11-year solar cycle where its activity is the highest.Now, a solar flare warning has been issued by the forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin...
Elon Musk’s Humanoid robot captured doing yoga!
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Elon Musk’s Humanoid robot captured doing yoga!

[ad_1] In a piece of impressive news, billionaire Elon Musk's Humanoid robot Optimus, which was announced by Tesla in August 2021, has been learning skills that will shock and awe you. Optimus was captured in a video doing multiple variations and postures of yoga, which is making the internet go wild. Elon Musk's creations have often stunned the public and now, the humanoid robot has become the latest gadget to stun the Internet. Know what the Humanoid robot, Optimus can do.About Humanoid robot OptimusTesla Optimus's official X account shared a video post of the humanoid robot, revealing its progress and capabilities. The video showcased a variety of tasks the robot can do such as picking colourful blocks and doing yoga with great balance. The video left the X users stunned by its progr...