Huge Triangle-shaped Spot Over the Sun

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Huge Triangle-shaped Spot Over the Sun

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday March 14, 2012 @02:31AM from the elaborate-advertising-campaign-for-new-x-files-movie dept.

jojo_it writes "NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed a gigantic spot on the sun's corona, that takes the shape of a black triangle. The spot is visible on the AIA 193 channel [of NASA's solar dynamics observatory] since March 11th. 2012 doomsday-theorists should be delighted."

32 of 229 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

My god!!! by Vinegar+Joe · 2012-03-14 02:32 · Score: 4, Funny

It's a Mayan pyramid!!!!

--
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
1. Re:My god!!! by vlm · 2012-03-14 02:37 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Don't worry about it. Sometimes a triangle is just a triangle. When you look up there and think you see a goatse, that's when I'd start getting worried.
  
  --
  "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
2. Re:My god!!! by Missing.Matter · 2012-03-14 02:48 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Mayan pyramids were stepped.
3. Re:My god!!! by LMacG · 2012-03-14 03:18 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  That was thousands of years ago. The Mayans have had plenty of time to work on their anti-aliasing algorithms.
  
  --
  Slightly disreputable, albeit gregarious
4. Re:My god!!! by SadButTrue · 2012-03-14 03:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Except it is about the size of Jupiter. The Mayans were way to lazy to build something like that, hell they couldn't even finish their calendar.
  
  --
  grape - the GNU free, open source rape
5. Re:My god!!! by Adriax · 2012-03-14 05:49 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Nah, Evil Council.
  Hopefully we can find the Chosen One and Toungy in time.
  
  --
  I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
what by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-14 02:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

maybe I'm blind, but I don't see ****.
1. Re:what by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-03-14 03:14 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You don't see it because it's protected by an SEP field.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by eldavojohn · 2012-03-14 02:37 · Score: 5, Informative

The NASA video constantly reiterates that it's a 'common event' while trying to make it still sound cool even telling you about coronal cavities and filaments. The Register, with complete disregard for knowledge, skips this part and goes straight to alien's fueling up on the sun, Death Star references, etc. Slashdot blows all of that away, changes it from spherical to triangle (not sure where that came from) and clings to doomsday theories.

Everyone profits but NASA. Just like the History Channel, sacrifice your integrity for aliens and conspiracies to maximize profit.

--
My work here is dung.
1. Re:Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by the_saint1138 · 2012-03-14 02:48 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Indeed. Possibly the worst summary I've ever read here.
2. Re:Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by efudddd · 2012-03-14 02:53 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The first link (filament/coronal sphere event) is apparently a wrong link and not what the poster is referring to. Try the second link for a flat photo, third link for the SDO interactive camera page. I tried the AIA settings; it shows up in a lot of them. This may be a "standard" event (I have no clue one way or the other), but it's monstrously large; I'd love an explanation or link to similar solar event if it's not totally anomalous.
3. Re:Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by mwvdlee · 2012-03-14 03:12 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I know it's not cool to RTFA, but the Register page basically says as much if you read on long enough.
  
  --
  Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
4. Re:Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-14 04:07 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  It's not an image, it's a video. The triangle is the "play" button.
5. Re:Oh So That's Why NASA Has Little Funding by mrbester · 2012-03-14 04:26 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Indeed.
  
  --
  "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
Worst article summary ever by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-14 02:37 · Score: 3, Informative

Slashdot seems to think the following is news worthy: The sun does things scientists know about and understand; ignorant people don't and jump to conclusions. Your increasingly sensational headlines make me hate you more and more every day slashdot.
Not a Triangle. by gbr · 2012-03-14 02:38 · Score: 5, Informative

If it's a triangle, why does the video show and discuss a circular object with a 'tether' to the sun?
1. Re:Not a Triangle. by berashith · 2012-03-14 02:41 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  well, it is a triangle that is curved into a ball, obviously
2. Re:Not a Triangle. by reverseengineer · 2012-03-14 02:49 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It's a non-Euclidean triangle! To even imagine the Lovecraftian horrors that lie within would drive you mad!
  
  --
  "FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."
Better video of the "triangle". by hellop2 · 2012-03-14 02:42 · Score: 4, Informative

There's a much higher quality video here.

--
How many more years will slashdot have an off-by-one error on your Score in your profile?
1. Re:Better video of the "triangle". by Dan+East · 2012-03-14 02:55 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yes, that video is much higher quality, especially when he zooms in on the anomaly. However the part at the end where he suggests the sun is "giving birth" to a new planet is just totally out there.
  
  --
  Better known as 318230.
THEY SHOULD HAVE SCANNED FOR LIFE FIRST!!! by SatanClauz · 2012-03-14 02:48 · Score: 5, Funny

But they didn't! Mining stars for fuel was outlawed a long time ago!
1. Re:THEY SHOULD HAVE SCANNED FOR LIFE FIRST!!! by SatanClauz · 2012-03-14 03:11 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  you have 42 minutes to GTFO!!!
  He has saved your life so many times and you never even knew he was there.
Come on, guys... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-14 02:50 · Score: 5, Funny

It's just the "play" button...
Re:My God! by Svartalf · 2012-03-14 02:51 · Score: 3, Funny

Nah... It's just a rubber Ningi burning up in the sun...

--
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
OMG! I see it! I see it!!! by retroworks · 2012-03-14 02:58 · Score: 4, Funny

Except it's a WHITE triangle, just in front of the sun! Oh wait... it's the "play" button on youtube video. Nevermind.

--
Gently reply
It's a message from God by clickclickdrone · 2012-03-14 03:17 · Score: 3, Funny

He's reminding us what female pubes are supposed to look like.

--
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
Re:So Clarke got it wrong. by arth1 · 2012-03-14 03:42 · Score: 4, Funny

I saw the triangle - it was HUGE!
Then I clicked it, and it went away, and the sun started spinning.
So you're safe now.
Re:So Clarke got it wrong. by GameboyRMH · 2012-03-14 03:46 · Score: 4, Funny

They better not have rounded corners.

--
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
To see it, try this by scottbomb · 2012-03-14 03:53 · Score: 4, Informative

Using the links in the parent post, I didn't see it either. But I think the image they're talking about can be found here:
1. Go to http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
2. You'll see an image of the sun in a box on the left.
3. There's a drop-down menu in the box. Select AIA-193.
4. View the apocalypse.
OR... just go here: http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/latest_aia_211.gif
I saw a triangle! by a_nonamiss · 2012-03-14 04:07 · Score: 3, Funny

Using the links in the post, the only triangle I saw was the YouTube play button...

--
-Arthur
Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
Why doesn't /. go with the scientific summary. by Beelzebud · 2012-03-14 04:08 · Score: 3, Insightful

You would think that a good summary would be posted here, of all places, that told what this was, and left the conspiracy theory nonsense to the comments section at youtube. So instead of news for nerds, we get news for conspiracy minded idiots.
Re:Aliens by oneiros27 · 2012-03-14 04:29 · Score: 3, Funny

LISTER: Oh god, aliens? Your explanation for anything slightly peculiar is aliens, isn't it? You lose your keys -- it's aliens. A picture falls off the wall -- it's aliens. That time we used up a whole bog roll in a day -- you thought that was aliens as well.
RIMMER: Well we didn't use it all, Lister. Who did?
LISTER: Rimmer, aliens used our bog roll?
RIMMER: Just 'cause they're aliens doesn't mean to say the don't have to visit the little boys' room. Only they probably do something weird and alienesque like it comes out of the top of their heads or something.
(Red Dwarf, Season 2, "Kryten")

--
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.