Latest news with #NorthernLight
New York Post
3 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Stunning video shows gorgeous aurora borealis — as seen from space
It was a Northern Light show of interstellar proportions. Stunning footage shot from space captured the stunning moment that the aurora borealis appeared to dance over the Earth — in the wake of a geomagnetic storm. NASA astronaut Anne McClain captured the striking video while stationed aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is docked at the International Space Station, the BBC reported. 3 The celestial fireworks display (pictured) followed a solar flare that erupted from the Sun on Friday NASA In the ethereal clip, posted to the adventurer's X account, the green and purple and red hues shimmer across the surface of the Earth like a geomagnetic Neapolitan ice cream. 'I love how this one illuminated our Dragon, and I also love the dance of satellites on the left in the latter part of the video,' McClain exclaimed. 'It's interesting how the aurora creeps along the top of the atmosphere as it comes up over the horizon. I have added traveling to see auroras from Earth to my bucket list!' The celestial fireworks display followed a solar flare that erupted from the Sun on Friday, reported. This sparked a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a burst of solar material — that slammed into Earth's magnetic field early the next day, causing stunning auroras as far south as California and New Mexico. This specific storm struck hard enough to attain G4 levels, one rung below the most extreme level, experts said. 3 The resplendent display lit up the Earth from above. NASA 3 Astronaut Anne McClain (pictured) had captured the striking video while stationed aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is docked at the International Space Station. NASA / SWNS Fortunately, that's not the end of the aurora displays, which will ramp up in the coming nights. That's due to a series of 'minor' geomagnetic storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A coronal mass ejection (CME), sparked by a sunburst on June 3, is currently winging its way toward Earth — and could potentially give stargazers quite a show. NOAA predicts that the CME could hit home on late June 7, lighting up the night in a display that could be as visible as far South as New York if G2 conditions are reached, reported. McClain's not the first to film an aurora from space of late. Last month, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured a mesmerizing video of the resplendent phenomenon as it 'appeared right at sunset over the Northern US and Canada,' per her post on X. 'The Aurora showed up this last weekend when I wasn't expecting it!' she wrote. The resultant clip, which panned across the Earth, showed the aurora bursting with hues, including green, purple and even orange.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
The sun as you've NEVER seen it: Scientists reveal the most detailed photo of our home star yet
It's the super-hot, churning ball of plasma whose surface reaches temperatures of 5,500°C (10,000F). Now, scientists have released the most detailed photo of our sun yet – and it gives a close-up glimpse of its intense magnetic energy. The image was captured by the world's most powerful solar telescope, which takes 2D snapshots of the sun at a range of wavelengths. Several hundred images are taken in just a few seconds by three synchronised cameras using different settings – similar to taking a series of photographs using different filters. Combining these images allows for a 3D view of the sun's structures – as seen in this remarkable picture. The newly released image reveals a cluster of sunspots on the Sun's surface, measuring approximately 25,000km by 25,000km. Sunspots - areas of intense magnetic activity - often lead to solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are what is responsible for our Northern Light displays on Earth. The image achieves a spatial resolution of 10km per pixel – showing the sunspots in unprecedented detail. The Visible Tunable Filter's (VTF) optical device, called an etalon, is pictured here. It consists of two reflecting plates which can measure small differences in the flux of light for different wavelengths The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope was first installed at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) near the summit of Maui's Haleakalā volcano in 2022. It has now achieved 'first light' – used to describe the first time a telescope lens is exposed to the night sky – with its most advanced instrument, the new Visible Tunable Filter (VTF). Designed and built in Germany, the VTF arrived at the observatory last year and has since been carefully installed. It weighs 5.6 tons and has a footprint roughly the size of a small garage, occupying two floors. While it is not yet fully operational, science verification and commissioning are expected to begin in 2026. 'Seeing those first spectral scans was a surreal moment,' said Dr. Stacey Sueoka, Senior Optical Engineer at the observatory. 'This is something no other instrument in the telescope can achieve in the same way. 'It marked the culmination of months of optical alignment, testing, and cross-continental teamwork. Engineers and scientists work on the Visible Tunable Filter (VTF) inside the Coudé Lab at the Inouye Solar Telescope, preparing the instrument for its first light 'We're already seeing the instrument's potential. This is only the beginning, and I'm excited to see what's possible as we complete the system, integrate the second etalon [optical device], and move toward science verification and commissioning.' The team said their new instrument may help reveal hidden details about the solar magnetic field, which is crucial for understanding solar flares and space weather. The sun regularly displays powerful eruptions that hurl particles and radiation into space. On Earth, this solar bombardment can trigger spectacular auroras – Northern Lights - but can also disrupt technical infrastructure and satellites. Carrie Black, NSF program director, said: 'When powerful solar storms hit Earth, they impact critical infrastructure across the globe and in space. 'High-resolution observations of the sun are necessary to improve predictions of such damaging storms.' On our increasingly technological Earth, sudden solar storms can cause devastating damage to critical infrastructure, and disable large portions of the electrical power grid, communications networks, or space systems. This new instrument can analyse crucial properties such as plasma flow velocity, magnetic field strength, pressure and temperature. 'The commissioning of VTF represents a significant technological advance for the Inouye Solar Telescope,' said Matthias Schubert, VTF project scientist. 'The instrument is, so to speak, the heart of the solar telescope, which is now finally beating at its final destination.' Dr. Thomas Kentischer, KIS Co-Principal Investigator and key architect behind the instrument's optical design, said: 'After all these years of work, VTF is a great success for me. 'I hope this instrument will become a powerful tool for scientists to answer outstanding questions on solar physics.' SUN: THE BASICS The sun is the star at the heart of the Solar System, a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, radiating energy. It has a diameter of 1.39 million km, and is 330,000 times the mass of the Earth. Three quarters of the star is made of hydrogen, followed by helium, oxygen, carbon, neon and iron. It is a G-type main sequence star and is sometimes called a yellow dwarf. The Sun formed from the gravitational collapse of matter in a large molecular cloud that gathered in the centre. The rest flattened into an orbiting disc that formed everything else. Facts and Figures Name: Sun Known planets: Eight Spectral type: G2 Distance to Earth: 150 million km Distance from galactic center: 25,800 light-years Mass: 1.9885×10^30 kg Radius: 696,342 km Luminosity: 3.828×10^26 W Temperature: 9,929 F Age: 4.6 billion years
