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ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY 8-01-02
NASA ^
| 8/01/02
| Fred Espenak
Posted on 08/01/2002 12:01:51 AM PDT by sleavelessinseattle
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2002 August 1
Sunspots and Solar Active Regions
Credit & Copyright: Fred Espenak (courtesy of www.MrEclipse.com)
Explanation: July was a good month for sunspots ... really big sunspots. In fact, the full disk and inset pictures above show three large groups of spots, photographed only a few days ago on July 28. Together the sunspots span a region about thirty times the diameter of planet Earth. Now rotating behind the Sun's visible edge, these groups followed close on the heels of another enormous sunspot group which appeared in mid July. All of July's monster sunspot groups could be viewed without magnification, using safe solar observing methods of course. While individual sunspots are not numbered or cataloged, groups of sunspots, designated solar active regions, are given consecutive numbers as they appear on the visible solar disk. That numbering began on January 5, 1972 and on June 14, 2002, reached active region number 10,000. At the 10k mark no door prizes were given and no disasters plagued our fair solar system. But since June 14, active region reports often drop at least the leading digit, making these three active regions AR 0050, AR 0039, and AR 0044 (top left to bottom right).
Tomorrow's picture: things fall apart ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: active; astronomy; cycle; image; magnetic; photography; solar; solarweather; spots; sun; sunspots
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To: sleavelessinseattle
Wow! You did good, Sleaveless. I am impressed!
To: 2Trievers
I may be cunning but I am no linguist (read into that what you will).
Sorry I am in a funny mood today :-)
22
posted on
08/01/2002 7:39:56 AM PDT
by
fnord
To: fnord
You say you're in a fungi mood today? Well you know what they say about a mushroom with a 7 inch stem!
To: mtngrl@vrwc
Uncompensated product endorsement...Homesite! Don't visit APOD without it! You never know when P7 will show up with her hammer and show you to the grindstone!8-I
To: sleavelessinseattle
Have you ever tried de-caf? ;^)
To: headsonpikes
Headsup...You can have my quad Kiwi Venti Mocha when you can pry it from my cold dead fingers! 2Trievers tells me rigor mortis doesn't last that long...Always loved that scene in Jeremiah Johnson when he finds that hawken rifle frozen in the mountain man's hand...That's How I want to go out!
You can have whats in my cup when I can no longer appreciate its rejuvenative properties...Finis!
To: sleavelessinseattle
Bump ! 
To: sleavelessinseattle
That's what I suspected...;^)
To: fnord; Cagey
You are forgiven my son. Say three HAIL MARYs and call me in the morning.
Cagey is ALWAYS on standby with Holy Water! &;-)
To: mtngrl@vrwc; sleavelessinseattle
I am all out of gold stars presently mtngrl and you can see why ... I'll run to Staples and get more ... BRB ... looks like I'll need to make a chart for the two of you, so we can give 'tunia a FAIR and BALANCED reportcard on you two when she returns. LOL &;-)
To: 2Trievers
Hey! That's pretty good! I wonder if I can use a star that size to cover my scar! AND I don't believe for one second that you've run OUT of stars unless you give them to your pups when they stand on the furniture! LOL!
To: sleavelessinseattle
Well you know what they say about a mushroom with a 7 inch stem! </P
No but I bet it's in spore taste!
32
posted on
08/01/2002 9:14:31 AM PDT
by
fnord
To: 2Trievers
...looks like I'll need to make a chart for the two of you, so we can give 'tunia a FAIR and BALANCED reportcard on you two when she returns. LOL &;-) Uh oh! Pressure's on now! Not for Sleaveless, he's already passed the test. LOL!
To: mtngrl@vrwc
You will be fine mtngrl! The REAL test will be if you can put up with Sleavester for a week! LOL &;-)
To: sleavelessinseattle
To: fnord
FN(like your abreviation!) you never fail to Rhizome to the challenge of anaerobic competition!
To: 2Trievers
Cagey is ALWAYS on standby with Holy Water! &;-)Sam's Club has 55 gallon drums available now. I've been hoarding.
37
posted on
08/01/2002 10:15:35 AM PDT
by
Cagey
To: sleavelessinseattle
And That's no KREBS!
To: Cagey
Stay tuned ... we may need a special delivery in case the APOD thread gets hit by a meteor while 'tunia is away! Thanks Cagey &;-)
To: sleavelessinseattle
Are you talking to yourself again? &;-)
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