the "Death Star" suckling on the Sun?

[gareb]

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IS THAT THE 'DEATH STAR' SUCKLING ON THE SUN?
Is That The 'Death Star' Suckling on the Sun? : Discovery News
Analysis by Ian O'Neill
Thu Mar 15, 2012 04:42 PM ET





What was thatplanet-sized 'Death Star'-like structure seen floating near the surface of the sun on Monday? Although sightings of supposed UFOs in space images are nothing new, this particular orb appears to be refueling with solar plasma -- there's even a hose extending from the sun's surface!

Anyone familiar with solar images will immediately recognize the filament extending from the surface of the sun into the sun's atmosphere (or corona) -- it's a solar prominence.

Prominences are very well-known structures in the corona. Although their formation is still the subject of intense scientific scrutiny, we know that they are clouds of cool plasma encapsulated in long tubes of magnetism. But 'cool' is a relative term.
Typically, prominences have been measured to be of chromospheric temperatures. The chromosphere -- a 2,000-kilometer thick region of the lower solar atmosphere that is sandwiched between the solar "surface" (the photosphere) and the multi-million degree corona -- can reach temperatures of up to 24,000 Kelvin (or degrees Celsius), and prominences have a similar temperature characteristic.

So why are they so dark when viewed by solar observatories?

When solar telescopes like NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observe the sun, they do so through filters. These filters are able to select a certain wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. Each wavelength corresponds to a certain temperature -- generally higher temperatures produce radiation of shorter wavelengths. Therefore, the most powerful, hottest, solar flares may generate X-ray radiation (hence "X-class" flares), whereas the "quiet sun" (areas of the cool photosphere with little magnetic activity) generate longer wavelength radiation that we can see with our own eyes -- a.k.a. visible light.

The tenuous gas in the sun's corona is very hot, so when the SDO studies the corona, it uses a filter that is able to "see" the multi-million degree plasma emitting radiation in a specific point of the extreme-ultraviolet (or EUV) part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Therefore, should cooler plasma -- such as the plasma encased in a long prominence -- be observed inside the corona, it won't be emitting the same wavelength as the corona and will appear dark. But what about the strange orb shape attached to the end of the prominence? That's actually a tunnel, or "coronal cavity," carved into the corona by the magnetic structure atop the prominence. "When you look at it from the edge of the sun, what you actually see is a spherical object. You're actually looking down the tunnel. And this tunnel sits up top of the filament," NASA solar physicst C. Alex Young explained on his website The Sun Today.

Prominences and coronal cavities often appear just before the eruption of a coronal mass ejection (CME), and as described excellently by Young in the video below, this particular eruption was no exception:



As we view the sun with more sophisticated space telescopes, our eyes are being opened to the incredible dynamics that connect the sun's interior to its atmosphere. And as this video shows, erupting coronal cavities can trigger the formation of CMEs. CMEs are the target for much scrutiny by space weather experts as they can have a dramatic impact on modern technology in space and on Earth, so understanding these features is paramount to predicting the sun's temper tantrums.

[st.anger]

mura jd..Blackhole?

[jangska]

alien spaceship refueling.. ahaks unsa kaha to.

[brownie]

Coronal cavity man diay.. normal activity raman daw sa sun so nothing to worry about.. for now

[jesse5648]

alien spaceship refueling.. ahaks unsa kaha to.

basin sad boss noh, , ,alien mothership toh nga maka stand sa kainit sa sun, and mao nay ilang means of power ang energy sa sun

idolas mga aliens oi, wa man jud nalanay ang ilang hose

[angel_pyroRAPTOR]

aliens...hope to see one...

[john_yo]

basin sad boss noh, , ,alien mothership toh nga maka stand sa kainit sa sun, and mao nay ilang means of power ang energy sa sun

idolas mga aliens oi, wa man jud nalanay ang ilang hose

heat resistant daw ang ilang hose na gi gamit bro. ni txt sila nko, bag-o lang jud.

[KizoneC]

kuyawa ga refuel sa unya aliens jud ni ba... next mission is towards earth ay na lang.

[Vino Kid]

^^haahhhahahaha

[jesse5648]

next mission:
Date: 12 21 2012 (earth calendar)
Where: earth
Detail: Evacuate every Earth Species to a Safer Planet
How: Kidnapping


ahhahahahha