An aurora borealis (northern lights) rises above Alaska's Denali National Park in 2006. For an April 2009 study, THEMIS satellites (inset) helped reveal how fast-swirling, curving "space tornadoes" wider than Earth itself help "ignite" auroras.
Posted on 04/26/2009 1:18:14 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Even Dorothy would struggle to survive a "space tornado."
Whirling at more than a million miles per hour, these invisible, funnel-shaped solar windstorms carry electrical currents of more than a hundred thousand amps—roughly ten times that of an average lightning strike—scientists announced Thursday.
And they're huge: up to 44,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) long and wide enough to envelop Earth.
Led by the University of California astrophysicist Andreas Keiling, scientists have made the most detailed measurements yet of the space tornadoes, also known as substorm current wedges.
Their results shed light on how space tornadoes help spark auroras, also known as the southern or northern lights—the glowing colors that light up the night in polar regions.
An aurora borealis (northern lights) rises above Alaska's Denali National Park in 2006. For an April 2009 study, THEMIS satellites (inset) helped reveal how fast-swirling, curving "space tornadoes" wider than Earth itself help "ignite" auroras.
Word is that they sound like a freight train and occur mainly over intergalactic trailer parks.
If we could only harness that energy, solution to our problems...
Get as low as possible.
great pictures.
I hope one day to actually see them live.
Tornadoes huh? Caused by global warming, it’s all Bush’ fault!
i saw them here(76.8N) over the lake once in the late 70's and again in the early 80's, mostly green with some red. very beautiful and quite hypnotic...
thanks LucyT.
UNEXPECTED SOLAR ACTIVITY: The sun produced an unexpected burst of activity on April 23rd when an enormous prominence rose over the northeastern limb and erupted. A coronal mass ejection (CME) billowed away from the blast site, but the billion-ton cloud is not heading toward Earth. Visit http://spaceweather.com for movies of the event.
Superfast secret of northern lights revealed
The Times | 4/26/2009 | Jonathan Leake
Posted on 04/25/2009 9:07:00 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237956/posts
Electric Universe ping?
If you want on or off the Electric Universe Ping List, Freepmail me.
Absotively, Posilutely.
Two atoms were walking down the street.
A particle came along and knocked one of them over.
As his buddy helped him up, the atom said “I think I lost an electron.
The second atom said “Are you sure?”
He replied, “Yes. I’m positive.”
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