Mar 25, 2013 The Sun is not a fusion reactor. In a recent Picture of the Day, it was noted that sunspots are not well understood by astronomers. Furthermore, their bizarre electromagnetic displays are not readily explainable by models of solar activity that rely on radiant emissions from thermonuclear…
Mar 21, 2013 Astronomers have detected a strand of galaxies and gas flowing into a remote cluster. The predominant cosmological hypotheses within which most astronomers conduct their research are based on a gravity-only paradigm. Moving masses and heat are the only factors allowed to operate in their Universe. Electric…
Mar 20, 2013 Is the famous gyre on Jupiter the result of atmospheric convection? The red spot in Jupiter’s atmosphere has persisted for more than 300 years, at least as long as there have been telescopes on Earth able to see it. The consensus opinion is that it is…
Mar 18, 2013 The intensity of the Sun’s magnetic field and solar wind periodically decline to low levels but explosive events are possible. On August 25, 1997, NASA launched the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite on a mission to monitor energetic ions coming from the Sun, as well as…
Mar 13, 2013 Dark mode plasma phenomena exist on the Sun. The image at the top of the page is the most detailed ever taken of the Sun’s chromosphere. The smallest features are 130 kilometers in size. Each spicule is about 480 kilometers in diameter, with a length of…
Mar 12, 2013 Could an ocean of liquid water exist on Europa? According to a recent press release, “Sending a submarine to the bottom of the ocean on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is the most exciting potential mission in planetary science…” Is it a forlorn hope? Europa is the fourth…
March 11, 2013 Supermassive black holes are said to generate galactic winds. “Black holes are where God divided by zero.” — Stephen Wright In a previous Picture of the Day, It was suggested that X-ray jets from a galactic core were being accelerated by electric fields. A press release…
Mar 08, 2013 An electromagnetic phenomenon on the fringes of galaxy NGC 7793 is confounding astronomers because they insist on seeing it as a gravitational superforce. Explaining the jets of ionized particles often seen erupting from various objects in space ranks as one of the most difficult tasks facing…
Mar 06, 2013 Cold dark matter theory might be in need of serious revision. Dark matter theory makes the news every once in awhile. Although cold dark matter (CDM) gets its name from the idea that it cannot be detected with any known instruments, cosmologists persist in using it…
Feb 27, 2013 Our fortunes are inextricably connected to the Sun’s activity. Now that is the wisdom of a man, in every instance of his labor, to hitch his wagon to a star, and see his chore done by the gods themselves. —– Ralph Waldo Emerson Many Picture of the…
