Free Republic

TIME magazine named “The Protester,” particularly the Arab protester fighting against decades of tyrannical regimes in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Syria, as the winner last week of its annual designation of “Person of the Year.” Though they don’t have to make such a distinction, if the magazine were to designate a “State of the Year,” I would vote for Wisconsin to win for 2011. If things continue on their current course, the state very likely could repeat the honor in 2012. For starters, this goes well beyond sports. It isn’t just a Green Bay Packers victory in Super Bowl XLV...

One of the biggest prominences in years erupted from the sun's northwestern limb yesterday. The massive plasma-filled structure rose up and burst during a ~2 hour period around 0900 UT on April 13th. Observers in Europe had a great view: Updated: The eruption hurled a bright coronal mass ejection (CME, movie) into space. The expanding cloud could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field around April 15th. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of polar geomagnetic activity when the CME arrives.

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. 2004 March 30 A Prominent Solar Prominence from SOHO Credit: SOHO - EIT Consortium, ESA, NASA Explanation: One of the most spectacular solar sights is a prominence. A solar prominence is a cloud of solar gas held above the Sun's surface by the Sun's magnetic field. Last month, NASA's Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft imaged an impressively large prominence hovering over the surface, pictured above. The Earth would easily fit...

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. 2003 July 7 At the Edge of the Sun Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip (AstroMeeting) Explanation: Dramatic prominences can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun. A solar prominence is a cloud of solar gas held just above the surface by the Sun's magnetic field. The Earth would easily fit below the prominence on the left. A quiescent prominence typically lasts about a month,...

<p>In politics and business, professions teeming with ambitious people, Rep. Darrell Issa stands out for his pursuit of wealth and influence.</p> <p>Hard-working, opportunistic and unafraid to make enemies, Issa seized control of a small car-alarm company and built it into a multimillion-dollar business. Then, with his estimated $250 million fortune behind him, the Republican from San Diego County set his sights on politics.</p>

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. 2003 April 18 Double Eruptive Prominences Credit: SOHO - EIT Consortium, ESA, NASA Explanation: Lofted over the Sun on looping magnetic fields, large solar prominences are composed of relatively cool, dense plasma. When seen against the brilliant solar disk they appear as dark filaments, but these enormous magnetic structures are bright themselves when viewed against the blackness of space as they arc above the Sun's edge In a...

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. 2003 February 23 A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence Credit: SOHO Consortium, EIT, ESA, NASA Explanation: A huge eruptive prominence is seen moving out from our Sun in this condensed half-hour time-lapse sequence. Ten Earths could easily fit in the "claw" of this seemingly solar monster. This large prominence, though, is significant not only for its size, but its shape. The twisted figure eight shape indicates that a complex...