The Solar Flare That Wouldn't End

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 23, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

THE SOLAR FLARE THAT WOULDN'T END:  Typical solar flares are finished in a matter of minutes. On Oct. 22nd, a solar flare in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2434 lasted for more than 3 hours. The slow explosion produced a CME, which is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 25th. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

Meteors from Halley's Comet

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 20, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

METEORS FROM HALLEY'S COMET: Earth is passing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak tonight, Oct. 20-21, with as many as 20 meteors per hour. No matter where you live, the best time to look is during the dark hours before sunrise on Wednesday the 21st.  Visit Spaceweather.com for sky maps and more information.

MINOR STORM WARNING: High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras after nightfall on Oct.21st and 22nd. Earth is about to enter a fast-moving stream of solar wind, and this could spark minor geomagnetic storms.  Aurora alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Big Picture Science for Monday October 19, 2015 - Smiley Virus

Big Picture Science - Smiley Virus

ENCORE: For many, the word virus is a synonym for disease – diseases of humans, plants, and even computers. Ebola is an example: a virus with a big and terrifying reputation. And yet the vast majority of viruses are not only friendly, they are essential for life.

Find out how viruses make plant life in Yellowstone’s hottest environments possible, and fear your spinach salad no longer: a scientist recruits viruses to defeat E. coli bacteria.

Plus, a new study presents the disconcerting facts of just how far a sneeze travels, and viruses in another kind of culture: but is ours benevolent? Find out from the man who coined the term, “viral media.”

Guests:

• David Quammen – Science journalist, contributing writer for National Geographic Magazine, author of Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic. His Op Ed about Ebola appeared in the New York Times.
• Marilyn Roossinck – Professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, Penn State, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics
• Paul Ebner – Microbiologist and an associate professor of animal sciences, Purdue University
• Lydia Bourouiba – Physical applied mathematician, department of civil and environmental engineering, M.I.T.
• Douglas Rushkoff – Media theorist, author, Media Virus! Hidden Agendas in Popular Cultureand Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now

This encore podcast was first released on May 12, 2014

Download episode at:http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Smiley_Virus

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Did Cosmic Rays Kill the Martian?

DID COSMIC RAYS KILL THE MARTIAN?  A senior space weather analyst has calculated the odds that astronauts in the hit film The Martian could have survived solar flares and cosmic rays during their travels to Mars. Learn more about the science behind the blockbuster on today's edition of  http://spaceweather.com.

BEAUTIFUL ERUPTION:  Earlier today, a massive and beautiful plume of plasma erupted near the sun's southeastern limb. The event could herald the approach of an active sunspot and an increase in solar activity this weekend.  

Check http://spaceweather.com for update.

Gigantic Hole in Sun's Atmosphere

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 14, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE:  A gigantic hole in the sun's atmosphere has opened up and it is spewing solar wind toward Earth. Because this "coronal hole" is unusually wide, Earth could be inside the emerging solar wind stream for days. Minor geomagnetic storms are already in progress around the Arctic Circle.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

RADS ON A PLANE:  We have just completed a six-month survey of cosmic radiation on commercial air flights over the continental USA.  The results are highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

Big Picture Science for Monday October 012, 2015 - Space for Everyone

Big Picture Science - Space for Everyone

ENCORE: Is space the place for you? With a hefty amount of moolah, a trip there and back can be all yours. But when the price comes down, traffic into space may make the L.A. freeway look like a back-country lane.
Space is more accessible than it once was, from the development of private commercial flights … to a radical new telescope that makes everyone an astronomer … to mining asteroids for their metals and water to keep humanity humming for a long time.
Plus, move over Russia and America: Why the next words you hear from space may be in Mandarin.
Guests:

• Leonard David – Space journalist, writer for SPACE.com
• Mario Juric – Astronomer working on data processing for the LSST – the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
• John Lewis – Chemist, professor emeritus of planetary sciences, University of Arizona, chief scientist, Deep Space Industries
• Philip Lubin – Professor of physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
• James Oberg – Retired NASA rocket scientist, space historian, and a self-described space nut

This encore podcast was first released on March 3, 2014

Download episode at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Space_for_Everyone



You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Blue Skies on Pluto, Green Skies on Earth

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 9, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

BLUE SKIES ON PLUTO:  Earth isn't the only planet with blue skies. Pluto has them, too. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has just beamed back the first color images of Pluto's atmosphere, and they look a lot like home.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for the full story.

GREEN SKIES ON EARTH: This week, sky watchers around the Arctic Circle have seen some of the most intense auroras of the current solar cycle. Usually, such displays are caused by CMEs.  Not this time, though. The reason for the outbreak is explained on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

'Urban Auroras' Dazzle Arctic Cities

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 7, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

URBAN AURORAS: Last night, Oct. 6th, sky watchers around the Arctic Circle witnessed an outburst of auroras so bright that they rivaled city lights. This could herald an even stronger display on Oct. 7th and 8th when a "co-rotating interaction region" followed by a solar wind stream is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field.

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information.

Big Picture Science for Monday October 04, 2015 - Martian Madness

Big Picture Science - Martian Madness

It’s the starkly beautiful setting for the new film “The Martian,” and – just in time – NASA has announced that the Red Planet is more than a little damp, with liquid water occasionally oozing over its surface.  But Mars remains hostile terrain.  Mark Watney, the astronaut portrayed by Matt Damon, struggles to survive there. If he has a hard time, what chance does anyone else have?
 
Find out how long you could last just eating Martian potatoes.  Also, author Andy Weir describes how he prevailed upon his readers to turn his serialized blog posts into a technically accurate thriller that inspired the film.   Plus, the NASA advisor to “The Martian” sorts the science from the fiction.
 
And, how the discovery of water on Mars might change NASA’s game plan.
 
Guests:

• Andy Weir – Author, “The Martian”
• James Green - Director, NASA’s Planetary Science
• Christopher Wanjek - Health and science reporter based in Baltimore, Maryland
• James Watzin – Director, NASA’s Mars Exploration Program

Download episode at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/martian-madness

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Water-Based Lava on Pluto's Moon?

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 4, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

New images just received from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reveal a giant canyon on Pluto's moon Charon, as well as evidence that parts of Charon may have been resurfaced by strange "water-based lavas."

Visit http://spaceweather.com for the full story.

NASA Spacecraft takes GPS to New Heights

Source - NASA Science News for Sept. 16, 2015

NASA's MMS spacecraft are flying around Earth in a precise formation made possible by an out-of-this-world system of GPS navigators.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/16sep_gps/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://youtu.be/taMzKcehfGw



Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

Daytime Meteor Shower in Progress

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 1, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

Dark Plasma Eruption: On Sept.30th, a massive plume of dark plasma erupted from sun's western limb.  A bright CME flew away from the blast site and might sideswipe Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 3rd.  Check http://spaceweather.com for geomagnetic storm and aurora forecasts.

Daytime Meteor Shower: As October begins, a radar in Canada is detecting echoes from a fairly strong meteor shower.  The source appears to be debris from asteroid 2005 UD.  Don't bother looking for these meteors because they are streaking across the daytime sky, overwhelmed by the glare of the sun.  You can, however, hear their radar echoes. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for live audio and more information.

Big Sunspot Crackles with Flares

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 29, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

HIGH SOLAR ACTIVITY: Big sunspot AR2422 is crackling with M-class solar flares and it has an unstable magnetic field that harbors energy for even stronger eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of powerful X-class solar flares during the next 24 hours. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Big Picture Science for Monday September 28, 2015 - What, We Worry?

Big Picture Science - What, We Worry?

Encore: We all have worries. But as trained observers, scientists learn things that can affect us all. So what troubles them should also trouble us. From viral pandemics to the limits of empirical knowledge, find out what science scenarios give researchers insomnia.

But also, we discover which scary scenarios that preoccupy the public don’t worry the scientists at all. Despite the rumors, you needn’t fear that the Large Hadron Collider will produce black holes that could swallow the Earth.

It’s Skeptic Check, our monthly look at critical thinking … but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• David Quammen – Science journalist, contributing writer for National Geographic Magazine, author of Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
• Sandra Faber – Astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz
• Paul Saffo – Technology forecaster based in the Silicon Valley
• Seth Shostak – Senior astronomer, SETI Institute, host, Big Picture Science
• Elisa Quintana – Research scientist, SETI Institute
• Lawrence Krauss – Theoretical physicist, Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University

Inspiration for this episode comes from the book, What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night edited by John Brockman.


This encore podcast was first released on May 5, 2014

Download episode at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Skeptic_Check_What_We_Worry_

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Live Webcast of the Supermoon Eclipse

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 26, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

This weekend's full Moon is a "supermoon," the biggest and brightest of the year, and it is about to be eclipsed.  On Sunday evening, Sept 27th, sky watchers in North America will see the swollen lunar orb glide through the shadow of Earth, turning it a beautiful shade of sunset red. The same eclipse will be visible from South America, Europe, Africa and parts of Asia during the early hours of Sept. 28th.  The Coca-Cola Space Science Center is broadcasting the event live at  http://www.ccssc.org/webcast.html .

For more information about the eclipse, and a big sunspot facing Earth this weekend, visit http://spaceweather.com