Tugmistress
24-Oct-05, 19:36
HERE COMES MARS: Mark your calendar: On Oct. 30th, Mars makes its closest approach to Earth for the next 13 years. The view of Mars through backyard telescopes is already spectacular and getting better. Amateur astronomers are monitoring a big dust storm that is "rewriting the map of Mars" from night to night. You can see Mars with the unaided eye, too. It looks like a brilliant orange star rising in the east after sunset. Visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures and sky maps.
QUIET SUN: Solar activity is extremely low. X-rays from the sun have dimmed to their lowest levels since 1997. The ongoing quiet follows a furious outburst of flares and coronal mass ejections just last month, highlighting the unpredictability of the sun on month-to-month time scales. The 11-year solar cycle seems to be on track, however. The current spate of quiet is consistent with the approach of solar minimum expected in 2006.
QUIET SUN: Solar activity is extremely low. X-rays from the sun have dimmed to their lowest levels since 1997. The ongoing quiet follows a furious outburst of flares and coronal mass ejections just last month, highlighting the unpredictability of the sun on month-to-month time scales. The 11-year solar cycle seems to be on track, however. The current spate of quiet is consistent with the approach of solar minimum expected in 2006.