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Colliding Auroras Produce Explosions of Light

Posted by Soulskill on from the pretty-pictures dept.

elyons writes "Another neat discovery has come from the lab of Larry Lyons at UCLA. As reported earlier on Slashdot, Lyons' group studies the dynamics of auroras. Their most recent discovery reveals for the first time the sequence of events leading to dramatic space-weather disturbances. Using a network of cameras deployed around the Arctic in support of NASA's THEMIS mission, they recorded over 200 instances of auroras colliding, causing brilliant displays of northern lights (see time 8:22 for such an example)."

7 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. Science is cool by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Nature is cool, and Science is cool. The majesty of these auroras is impressive, and the scientific mind to study it is just as impressive.

    If there were ever a reason to want to believe in a "Creator", it's things like these spectacular astronomical occurrences.

    What set me off about this is a story I heard on NPR about Uganda's Christian population proposing and overwhelmingly supporting a bill that would outlaw homosexual behavior. The punishments ranged from jail time for being found to be gay all the way to the death penalty if you were found to be HIV positive. How much energy is being wasted on these witch hunts? How much progress could be made if these religious fanatics (including Islamic states like Iran) could focus their energy on science rather than their own petty prejudices?

    America also has this problem, and slowly but surely there is a growing contingent that would rather blind our kids with Bible stories than provide them a good scientific education. How long before we are the backwards Uganda of the world? Not long, I'm afraid.

    1. Re:Science is cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      America also has this problem, and slowly but surely there is a growing contingent that would rather blind our kids with Bible stories than provide them a good scientific education. How long before we are the backwards Uganda of the world? Not long, I'm afraid.

      Please fix the bug in the BadAnalogyGuy script by removing the if/then statement that drops it into nationalistic dick face mode when it finds NASA in the text.

    2. Re:Science is cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      i know how you feel, the bitter irony is that earth is for sinners. yes even seemingly innocent children, i should know afterall i did a stint here for writing ai scripts. i'm taking my medicine i even claim it works. anyways things are going fine for me. anon for obvious reasons

    3. Re:Science is cool by Clandestine_Blaze · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      How much progress could be made if these religious fanatics (including Islamic states like Iran) could focus their energy on science rather than their own petty prejudices?

      Well, when countries like Iran attempt to make their own advances in science, they get accused of wanting to develop WMDs and get threatened with military action by Israel. Could you imagine the uproar if Tehran tried to get into space exploration?

      A good article on why the nuclear issue in Iran is also medical, and not just energy / weapons research.

      I do agree with your point overall though. As someone who has visited Iran, their situation would be much nicer if the government spent their funds on their own people rather than propping up Hezbollah over in Lebanon. Their water treatment plants are antiquated, they have virtually no space program, and most of their technologies are hand-me-downs from US tech from the 70s or Russian-made.

      Theocracies just do not work and will do anything possible to continue their survival, even if it means sacrificing their own citizens.

      --
      Best "String" Ever!
    4. Re:Science is cool by Clandestine_Blaze · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      They also import Gas... makes you go WTF.

      Ugh, don't remind me. :\ It really does make you go WTF!

      They have so much oil, what do they need nuclear tech for?

      Iran's nuclear history started in the 1970s with the help of the US, back when Iran was an ally. The Shah was very forward-thinking and understood that oil wouldn't last forever. I believe the current estimate is that Iran has enough oil for maybe 75 years. This sounds like a long time, but only if everything remains constant.

      Iran's population has doubled in the last twenty years, meaning their demand for power is far outweighing their supply. Even if they were to completely refine all of their own oil, they're going to simply pollute their own environment and burn through their oil supply much faster.

      No single nation should put all of their eggs in one basket and nobody should be dependent on another country for their sole source of power. I hear the argument for the US to build more nuclear reactors all the time because it's cheaper and cleaner than burning fossil fuels. Why not Iran?

      I will be very surprised if Iran doesn't go for the A-Bomb.

      This is a legitimate concern - I can't argue that. The alternative is for outside nations to supply Iran with the enriched uranium and disposing of the spent fuel rods, but we go back to my previous comment about not depending on any nation for their sole source of power.

      The government of Iran only has themselves to blame and unfortunately, the people there will suffer because of it.

      --
      Best "String" Ever!
  2. Re:Defective Russian Missile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    How is this off-topic? Auroras look impressive in the sky, and that Russian rocket in the Norwegian sky was also impressive.

  3. new stuff by Pharago · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    first magnetic reconection, now explosive behaviour on auroras, we might aswell be about to discover some neat fuel source that dosn't imply burning dinosaur remains