Sun Cam...

[claywoman]

I have a question...I watch the sun cam about oh every three days or so and tonight when I watched it, I knew there was a solar flare that was causing an aurora boreallis tonight, so that wasn't surprising but all the 'stuff' on the cam after the flare was.<br /><br />I've been watching the sun cam since I joined SDC, and I've never witnessed all the 'stuff' before...is it because the flare was aimed this way thus its interference or what?

 

[Leovinus]

Do you have a link to the Sun Cam? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[vogon13]

It always does that during flare, detector chip in camera is also good radiation detector. Apollo astronauts also noted flashes while above Van Allen belt in their own eyeballs. Just getting a little too intimate with radiation for my tastes. Thanks for the post!<br /><br /><br /><br />burn baby, burn. Disco inferno.......<br />The Trammps <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[claywoman]

Leo...<br /><br />Its still happening and you can watch it...it's so spooky!!!<br /><br />http://www.space.com/spacewatch/sun_cam_animated.html

 

[claywoman]

Vogon,<br /><br />When we had the bad solar flares this summer, I didn't notice this pattern then...what's different?

 

[vogon13]

NASA TV runs clip of this effect just about every time there is a flare. Seen it often enough don't remember specific events, sorry. Also sorry to bring up NASA TV as most posts on that thread indicated a level of disappointment rarely seen in this end of universe. Those 'X' ratings on flare and obliquity of blast rel to earth may affect degree of saturation of camera sensor. A spectacular looking flare on the limb of the sun may not direct too much sizzle our way, but those solar head butts are something. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

Can someone tell me if this SOHO "cam" is side on? By that I mean are the CME's that it shows going 90deg in relation with Earth? If not, where would Earth be in relation in that image?<br />Also check out all those "shooting stars!<br />Now i'm wishing my 10m HF transceiver wasn't broken, should be some good skip going down. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>

 

[nacnud]

SOHO is in orbiting the Earth-Sun Lagrange 1 point about 1.5 million km sunwards of the earth. I'm not sure but I think that the 'meteors' that you see are actually evens caused by radiation hitting the SOHO camera.

 

[claywoman]

vogon mentioned that the snowy stuff I was seeing is radiation bombarding Soho and that it happens when an event like this happens? If so, why didn't I see it previously to this?<br /><br />Also I read earlier today that there is a corona rip or something like that happening, when the magnetic field in the sun is disrupted? I'm not understanding that either. God, maybe I should take an astronomy class!!!<br /><br />Anyway, could the 'rip' have something to do with the 'snowy' condition I've been seeing? What causes the rips which I understand happens....

 

[vogon13]

NASA TV ran clip of Halloween 2003 solar flare event 1/19/05 again. Shows same blizzard effect as on SOHO website for ongoing flare. Some trails on detector are probably secondary particles created when primary radiation particles interacted with rest of SOHO spacecraft and were scattered back onto imaging detector from all angles. Does anyone know if high Z elements used in spacecraft optics? Recall very long time ago Fermilab visitor area had huge detector in public area that showed tracks of cosmic ray secondarys zinging there way down from on high. Always creeped me out to watch that thing because it demonstrated cosmic rays were zinging me too and probably initiating DNA changes leading to CANCER. Sorry for the drama. <br /><br /><br /><br />Clean up all spills from leaky containers.<br />Heloise <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[claywoman]

Thank you so much Vogon...<br /><br />Now could someone explain a coronal rip to me? what do they mean by the magnetic field is disrupted? Does that mean that the magnetic field on the Sun is moving from North to South or reversed? How does a magnetic field change places? I saw the other night that the earth's magnetic field may be switching? How is that going to affect us?<br /><br />So many questions, so little time!!!

 

[glutomoto]

Re: explain a coronal rip ?<br /><br />I think most of the time they are called coronal holes, because in images of the corona there are dark regions. I recall that these regions appear dark because they are not as bright as the rest of the corona, and so were called holes by early observers. <br /><br /><br /><br />Re: what do they mean by the magnetic field is disrupted ?<br /><br />Think of the magnetic field as the sun's hair. Just like a persons hair, it is very difficult for all of the hair to lay just right, occassionally the sun has a bad hair day.<br /><br /><br />APOD: 2001 April 8 - The Big Corona<br /><br />APOD: 2003 March 18 - Coronal Holes on the Sun<br /><br />APOD: 2001 November 29 - Coronal Inflow<br /><br /><br />Can you tell I like APOD ? <br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[the_masked_squiggy]

This is somewhat unrelated but I found entertaining anyway: I watched the different-filtered videos at SOHO shortly after one of the flares with a mild CME. Everything on the video progressed as normal until not long after the flare, when the cameras all showed "CCD Burnout". I'm assuming that's when the solar wind hit and just overloaded the CCD. It was an interesting demonstration of the difference in speed between light and the solar wind.

 

[glutomoto]

Re: when the cameras all showed "CCD Burnout".<br /><br />Are you sure that they didn't say CCD Bakeout ? which is a normal and usually scheduled maintenance procedure.<br /><br /><br />What's a CCD bakeout, anyway?<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[claywoman]

I saw nothing on the sun cam that said, 'CCD Bakeout.' Plus the 'fuzzy stuff' or 'snow' happened right after the past few flares. If that were a normal part of the maintanence, would they do that during a big flare-up?

 

[vogon13]

Don't recall if SOHO has solid state memory for image data, but if it does, radiation can also corrupt information in storage. Some 'grunge' in picture may be due to this effect to. Image data fairly robust to this effect (recall compressed images not so robust) software running spacecraft probably very vulnerable to glitches. I'm sure they have allowed for this.<br /><br /><br /><br />5-8-8, two, three hundred, Empire!<br />Empire Carpet Jingle <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[glutomoto]

Hi Claywoman,<br /> I was responding to The_masked_squiggy, with that stuff about about ccd bakeout, since he is the one who called it a ccd burnout.<br /><br />As far as the fuzz effect that you are talking about, I would have to agree with other posters who have stated that the fuzz is what happens when stuff from the sun hits soho. As to the question of why this time and not last time ? My guess is that the hit wasn't as direct the last time, and/or some cme's are way more energetic than others.<br /><br />As for maintenance during a big flare up ! Maintenance is scheduled, solar activity is not, and will keep on doing it's thing regardless of the puny beings who live on the third rock.<br /><br />SOHO Newsroom<br /><br /><br />Current Space Weather<br /><br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[claywoman]

It is so fascinating watching the sun, I know its nuts, but I never once dreamed of doing that before. This is better then an eclipse!!! I guess because a full solar eclipse is rare but this is something I can see everyday if I so choose.<br /><br />Not being a scientist, I have so many questions to ask, like when a flare happens, often times, the opposite side of the sun has very little if any action. there is usually a black part of the corona itself...does anyone know why? Or am i seeing things here. I've been observing that for months, but afraid to ask...<br /><br />Also, sometimes the 'fuzz' or 'snow' happens a little bit, but I swear sometimes I see like what appears to be a comet? Or something? not often but sometimes and I've noticed you see it for several days afterwards then its gone....

 

[vogon13]

Comets do fall into sun or its' near environment and are utterly destroyed. Many comets that do this are part of Ikeya/Kreutz group. Have orbits that approach sun very close, doesn't take much of a perturbation to knock them to close to central heating unit. Zzzzpt! Comet flambe'.<br /><br /><br /><br />What a beautiful way to die.<br />Dark Star <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[claywoman]

comet flambe? ROFLMAO!!! so it may be possible I was seeing comets? I find that supposition phenomenol!!! I am a little afraid to ask my stupid, childish questions here so I put each one of them out which much thought and hesitation. there is so much I want to learn about space!!!

 

[vogon13]

-ROFLMAO-<br /><br />Sorry, I'm new to SDC and unfamiliar with this abbreviation. Enlighten me, claywoman, and I shall be informed! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[claywoman]

Sorry Vogon....<br /><br />It means 'Rolling on the Floor, Laughing My A*s Off....'<br /><br />It means that 'comet flambe' made me laugh at the thought of some restaurant serving that dish and how would they catch one to serve it? Better yet, I wonder how much that dish would cost!!!

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>I think most of the time they are called coronal holes, because in images of the corona there are dark regions. I recall that these regions appear dark because they are not as bright as the rest of the corona, and so were called holes by early observers.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />You are actually referring to two structures: coronal holes and sunspots. They are associated, but not the same.<br /><br />Galileo is famed for his observations of sunspots. They are cooler spots on the photosphere (usually considered to be the sun's surface), and consequently appear dark. (They're actually quite luminous, but the surrounding areas are hugely more luminous, so it's impossible to see them as anything but dark spots by comparison to the rest of the Sun.) They form where the sun's magnetic field has become twisted into a knot. Huge loops of material will often rise out of sunspots, following the tangled magnetic lines of force. These loops can break away when the field lines get sufficiently elongated that they snap together, reconnecting and forming a sort of magnetic bubble. This is what causes a coronal mass ejection.<br /><br />Coronal holes will often appear around sunspots, though not always -- either can appear without the other, and coronal holes are generally a lot bigger than sunspots. The corona (which you can think of as the vast atmosphere of the Sun) is also influenced by the sun's magnetic field. Where there is a hole in the corona, the solar wind will emerge at a higher speed. This can influence our own planet's magnetosphere, and can trigger geomagnetic storms.<br /><br />During periods of high activity on the Sun, you'll see lots of sunspots, and lots of coronal holes. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Also, sometimes the 'fuzz' or 'snow' happens a little bit, but I swear sometimes I see like what appears to be a comet? Or something? not often but sometimes and I've noticed you see it for several days afterwards then its gone....<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />The "fuzz" is protons striking the CCD detector (alpha radiation). As noted earlier in this thread, this is the same phenomenon that caused Apollo astronauts to witness strange flashes of light, as the particles impacted their retinas. Some of these can occur at any time, but when a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) impacts the SOHO spacecraft, it's practically bathing in this kind of radiation, so there are LOTS of hits. Sometimes its even enough to trigger a safe mode, although SOHO is pretty rugged. Lesser spacecraft would have to be powered down in order to survive the event.<br /><br />When that hits SOHO, you are guaranteed that it's going to hit Earth too, in about an hour (if memory serves). When you're looking at the Sun through SOHO, the Earth is directly behind you. This is why SOHO is so valuable for predicting space weather. When stuff hits it, there is just enough time for spacecraft operators and power station operators and other people with sensitive equipment to render their equipment safe to survive the blast. There are a few other spacecraft also observing the Sun, and together their observations enable the accurate forecasting of space weather.<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Also, sometimes the 'fuzz' or 'snow' happens a little bit, but I swear sometimes I see like what appears to be a comet?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />That's usually noise. Actual comets do appear, however, and in fact SOHO has been responsible for discovering hundreds of "sungrazers" (the popular term for these comets, many of which do not survive their first observed encounter with the Sun). Its name is therefore on many of t <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Can someone tell me if this SOHO "cam" is side on? By that I mean are the CME's that it shows going 90deg in relation with Earth? If not, where would Earth be in relation in that image?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />SOHO is directly between Earth and Sun. If you see a CME coming out the left-hand side, it probably won't hit the Earth.<br /><br />The Earth-directed ones look like an expanding cloud of stuff coming out from the Sun in all directions. Imagine somebody blowing smoke right in your face to get an idea of what it would look like.<br /><br />CMEs actually do not travel directly from the Sun to the Earth. This is because the system is in motion. They tend to follow a sort of sprinkler pattern. Imagine a rotary sprinkler spinning around in your yard to get an idea of what *that* looks like from above. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>