Sun spots gone reptilian!

[Hervé]

The pips at SpaceWeather.com seems to have gone alternative in their reporting style:

SHAPE-SHIFTING SUNSPOT: Every time you look, sunspot 1271 has a new outline. For the past two days the active region has been in a constant state of change, altering its shape on an hourly basis. Click on the image for 48 hours of shape-shifting:

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2011/23aug11/shapeshifter_strip.jpg (http://www.spaceweather.com/images2011/23aug11/shapeshifter.gif?PHPSESSID=lpod2ott2mf024kbo0mr06ttl6)
These rapid changes have caused the sunspot's magnetic field to criss-cross and tangle. The magnetic field now has a "beta-gamma" configuration that harbors energy for M-class (http://www.spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html?PHPSESSID=lpod2ott2mf024kbo0mr06ttl6) solar flares. Any such flares today would be approximately Earth-directed because the sunspot is not far from disk-center. Readers with sunspot telecopes (http://www.shopspaceweather.com/explore-scientific-white-light-solar-observer-system.aspx) are encouraged to monitor developments.

[Hervé]

It seems to have started with this one:


I think these guys at SpaceWeather.com are getting the gist on how to play the Alternative media:


VENUS AND THE SOLAR STORM: (Note: No planets were harmed in the production of this movie.) Yesterday, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory witnessed a spectacular explosion on the sun that seemed to pass perilously close to Venus. Did the cloudy planet survive? Play the movie for answers:

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2011/17aug11/venuscme_strip2.jpg (http://www.spaceweather.com/images2011/17aug11/venuscme.gif?PHPSESSID=9udpc604v3jr3u3a2nbno2uqq1)
Credit: Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, C2 coronagraph


As the movie shows, the CME passed harmlessly. There was no collision, and it wasn't even close. Although Venus seems to be near the sun, the planet is actually more than 100 million kilometers away. The two bodies are "in conjunction" this week as Venus moves almost directly behind the sun. Because of this arrangement, more CME-Venus conjunctions are possible in the days ahead. Check SOHO for the latest images (http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html)

[MorningSong]

I've been away from the pc for a few days and had not seen that latest spaceweather..... thing. HA! Funny!

Yeah, they are sure using the typical "alternative" tag words... trying to get more people "educated", I guess. Or get more hits. like you suggested before.

[Isserley]

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