Get dazzled by the true spectrum of solar beauty. From fiery reds to cool blues, explore the vibrant hues of the Sun in a mesmerizing color order. The images used to make this gradient come from our Solar Dynamics Observatory. Taken in a variety of wavelengths, they give scientists a wealth of data about the Sun.
Don't miss the total solar eclipse crossing North America on April 8, 2024. (It's the last one for 20 years!) Set a reminder to watch with us.
Our Sun is a maelstrom of light and heat, a constant battlefield for plasma and magnetic fields. This recent prominence, captured by Andrea Vanoni and others, bore a striking triangular shape. (Image credit: A. Vanoni; via APOD)
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Earth's magnetic field nearly collapsed some 590 million years ago, presumably putting life on the planet's surface at risk of a rise in cosmic radiation.
According to new research, the temporary weakening of the magnetic shielding might have been anything but a biological catastrophe. In fact, it may have boosted oxygen levels, creating prime conditions for early life to blossom.
"Earth's magnetic field was in a highly unusual state when macroscopic animals of the Ediacara fauna diversified and thrived," University of Rochester Earth scientist Wentao Huang and colleagues write in their new paper.
A theremin that is played by hand without any physical contact and only by creating a magnetic field and changing the volume and frequency of the sound! Theremin was invented in 1919 by Russian physicist Leon Theremin. Today, this unique instrument is very much appreciated by artists. Not only does the theremin sound like nothing, but the way it is played is also unique. In this way, this instrument is played without being touched!
Striking new Webb image showing alignment of bipolar jets confirms star formation theories
(Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, K. Pontoppidan (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute))
"For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northern area of this young, nearby star-forming region.
The astronomers found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. Typically, these objects have a variety of orientations within one region. Here, however, they are all slanted in the same direction, to the same degree, like sleet pouring down during a storm."
"So, just how does the alignment of the stellar jets relate to the rotation of the star? As an interstellar gas cloud collapses in on itself to form a star, it spins more rapidly. The only way for the gas to continue moving inward is for some of the spin (known as angular momentum) to be removed.
A disk of material forms around the young star to transport material down, like a whirlpool around a drain. The swirling magnetic fields in the inner disk launch some of the material into twin jets that shoot outward in opposite directions, perpendicular to the disk of material."
The Sun's complex magnetic field drives its 11-year solar activity cycle in ways we have yet to understand. During active periods, more sunspots appear, along with roiling flows within the Sun that scientists track through helioseismology. (Image credit: NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL; research credit: G. Vasil et al.; via Physics World)
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A doughnut-shaped region thousands of kilometers beneath our feet within Earth's liquid core has been discovered by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), providing new clues about the dynamics of our planet's magnetic field.
The structure within Earth's liquid core is found only at low latitudes and sits parallel to the equator. According to ANU seismologists, it has remained undetected until now.