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Topic: Karen C. FoxWritten by Karen C. Fox
Clocks do this to keep in sync with Earth’s rotation, which gradually slows down over time. When the dinosaurs roamed Earth, for example, our globe took only 23 hours to make a complete rotation. In space, millisecond accuracy is crucial to understanding how satellites orbit. ![]() Images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory — such as this one showing the sun as it appears in wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light — have a time stamp showing Universal Time on it. To maintain accuracy, SDO will join official clocks around the world in adding a leap second on Dec. 31, 2016. (NASA/SDO) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA regains communications with STEREO-B spacecraftWritten by Karen C. Fox
Over 22 months, the STEREO team has worked to attempt contact with the spacecraft. Most recently, they have attempted a monthly recovery operation using NASA’s Deep Space Network, or DSN, which tracks and communicates with missions throughout space. ![]() On Aug. 21, 2016, NASA reestablished contact with the sun-watching STEREO-B spacecraft, after communications were lost in October 2014. STEREO-B is one of two spacecraft of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory mission, which over the course of their lifetime have viewed the sun from vantage points such as the ones shown here, on the other side of the sun from Earth. This graphic shows the positions of the two STEREO spacecraft and their orbits in relation to Earth, Venus, Mercury and the sun. (NASA) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA Satellites witness a never before seen Magnetic Reconnection EventWritten by Karen C. Fox
Space is a better vacuum than any we can create on Earth, but it does contain some particles — and it’s bustling with activity. It overflows with energy and a complex system of magnetic fields. ![]() The four Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, spacecraft (shown here in an artist’s concept) have now made more than 4,000 trips through the boundaries of Earth’s magnetic field, gathering observations of our dynamic space environment. (NASA/Goddard/Conceptual Image Lab) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Probe set to launch March 12thWritten by Karen C. Fox
At the heart of magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physics process in which magnetic field lines come together and explosively realign, often sending the particles in the area flying off near the speed of light. ![]() Solar flares – such as this one captured by NASA’s SDO on July 12, 2012, are initiated by a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. (NASA/SDO) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA reports NOAA to launch Deep Space Climate Observatory to measure the Sun’s Solar WindWritten by Karen C. Fox
But the spot tantalizes scientists as well: Lagrange 1 lies outside Earth’s magnetic environment, a perfect place to measure the constant stream of particles from the sun, known as the solar wind, as they pass by. In early February, the United States Air Force will launch a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite called Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, into orbit around this spot. ![]() The solar arrays on NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, are unfurled in the Building 1 high bay at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near Kennedy Space Center. (NASA/Ben Smegelsky) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA’s Van Allen Probes discover Impenetrable Barrier in Radiation BeltsWritten by Karen C. Fox
The Van Allen belts are a collection of charged particles, gathered in place by Earth’s magnetic field. They can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation. ![]() A cloud of cold, charged gas around Earth, called the plasmasphere and seen here in purple, interacts with the particles in Earth’s radiation belts — shown in grey— to create an impenetrable barrier that blocks the fastest electrons from moving in closer to our planet. (NASA/Goddard) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA keeps an eye on Largest Sunspot in 24 yearsWritten by Karen C. Fox
The region was so large it could be seen without a telescope for those looking at the sun with eclipse glasses, as many did during a partial eclipse of the sun on October 23rd. «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory sees Giant Sunspot erupting more Solar Flares from the SunWritten by Karen C. Fox
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly observes the sun, captured images of the event. To see how this event may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov , the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings. ![]() A large active region erupts with a mid-level flare, an M6.6-class, in this image from NASA’s SDO on the night of Oct. 27, 2014. The region will soon rotate over the right horizon of the sun and will no longer be facing Earth. (NASA/SDO) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captures images of Mid-level Solar Flare from the SunWritten by Karen C. Fox
Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. ![]() NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare on Oct. 2nd, 2014. The solar flare is the bright flash of light on the right limb of the sun. A burst of solar material erupting out into space can be seen just below it. (NASA/SDO) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
NASA’s Messenger Satellite discovers Space Weather Anomaly at the Planet MercuryWritten by Karen C. Fox
“Planets have a bow shock the same way a supersonic jet does,” said Vadim Uritsky at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “These hot flow anomalies are made of very hot solar wind deflected off the bow shock.” ![]() The yellow color shows the standing bow shock in front of Mercury. The signature of material flowing in a vastly different direction than the solar wind — an HFA – can be seen in red at the lower left. (NASA/Duberstein) «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Technology | No Comments
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