Solar Tsunami From Sun Hits Earth on Wednesday, August 4 Night

Sequences of STEREO satellite images of a solar tsunami blasting across the Sun’s million degree atmosphere. Solar tsunamis are launched by huge explosions near the Sun’s atmosphere, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These waves can travel at over a million kilometers per hour. The tsunami took place on 19th May 2007 and lasted for about 35 minutes, reaching peak speeds around 20 minutes after the initial blast. The observations were made by a team from Trinity College, Dublin. Solar tsunamis were observed before with the SOHO spacecraft, but this is the first time they have been observed in four different wavelengths corresponding to four different temperatures, enabling the team to see how the wave moved through the different layers of the solar atmosphere. This was possible because STEREO observes images at all four wavelengths at a much higher time cadence than SOHO.

Source: stockmarkettoday.in

Effects on Earth

"The solar tsunami is actually a phenomenon that has been observed on the sun -- and it rolls across the sun's surface," said Dr. Arik Posner with NASA.
Tons of plasma are blasting directly toward Earth at a million miles per hour. Their first wave is expected to arrive very early Wednesday morning.
It is expected to create a spectacular show for folks further north who may catch a glimpse dazzling waves of red and green lights.
While we won't see it there is a remote chance we could feel its effects. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there's a very slim chance it could affect power grids and satellites.
"Things like GPS -- I can't drive in these streets without it!" said Bryce Nielson.
NASA scientists downplay that threat, calling this nothing more than a mild solar storm that just happened to be directed right at Earth.

Source: wjla.com

Red Planet to Pass Closest to Earth

Mars is zooming in for a close approach to Earth on Wednesday, 27 January 2010 night, offering backyard astronomers their best views of the red planet until 2014.

For the past few months Mars has appeared at night as a ruddy, starlike beacon rising in the east.

On Wednesday, 27 January night, Mars will pass within 61 million miles (98 million kilometers) of Earth—close enough for well-equipped sky-watchers to make out details on the Martian surface.

"With a small telescope of about 6 inches (15.2 centimeters), the polar ice caps and other surface features are visible," said Raminder Singh, staff astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Even a pair of binoculars will show it as a disk, as opposed to a star, which looks like a pinpoint of light."

And on January 29 Mars will reach opposition, which means it will rise in the east just as the sun sets in the west, making the red planet visible all night long.

"When opposition occurs, Mars is on the opposite side [of Earth] from the sun. If viewed from above the solar system, the sun, Earth, and Mars would be in a straight path," Singh said.

Adding to the cosmic spectacle, on the night of opposition Mars will appear fairly close to the full moon, and the pair will glide together across the sky.

Mars Easy to See

The exact distance between Mars and Earth changes over time, because the orbits of the planets are not perfect circles, but elongated ellipses.

This orbital setup means Mars makes a close pass by Earth roughly every two years.

In August 2003 Mars made its closest pass by Earth in 60,000 years, swinging by at a mere 35 million miles (56 million kilometers) away. That event created spectacular views for astronomers but also seems to have spawned the recurring "Mars Spectacular" email hoax.

Wednesday, 27 January night's approach won't be a particularly close pass. Still, the "flyby" will highlight how easy it is to spot Mars even with the naked eye, Singh noted.

"It's the third brightest object in the night sky, aside from the moon and the star Sirius," Singh said.

"People should really go outside and look at it, as it's an easy thing to see in the sky."

Source: NationalGeographic.com

Scientists Capture Haiti Disaster with High-Tech Imaging System

In the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology are sweeping the leveled city with high-tech imaging integrated into a small aircraft.

Funded by the World Bank, and in collaboration with ImageCat Inc., the five-day flight is meticulously mapping the disaster zone to aid in crisis management and eventual reconstruction of the city. The twin engine Piper Navajo, operated by Kucera International, an Ohio-based aerial mapping company, will fly from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and refuel daily in the Dominican Republic. The plane flies at 3,000 feet over Port-au-Prince and other areas badly hit by the earthquake. The operation began January 21, 2010.

RIT is coupling an imaging system it created for the U.S. Forest Service to detect wildfires using high-resolution color imagery and thermal infrared with Kucera's LIDAR topographical sensing system. LIDAR makes precise measurements with laser pulses and complements the other modalities in 3-D layered image maps. RIT scientist Jason Faulring is operating the camera system to survey damage, detect fires, chemical spills and surface contamination on lakes or ponds. George Tatalovich and James Bowers are the pilots flying for Kucera International. Bowers is operating the LIDAR sensor operator.

Recovery crews will use the information in the reconstruction of Haiti. RIT is coordinating closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the U.S. Geological Survey and non-governmental organizations that want to make use of this unique data set.

Thermal imaging provides relief and recovery agencies with critical insight not available from standard color photography. "You can tell how much liquid is in a storage tank with a thermal camera," says Don McKeown, scientist in RIT's Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science and project manager. "You can make inferences of tanks that are full, tanks that are empty and tanks that are leaking."

Source: ScienceDaily.com

Major Breakthrough: Stem Cell Therapy found for Leukaemia

In a ray of hope for millions of leukaemia patients, American scientists have developed a technique which multiplies the small number of stem cells in the donor blood, making it much more potent for the treatment of the fatal disease.

It also eliminates the need for a matching donor, whose bone marrow is usually transplanted to the patient, according to a study which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine. Traditionally, there was always a risk that the patient’s body may reject the new cells from a donor.

The alternate path was to introduce cells extracted from umbilical cords as these cells do not have characteristics which would normally trigger immune rejection. So these cells can be used in any patient, without the need for matching.

However, the only disadvantage of this process was that a single cord would not have enough cells to meet the needs of an adult patient.

Source: PTI

Demand for Separate Time Zone in Northeast India Gathers Momentum

A group of opinion makers Saturday (January 23, 2010) decided to lobby the central government of India for a separate time zone for the northeast region of the country so that there is optimum utilization of daylight.

More than 200 people comprising academicians, journalists, film personalities, student leaders, scientists, engineers and from other fields met in Guwahati to drum up public opinion for a separate time zone for the northeast— with suggestions for advancing the clock by at least 90 minutes.

“As a first step we would be formally apprising the eight regional governments and also the 24 MPs of the northeast to lobby for a separate time zone in Parliament,” well-known filmmaker Jahnu Baruah said.

A resolution was also moved to approach the Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) ministry for a separate time zone for the northeast.

Speakers at the meet organised by K.C. Das Commerce College, a premier educational institution in Assam’s main city Guwahati, said there was enough justification in seeking a separate time zone as day breaks early in the northeast with the sun normally rising at least an hour to 90 minutes ahead of other Indian cities.

“For example on Saturday (January 23) the sunrise time in Arunachal Pradesh was 6.06 AM and in Mumbai it was 7.14 AM, while the sunset time was 4.15 PM and 6.26 PM respectively,” Bhabesh Sharma, a geography teacher, said.

“We have every reason to demand a separate time zone for the northeast, considering the geo-location of the region,” he added.

The group is now planning to broaden the campaign for advancing the clock by roping in lawmakers of the region.

“We need to make productive use of daylight from 4 AM to 10 AM, especially in the summer season. We in the northeast do nothing and wait for 10 AM to go to office. If our clock is advanced by 90 minutes we can really make productive use of daylight,” Barua said.

Neighbouring Bangladesh recently advanced its clock by an hour, aimed at saving an extra hour of daylight to save power.

“If we have a separate time zone and the clock is advanced by 90 minutes, Assam would make a profit of Rs.640 million annually by way of energy consumption and production,” said B.M. Sharma, an engineer with the Assam State Electricity Board.

“A separate time zone means people would sleep early and hence saving on energy bills and also generation of thermal power would increase as work would begin soon in the projects.”

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is practiced in many countries, exploiting daylight by advancing clocks so that evenings have more natural light and mornings have less.

“In reality Bangladesh is now 90 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time although the sun rises earlier in the Northeast than in Bangladesh,” Sharma noted.

Source: IANS