Astrophysicists Find Fractal Image Of Sun’s ‘Storm Season’ Imprinted On Solar Wind – ScienceDaily.com: Plasma astrophysicists at have found that key information about the Sun’s ‘storm season’ is being broadcast across the solar system in a fractal snapshot imprinted in the solar wind. This research opens up new ways of looking at both space weather and the unstable behaviour that affects the operation of fusion powered power plants.
Fractals, mathematical shapes that retain a complex but similar patterns at different magnifications, are frequently found in nature from snowflakes to trees and coastlines. Now Plasma Astrophysicists in have devised a new method to detect the same patterns in the solar wind.
Hey Bubba-
I’m no scientist but I do love amateur astronomy and those are some great Sun photos on morego.com.
Here is another link for folks interested in the sun:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Also, if anyone will be in the Northwest during August here is the link to the Star Party my local Salem Oregon astronomy club helps sponsor in Central Oregon. http://www.mbsp.org/ . We’d love to see you there.
Alan
Nice sun shots Bubba.
#4, Hop, thanks. Those are untouched single exposures taken in terrible seeing conditions with a tiny scope but they turned out good enough for fun, The full size images allow moderate magnification (zooming) for study of faculae and sunspot regions. I hope some folks here enjoy them.
Gasparrini, bummer there’s not more interest in this thread, I thought it was a great article, but here is some info on the VLT:
The ESO Very Large Telescope will consist of four 8-meter telescopes which can work independently or in combined mode. In this latter mode the VLT provides the total light collecting power of a 16 meter single telescope, making it the largest optical telescope in the world.
[16 meters is 52.5 feet, Good Grief !! I can’t wait for the first pix, someone buy me some time at this observatory]
http://www.eso.org/projects/vlt/