Solar Minimum; Solar Maximum Our Sun goes through an eleven year cycle of solar activity, and sunspots and flares will be reaching their peak next year. The NASA images above, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), are photographic proof. Increased solar activity can mean good things for aurora-watchers, but can be disruptive to our satellites and communications if some of that million-degree plasma gets ejected in our direction. That’s hot stuff. Random fact: The NASA SDO mission has a chicken named Camilla for a mascot, with a Twitter account. But shouldn’t it be called a “Clucker” account, since it’s a chicken? (via NASA)
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Solar Minimum; Solar Maximum

Our Sun goes through an eleven year cycle of solar activity, and sunspots and flares will be reaching their peak next year. The NASA images above, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), are photographic proof.

Increased solar activity can mean good things for aurora-watchers, but can be disruptive to our satellites and communications if some of that million-degree plasma gets ejected in our direction. That’s hot stuff.

Random fact: The NASA SDO mission has a chicken named Camilla for a mascot, with a Twitter account. But shouldn’t it be called a “Clucker” account, since it’s a chicken?

(via NASA)

Source: nasa.gov

Camilla the Chicken Goes to Space

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has a mascot, and it’s a rubber chicken. Camilla Corona was sent up on a helium balloon by a group of high school students during last month’s intense solar radiation storm. She was wearing radiation badges and carried sunflower seeds and insects up to 119,000 feet to test the effect of solar radiation at that height. The video is the point at which her balloon popped and sent her back down to Earth.

Not bad for a class science project. NASA never helped my class do work. More details on the project here.

Previously: Stuffed T-rex goes to space.