The power of the Sun

• The low down
• There are five categories of CME’s : A, B, C, M and X. The A-class flares are the weakest sun storms, while the X-class events are the most powerful solar flares
• The subsets, go from 1 to 9, to pinpoint a solar flare’s strength. Only X-class solar flares have subcategories that go higher than 9.
• With the most powerful solar flare on record occurred in 2003 and was estimated to be an X28 on the solar
• A large X5.4 solar flare that erupted on the Sun on March 7, 2012 at 00:28 UT, (7:28 PM EST )
• About an hour later, the same region let loose an X1.3 class flare, which was but 5 times smaller than the first
• Significance
• High-definition views from the Solar Dynamics Observatory show the subsequent solar tsunami that rippled across the Sun
• Such waves move at over a million miles per hour [1.6 million km], travelling from one side of the Sun to the other in about an hour
• Typical CMEs contain about 10 billion tons of solar plasma and material
• The CME only delivered a glancing blow to the Earth, even so early predictions said this event could trigger a geomagnetic storm on Earth
• The effects of the storm were milder than originally predicted due to the orientation of the magnetic field of the CME
• Coronal Mass Ejections are clouds of particles but there is also a magnetic field structure
• If an ejection if oriented more to the south a stronger storm is expected, this storm appears to be Northern oriented
• It ended up gaining some extra “oomph” once the magnetic fields lined up right… enough to ignite some amazing displays of Aurora
• Two more M-class solar flares, and exploded from the surface of the Saturday
• The recent solar storm had a dramatic effect on MESSENGER images of Mercury. In the image above, you can see bright streaks and speckles, with Mercury’s surface faintly visible behind them. These streaks are energetic particles from the Sun hitting the camera’s CCD
• * Of Note*
• The radiation from the intense storm temporarily blinded the European spacecraft Venus Express currently orbiting Venus
• The on board star tracker and it’s backup became blinded by the radiation, the star tracker is used to measure position and orientation
• Similar events have happened between 5–10 times, while unusual the longest time the instruments have been down is 32 hours.
• Until they come back online, the spacecraft will fall back on manually operations
• Multimedia
• YouTube VIDEO : NASA | Massive Solar Flare gets HD Close Up
• [The massive sunspot region AR1429 has been particularly active since it emerged on March 2, 2012. @ Space.com](https://i.space.com/images/i/15647/i02/sunspot-region–1429.jpg?1330970091
  CREDIT: NASA/SDO)
• Social Media
• Twitter NASA SDO @NASA_SDO
• Further Reading / In the News
• The Solar Storm, at Mercury @ https://messenger.jhuapl.edu
• Two More Solar Flares Erupt on Active Sun Saturday @ Space.com
• Active Region Is Still Active! @ Space.com
• Strong Solar Flares Still Shooting Out from Active Sun @ UnioverseToday.com
• Raging Solar Storm ‘Blinds’ Venus Spacecraft @ Space.com
• [Big Solar Storm Packs Small Punch, But Not Over Yet @ Space.com](
  https://www.space.com/14842-biggest-solar-storm-earth-effects.html)
• Biggest Solar Storm in Years Is Bombarding Earth Now @ Space.com
• Huge Solar Flare’s Magnetic Storm May Disrupt Satellites, Power Grids @ Space.com
• A Close-up Look at the Massive Solar Storm that Shook the Sun @ UnioverseToday.com
• Sun Fires Off 2 Huge Solar Flares in One-Two Punch @ Space.com
• Sun Releases a Powerful X5 Flare @ UniverseToday.com

*— NEWS BYTE — *

How the moon might have affected the Titanic

• The low down
• There is some evidence that and unusually close approach by the moon on Jan. 4, 1912, may have caused abnormally high tides
• An uncommon event occurred on that Jan. 4 when the moon and sun lined up in such a way their gravitational pulls enhanced each other, well-known as a “spring tide"
• Significance
• Researchers looked to see if configuration maximized the moon’s tide-raising forces on Earth’s oceans enhanced tides caused increased glacial calving to reach the shipping lanes by April
• Normally, icebergs can not move southward until they’ve melted enough to re-float or a high enough tide frees them a process that can take several years
• However the unusually high tide in Jan. 1912 would have been enough to dislodge many of those icebergs and move them back into the southbound ocean currents
• The high tide would have allowed them to travel southward much faster than typical, could explain the abundant icebergs in April of 1912
• * Of Note*
• Researchers have recently assembled what’s believed to be the first comprehensive map of the entire 3-by–5-mile Titanic debris field
• Sonar imaging and more than 100,000 photos taken from underwater robots have been assembled to create the map
• The mapping took place in the summer of 2010 during an expedition to the Titanic led by RMS Titanic Inc., the legal custodian of the wreck who was joined by other groups, as well as the cable History channel
• Details on the new findings have not being revealed yet, the network will air them in a two-hour documentary on April 15, exactly 100 years after the Titanic sank
• Further Reading / In the News
• Full Titanic site mapped for 1st time @ physorg.com
• The iceberg’s accomplice: Did the moon sink the Titanic? @ physorg.com

HiggsBoson

• Last time on SciByte
• Higgs Bosons & Tough Materials | SciByte 25 (Dec 13, 2011) – Higgs-Boson confirmation just around the corner?
• Neutrinos & Leap Year | SciByte 35 (Feb 28, 2012) – Neutrino News
• The low down
• Two independent experiments have new measurements indicate that the elusive Higgs boson may nearly be cornered
• The collaborations has found excesses in their data that might be interpreted as coming from a Higgs boson with a mass in the region of 115 to 135 GeV.
• Significance
• This is consistent with the December 2011 announcement of excesses seen in that range by LHC experiments, which searched for the Higgs in different decay patterns
• The two teams independently combed through hundreds of trillions of proton-antiproton collisions recorded by their experiments to arrive at this exciting result
• * Of Note*
• An official claim can only happen if the chance that the data could be due to a statistical fluctuation is less than 1 in 740
• Further Reading / In the News
• World’s best measurement of W boson mass tests Standard Model, Higgs boson limits @ physorg.com
• Tevatron experiments report latest results in search for Higgs boson @ physorg.com
• LHC to narrow search for Higgs boson @ physorg.com

*— TWO-BYTE NEWS — *

More Dinosaur feathers get color

• * You might Recall *
• Feedback & Space Lego’s | SciByte 31 (Jan 31, 2012) – Dinosaur feather colors
• The low down
• A team of American and Chinese researchers have uncovered the color and detailed feather pattern for the Microraptor, a pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur that lived about 130 million years ago
• Four-winged dinosaur’s feathers were black with iridescent sheen
• The fossilized plumage, which had hues of black and blue like a crow, it the earliest record of iridescent feather color
• Significance
• Feather color is produced partially by arrays of pigment-bearing organelles called melanosomes, melanosome’s structure is constant for a given color
• Using the power of scanning electron microscopes, paleontologists have begun to analyze the shape of the fossilized melanosemos and compating then to living birds.
• Paleontologists have also made predictions about the purpose of the dinosaur’s tail
• Once thought to be teardrop-shaped used in flight is actually much narrower with two elongate feathers
• Researchers not believe it to be ornamental, and used in social interactions like courtship
• * Of Note*
• Although its anatomy is very similar to birds, Mircroraptor is considered a non-avian dinosaur placed in the group of dinosaurs called dromaeosaurs that includes Velociraptor
• Previously the Microraptor was considered a nocturnal animal, but glossy plumage is not a trait found in modern day birds.
• Further Reading / In the News
• ScienceShot: Flashy Feathers @ Sciencemag.org
• Four-winged dinosaur’s feathers were black with iridescent sheen @ physorg.com

Transparent Electrodes

• The low down
• Scientists have shown that ultra-thin sheets of an exotic material remain transparent and highly conductive even after being deeply flexed 1,000 times and folded and creased like a piece of paper.
• The basic structural is a five-layer sandwich made up of alternating single-atom sheets of selenium and bismuth stacked on top of each other as thicker samples are made
• Selenium-selenium bonds between the units are weak which provides an overall material to flex durably without being damaged
• Significance
• Experiments also showed that bismuth selenide does not degrade significantly in humid environments or when exposed to oxygen treatments that are common in manufacturing
• This material will solve the problem modern transparent electrodes on the surfaces of most cells as they are either too fragile or not transparent or conducting enough,
• In solar cells roughly half the solar energy that hits the Earth comes in the form of infrared light, and few of today’s solar cells are able to collect it
• It may also be useful in communications devices, by improving infrared sensors common in scientific equipment and aerospace systems.”
• * Of Note*
• The combination has been testing with sheets of bismuth and selenium, each just one atom thick, to form five-layer units.
• The bonds between the units are weak, allowing the overall material to flex while retaining its durability
• The material itself conducts electricity only on its surface while its interior remains insulating and is as good as gold as an electrical conductor
• Further Reading / In the News
• Exotic material shows promise as flexible, transparent electrode @ physorg.com

Martian Dust Devil

• The low down
• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been examining Mars with six science instruments since 2006
• Mars orbiters, rovers and landers have all captured devils in action before
• A towering dust devil, casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in an image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging
• Significance
• Unlike a tornado, a dust devil typically forms on a clear day
• The ground is heated by the sun, warming the air just above the ground, heated air near the surface rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler air above it and the air may begin to rotate, if conditions are just right.
• It lofted a twisting column of dust more than half a mile [800 meters] high, and had approximately a 90ft [30 yards] radius Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
• * Of Note*
• Like on Earth, winds on Mars are powered by solar heating
• Mars is now farthest from the Sun, and exposure to the Sun’s rays is now less, the dust devils are still moving dust around on Mars’ surface
• This mission has returned more data about Mars than all other orbital and surface missions combined and can reveal features as small as a desk
• More than 21,700 images taken by HiRISE are available for viewing on the instrument team’s website
• Twitter : HiRISE@HiRISE
• Further Reading / In the News
• Huge Dust Devil on Mars Captured in Action @ UniverseToday.com
• Mars orbiter catches twister in action @ PhysOrg.com
• Photo from NASA Mars orbiter shows wind’s handiwork (Jan 2012) @ PhysOrg.com

Fossilized circle of life

• The low down
• A fossil has been found that shows a flying pterosaur, with a 6-foot wingspan, that has a fish in it’s throat, and had just been caught itself by a large fish itself.
• Jurassic fail: fish accidentally snags pterosaur, and both die @ blogs.discovermagazine.com
• Pterosaurs Were on the Menu For Ancient Fish and Dinosaurs @ DiscoverMagazine.com

Accurate Clock

• The low down
• Atomic Clock – A precision clock that depends for its operation on an electrical oscillator regulated by the natural vibration frequencies of an atomic system
• A new time-keeping device is tied to the orbiting of a neutron around a nucleus of an atom
• The clock would remain accurate to within 1/20th of a second over 14billion years, making it nearly 100 times more accurate than the best atomic clocks we have now
• You might ask or note that ‘Neutrons’ do not ‘orbit’, that the orbiting items are electrons
• Scientists are proposing to use lasers to orient the electrons in a specific way, then observing the neutrons as they rotate around the nucleus
• Because the neutron is so close to the center of the atom the oscillation rate is nearly unaffected by external perturbations compared to the electron
• Multimedia
• YouTube VIDEO : Atom Animation
• Further Reading / In the News
• Proposed nuclear clock may keep time with the Universe @ spacedaily.com
• Proposed nuclear clock may keep time with the Universe @ physorg.com

SPACECRAFT UPDATE – GRAIL Moon Probes Ebb and Flow

• * Last time on SciByte*
• Revisiting the Moon | SciByte 27 9 (Jan 5, 2012) | Moon meets GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
• Exoplanets & Social Media | SciByte 29 (Jan 17, 2012) – GRAIL moon probes names finally named
• Habitable Planets & Plant Power | SciByte 32 (Feb 7, 2012) – First video of the far side of the moon
• Recall
• Launch : Sep 10, 2011
• Nearly identical spacecraft both about the size of a washing machine, only differentiated by the needs for one spacecraft to lead while the other follows
• Formation-flying spacecraft will make detailed science measurements from lunar orbit with unparalleled precision to within 1 micron – the width of a human red blood cell
• There is still a lot we don’t know about the Moon says Zuber, like why the near side is flooded with magma and smooth and the back side is not smooth and completely different.
• * Of Note*
• Twin GRAIL Moon Probes Ebb and Flow Start Lunar Gravity Science Mission have just begun their science mission and will use a precision formation-flying technique to map Lunar Gravity.
• Science mapping phase officially began Tues, March 6
• MoonKAMs on both Ebb and Flow were turned on Monday, March 5, and all appears well with the first images a week after science operations begin
• Multimedia
• IMAGE GALLERY: GRAIL mission @ NASA
• YouTube VIDEO : Grail “Go” for Launch Poll
• YouTube VIDEO : GRAIL Launch
• YouTube VIDEO : GRAIL Spacecraft Separation
• YouTube VIDEO : Post Launch Interview WIth Launch Director Tim Dunn
• YouTube VIDEO : GRAIL Spacecraft and Vehicle Flow
• Further Reading
• NASA GRAIL Mission Page
• Twin NASA Science Probes Start Lunar Gravity Mapping @ universetoday.com
• Twin NASA Moon Probes Begin Mapping Lunar Gravity @ space.com

*— VIEWER FEEDBACK — *

Archeology in Space

• Indy from the chatroom pointed out a few stories/books about Space archaeology
• The Lunar low down
• The total area that Armstrong and Aldrin explored at the Apollo 11 landing site could fit in the infield of a baseball diamond
• Apollo 12 was the only mission to successfully visit the site of a previous spacecraft’s landing, and it also saw the placement of the first Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP), which included a seismometer and various instruments to measure the lunar environment
• The US flag planted by Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean isn’t itself visible, the shadow cast by it is.
• Apollo 12 and 14, which allowed for more time on the surface and Apollo 15, 16, and 17, which had the benefit of a Lunar Roving Vehicle
• * On the Moon *
• Recently the LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera) orbit dropped to only 13mi [21km] allowing the best imaging of the Apollo landing sites ever.
• Image of the Apollo 11 landing site captured from 15mi [24 km] above the surface provides LRO’s best look yet at humanity’s first venture to another world
• The lower orbit imaging was able to get 6in [15cm] to every pixel
• An image from an altitude of only 15 miles [24km] offers the highest-resolutions yes of Apollo 11
• The Apollo 11 image shows the Lunar Module’s descent stage, a seismic experiment monitor, a laser ranging reflector (LRRR, still used today to measure distances between Earth and the Moon) and its cover, and a camera can be discerned in the overhead image
• Visible around all Apollo landing sights are dark trails where astronauts or lunar rovers went.
• An often asked questions is if you can see if the flags are still there, given the heat/cold cycle and UV environment will degrade the nylon,
• * On Mars *
• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), has taken pictures of the dead Phoenix Lander, the landing platform that delivered the Spirit rover,
• Images of the Phoenix Lander in 2008 show clear signs of the bright and clean circular solar panels, in 2010 a shadow of the rover and one panel can be seen with one panel completely missing
• On Mars, satellite imagery has been used in conjunction with the rover missions to track out future paths
• Also to keep an eye on retired missions like the Phoenix lander
• In addition imagery is looking for locations of failed missions inside the estimated landing/crash area
• Looking for Mars missions is more difficult due to the atmosphere and weather which can cover lander in dust and remove traces of tracks
• Multimedia
• NASA Spacecraft Images Offer Sharper Views of Apollo Landing Sites @ NASA.gov
• Apollo Landing Sites Revisited Image Gallery
• Hunting for Mars Polar Lander with HiRISE @ Plaetary Society
• Further Reading / In the News
• Apollo 12: Pinpoint Landing on the Ocean of Storms @ NASA.gov
• Look, It’s a Moon Buggy! LRO’s Best Look Ever at the Apollo 15 Landing Site @ UniverseToday.com
• NASA Releases Closer Looks at Apollo Landing Sites from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter @ UniverseToday.com
• Apollo 11: ‘A stark beauty all its own’ @ UniverseToday.com
• Best Views Yet of Historic Apollo Landing Sites @ UniverseToday.com
• Dead Spacecraft on Mars Spotted in New Photos @ space.com
• Phoenix Lander Still Visible in New HiRISE Images from Mars @ UniverseToday.com
• Spirit Lander – 1st Color Image from Mars Orbit @ UniverseToday.com
• New Views Show Old NASA Mars Landers @ jpl.nasa.gov
• Opportunity Photographed from Mars Orbit at Crater Precipice @ UniverseToday.com

SCIENCE CALENDER

Looking back

• March 19 1800 : 212 years ago : Electric eels : Electric eels were captured by Alexander von Humoldt with Aimé Bonpland. They were on a five-year expedition in the jungles of South America, on the way to the Orinoco river, where at Calabozo they discovered swamps crowded with electric eels, Electrophorus electricus. During their scientific investigation of the behaviour of the eels, the scientists received massive electric shocks. Humboldt reported a severe lack of feeling in his joints for the better part of a day after standing directly on an electric eel. They learned that horses had been killed by them. Humboldt published an article Observation on the Electric Eel of the New World in 1808
• March 16, 1926 : 86 years ago : Goddard Rocket : The first US liquid-fuel rocket flight was launched by Robert Goddard in a field in Auburn, Mass. He thought stable flight could be obtained by mounting the rocket ahead of the fuel tank. The tank was shielded from the flame by a metal cone and was pulled behind the rocket by the lines for gasoline fuel and oxygen. The design worked, but did not produce the hoped-for stability. The rocket burned about 20 seconds before reaching sufficient thrust (or sufficiently lightening the fuel tank) for taking off. During that time it melted part of the nozzle. It took off to a height of 41-ft, leveled off and within 2.5 seconds hit the ground 184 feet away, averaging about 60 mph. The camera ran out of film, so no photographic record of that flight remains.

Looking up this week

• Keep an eye out for …

• Fri, Mar 16 : Jupiter and Venus have separated a bit to appear 4 degrees apart now

• Planet Byte

• Mercury is still about the same height in the western horizon at twilight, far below or lower right of Venus and Jupiter, and fading

• Jupiter and Venus are now starting to get farther away from each other after thier spectacular conjunction, they are also visible from the Southern Hemisphere right now

• The fiery orange Mars shines low in the east during twilight

• Further Reading and Resources

• More on whats in the sky this week

• Sky&Telescope

• SpaceWeather.com

• StarDate.org

• For the Southern hemisphere: SpaceInfo.com.au

• Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere : astronomyonline.org

• Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand : rasnz.org.nz

• AstronomyNow

• HeavensAbove

The post Solar Storms & Higgs Boson | SciByte 37 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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