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Solar 'Tsunami' spotted by scientists

Posted Dec 09, 2006 at 03:29AM by Mabie A. Listed in: News, Celestial Bodies Tags: solar flare, prototype, Northern Lights, Canada, New Mexico, tsunami
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Solar Tsunami Solar Tsunami 


Tsunamis seem to be one phenomenon our planet shares with the mighty Sun. Scientists have reportedly spotted a major flare earlier this week using a prototype of a new solar telescope in New Mexico.

Formerly identified as a Moreton wave, the spotted tsunami-like shockwave "rolled across the hot surface, destroying two visible filaments of cool gas on opposite sides of the visible face of the Sun."

According to K.S. Balasubramaniam of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, NM, while these large scale 'blast' waves happen infrequently, they are undoubtedly powerful. "They quickly propagate in a matter of minutes covering the whole Sun, sweeping away filamentary material."

The captured 'tsunami' occurred like the splash form a rock thrown into a pond. Scientists saw this as a brightening from compressed and heated hydrogen gas. The two filaments that disappeared for a few minutes cannot be accounted for by the scientists if they were indeed blown off or were just compressed, hence the temporary invisibility.

Skywatchers in Alaska, Canada and the very northernmost United States are encouraged to stick their heads out this weekend for colorful Northern Lights. Apparently, there seems to be a stormy space season going on up there. There is a 40% chance of more major flares through this weekend, in fact, says forecasters.

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