News roundup for Oct. 12, 2008

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Space Weather News for Oct. 11, 2008 - Sunspot Alert
http://spaceweather.com

NEW SUNSPOT: A "new-cycle" sunspot belonging to Solar Cycle 24 is emerging near the sun's northeastern limb. This is the third time in as many weeks that a new-cycle sunspot has interrupted the year's remarkable run of blank suns. The accelerating pace of new-cycle sunspot production is an encouraging sign that, while solar activity remains very low, the sunspot cycle is unfolding more or less normally. We are not stuck in a permanent solar minimum. Readers with solar telescopes should train them on the sun this weekend to observe sunspot genesis in action.

AURORA WATCH: Sky watchers from Alaska to Scandinavia should be alert for auroras tonight. A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field and causing high-latitude geomagnetic storms.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

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NASA Science News for October 10, 2008 - The Day the World Didn't End

Last month when scientists switched on the Large Hadron Collider, the world did not come to an end. In today's story, a particle physicist explains why not--and why Earth is safe from black holes when the collider is reactivated in the months ahead.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/10oct_lhc.htm?list894285

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NASA Science News for October 9, 2008 - Liquid Mirror Telescopes on the Moon

A team of internationally renowned astronomers and opticians may have found a way to make 'unbelievably large' telescopes on the Moon.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09oct_liquidmirror.htm?list894285

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NASA Science News for October 7, 2008- Mercury as Never Seen Before

Yesterday, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft flew past Mercury, capturing high-resolution images of the innermost planet's previously unseen landscape. Amazing first photos are arriving at Earth now.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/07oct_firstresults.htm?list894285

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NASA Science News for October 2, 2008 - NASA Spacecraft Finds the Sun is Not a Perfect Sphere

Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have measured the roundness of the sun with unprecedented precision, and they find that it is not a perfect sphere. During years of high solar activity the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that significantly increases its apparent oblateness.

FULL STORY at: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/02oct_oblatesun.htm?list894285

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