I’m sure you’ve been reading about the massive activity scientists are detecting on the sun lately. It’s not been strong enough — yet — to disrupt power grids or satellite communications. But it has created some spectacular nighttime displays — especially for you folks who live in the norther latitudes.
This picture was taken by Rune Stoltz Bertinussen Tuesday night near Tromsoe in northern Norway.
That gorgeous shot was moved yesterday by the Associated Press. It was used as lead art today by not only the Washington Post…
…but, oddly enough, also by the Washington Examiner.
The Post cutline explains that while this picture is from Norway, the auroras can also be seen in Alaska and Canada.
Make that Maine, as well. Here is today’s Press Herald of Portland:
A local man, Paul Cyr, took that picture near Easton, Maine, around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. Click for a larger view:
So what’s been causing all this activity? Enormous solar flare. Or, to be more precise, a “coronal mass ejection.” Like the one you see here at the upper right, departing the little dark disc that’s hiding the sun itself.
Eruptions began over the weekend. Another flare erupted this morning (the one you see there). However, the active site of the sun is rotating away from the Earth. So we won’t take the full brunt of this one.
Here’s a NASA video that explains what solar flares are and how they work:
Read more about this week’s eruptions at SpaceWeather.com. Pull in lots of great pictures and videos of this week’s storms — that you can use in your news coverage — directly from NASA, here and here.
While you’re at it, download a new photomozaic of planet Earth for your future news design needs.
You’re seeing that at 400 pixels wide. Click on it to see it at 1,000 pixels wide.
The highest resolution available of that image is an amazing 8,000 pixels wide. The file is 17+ megs, so be warned.
Find the actual file here, on a NASA Flicker feed. Read more about this new image here and here.
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Average daily circulation for the Press Herald is 52,323. Average distribution for the free Washington Examiner is 260,950. Circulation for the Washington Post is 507,465.
The front page images are from the Newseum. Of course.
