(UPI) — The Summer Olympics could be crippled by a solar storm far more potent than the one currently wearing away at Earth’s magnetic field, a British physicist said.

“We have the potential this year to see what planners call a Black Swan event — one that is unlikely but if it happens will have an extraordinary impact on our lives,” Alan Woodward, a physicist and computer scientist at England’s University of Surrey, told the British newspaper The Guardian.

Radiation from the superfast bombardment of highly charged clouds of solar energy would likely pose little or no health risk. But it could disable computers and other electronics critical to the Olympic Games, which take place in London July 27 through Aug. 12, Woodward said.

“As the 2012 Olympics approach, we have a convergence of an event that is the most connected, computer-intensive event ever with a record level of sunspot activity, which typically leads to solar flares,” he said.

Solar flares are colossal releases of energy rocketed out into space that have been measured to be the equivalent of as much as 160 billion megatons of TNT.

To read the complete article, visit http://bit.ly/GNPrnL

Image courtesy UPI

Doomsday prognosticators are touting the impending apocalypse on December 21, 2012.  Most base their prophecies on the supposed “end” of the Mayan calendar.

NASA scientists reviewed the top five earth-destruction scenarios — including a collision with yet-to-be-discovered planet “Nibiru” and the sudden flipping of Earth’s magnetic poles — and have offered their opinions on each.  Check out http://on.msnbc.com/ywIXon

Photo courtesy of gilderm / sxc.hu

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered an Earth-like planet with balmy 70-degree temperatures: “Kepler-22b”.  The plant is 2.4 times the diameter of Earth, and orbits its sun in 290 days.

But we won’t be visiting anytime soon, as the planet is 600 light years away.  How far is 600 light years?  Well, consider that light travels 186,287 miles each second.  Now multiply 186,287 miles times the number of seconds in 600 years.  Whew!

Scientists have pointed the 42 dish antennas that comprise California’s Allen Telescope Array on Kepler-22b to see if it can detect any radio waves — to perhaps catch a Keplerian broadcast of “Dancing with the Stars” (sorry — couldn’t resist that).

Something to think about:  If scientists on Kepler-22b were scanning Earth for radio or TV broadcasts, they wouldn’t hear anything.  Radio waves travel at the speed of light.  So, they’d be examining Earth as it was 600 years ago — and radio was invented here less than 150 years ago.

For additional details about this planetary discovery, including a video of the mission managers discussing their find, check out the following article in the San Jose Mercury News:  http://bit.ly/smOSZF

Artist’s conception courtesy of NASA / Ames/ JPL-Caltech

As I reported in an earlier post, NASA’s Curiosity rover is about twice as long and about five times heavier than the most recent Opportunity and Spirit rovers.  But what’s really unique is that it’s powered by a radioisotope power system instead of solar panels.  The result:  Curiosity should be able to operate continuously through sandstorms and Martian winters for years.

If you’d like to read more about NASA’s Curiosity rover and its innovative power plant, check out a CNET article at this link:  http://cnet.co/rs8Xlz

Image courtesy of NASA

NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is expected to fall to earth by Friday. Much of the satellite will burn up during its blazing flight through the atmosphere, but large components will likely survive to impact land or water. Because of the satellite’s orbital path, northern Canada and southern South America are most at risk from any incoming debris.

For more information, visit the following Reuters report:  http://reut.rs/n0IMAo

NASA is also posting regular updates here:  www.nasa.gov/uars

Photo courtesy of Space.com and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

If you can locate the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and you have a good pair of binoculars or small telescope, you’ll be able to observe a supernova along with amateur and professional astronomers all over the world.

The best time for viewing is right after sunset, before the moon comes up and washes out the sky with its reflected light.

Here’s a link to an excellent one-and-a-half-minute YouTube video by Berkeley Lab scientist Peter Nugent that will help you spot and view the supernova:   http://bit.ly/qilPZ9

For additional information and images, visit the USA TODAY article at http://usat.ly/okjuOS.  (Click on the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” buttons in the USA TODAY interactive image.)

Image of The Pinwheel Galaxy (where the supernova is occurring) courtesy of Reuters and The Guardian.

Less than a month into its five-year journey to Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft took this nifty picture of the Earth and moon, as part of the vehicle’s “JunoCam” checkout procedures.  The Earth is the larger bright spot on the left, and the moon is the dot on the right.

The Juno spacecraft has 439 million miles to travel before it gets to Jupiter.  One can only imagine the other photos it may take along its celestial course.

For more information regarding the photo, check out the NASA JPL article at http://1.usa.gov/pDDjTh

For more information on the Juno mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/juno

Many people believe that the first human to step foot on Mars will be from the U.S.  Well, think again.

Discovery published today an interesting article (“Russia and Europe to Send Man to Mars?”) that challenges the common perception that an American would be first to walk on the red planet.

The article quotes Jean-Jacques Dordain, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), as saying that the ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) would “carry out the first flight to Mars together.”

Russia and the ESA are wrapping up a project in which six individuals simulated a year-and-a-half round-trip to Mars; the team lived the entire time in a cramped 550-cu.-ft. simulated spaceship. The experiment, which will conclude in November, has examined the effects of continuous, close-quarter working on the mind and body.

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, Russia clearly leads in “heavy lift” rocket technology.  And just this week they unveiled the design of a new manned spacecraft at an international air show.  Bottom line:  Russia and Europe have “the right stuff” — and are doing the right things — to propel them to the goal of Mars.

For the thought-provoking Discovery article, check out http://bit.ly/olFmgH

Mars image courtesy of NASA

Over the last couple of months I’ve seen a flurry of doom ‘n’ gloom scenarios based on the nearing peak (in mid 2013) of the 11-year solar cycle.  For instance, a little over a week ago I read in the International Business Times, “Severe Solar Storm to Create Global Chaos and Complete Darkness” followed a week later by “Severe Solar Storms Could Disrupt Earth This Decade.”

I’m not picking on the IB Times.  I’ve seen similar reports in Popular Science, such as the June 30th article entitled, “Are We Prepared for a Catastrophic Solar Storm?”

So are we all toast?

Here’s the reality:

It’s true that with the near total dependence on computers for every aspect of our lives, we’ve never been more vulnerable to solar activity.  I described in a previous article a recent near-miss of a CME (corona mass ejection) — essentially a ball of plasma ejected by the sun.  If a large CME hits our planet, power could certainly go down for an extended period of time.

One of the biggest concerns of scientists is the “Fukushima Effect” in which the backup generators and battery systems at nuclear power plants run out power.  Such a circumstance could cascade to the point where water-cooling systems would become inoperable — and result in Fukushima-like catastrophes around the world.  The actual chances?  Hard to predict precisely.  But, by legitimate estimates, pretty low.

More likely to occur:  Gas pumps at your local service station would stop working.  (They’re essentially computerized pumps; the credit-card processing network would also likely go down.)   “Telecommuting” would not be possible, as phone and Internet would be flicked off like a switch.  Cell phone service would also go down as soon as the backup generators and / or batteries at the cell towers run out of juice.  (You won’t be able to charge your cell phones, anyway.)

If the power grid goes down, once your food runs out (or spoils) in your fridge, don’t count on restocking at the supermarket.  The 18 wheelers that are the mainstay of food delivery across the country would also quickly run out of fuel — and, as mentioned above, the services stations would be unable to refill the rigs.

The probability of a sweeping, worldwide catastrophe as outline above is low.  But CMEs can, and have, made direct Earth strikes over the centuries — and caused significant disruptions.  Do a Google search for the “Carrington Event.”  In 1859, during the peak of another solar cycle, a CME knocked out telegraph offices around the globe (and even shocked some of the telegraph operators).  Most scientists agree that — because of entrenched computerization and satellite-based communications — the same magnitude CME today would disrupt society on a widespread basis.

I’m hoping the media doesn’t escalate the risks to an astronomical level.  The last thing we need is a massive wave of hysteria.  But, hey, it can’t hurt to keep an extra candle or two around the house.  And, perhaps, a couple of cans of Spam…

For a reasonably well-proportioned (non-hyped) news report — with an exceptional piece of video from NASA of a CME — check out the following two-minute CNN video:  http://bit.ly/h7GEmn

For reference, the NASA image associated with this article shows the approximate size of the Earth as compared to a solar eruption.  (In reality, the Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun — so a flare would never envelop the Earth as in the NASA comparison.)

Visit the following link http://1.usa.gov/qjThYb to watch the Perseids meteor shower from the comfort of your computer.  You’ll connect to NASA’s Web cameras.  Tonight (Friday, August 12th into tomorrow morning) is the shower peak.  At the Web site, you can also chat with NASA astronomers and support team.  Of course, you can watch the meteor shower the ol’ fashioned way by strolling out into your backyard.  For the best viewing, give yourself a few minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark.  Enjoy!

In the swirl of the 24-hour news cycle, an important discovery like this might slip through the cracks.  But this is substantial news, as it touches upon possible origins of life here on Earth.

Check out the excellent report published today at SPACE.com via this link: http://bit.ly/ptYTRb

A water reservoir — 140 trillion times the earth’s ocean water — was recently discovered in space, according to the International Business Times. The water is being consumed by a quasar (the tandem of a galaxy center and a massive black hole).   The complete article can be viewed here http://bit.ly/n2rcyE.

The more astronomers look, the more water is found throughout the universe.  If water is essential to life, as most scientists believe, then the universe is a very welcoming spa.

Artist rendering of a quasar by NASA

According to published reports, in nine years Russia intends to de-orbit and dump the ISS into the Pacific Ocean in nine years.  Other ISS partners, however, have different intentions.  The consortium of the U.S. (NASA), Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency (ESA) has expressed support to keep the space station flying until at least 2028.

In March 2001, the Russian MIR space station was disposed of similarly, as Russia de-orbited the station into the South Pacific Ocean.

Additional information about Russia’s apparent plans for the ISS can be read at http://bit.ly/pxdAR2.  Photo courtesy of NASA

Physicists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology reaffirmed Einstein’s position that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light — thus squashing hopes that time travel and other sci-fi temporal concepts are not possible. The physicists studied the travel of a single photon in a vacuum (like that of space). So humankind’s dreams of gallivanting around the cosmos, in some warp-speed spacecraft, are just not going to happen. Well, at least not in our present universe. But that’s another story…

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/p1ddmu

Image courtesy of Discovery News

The Space Shuttle program may be over, but NASA is looking to spread its wings in other high-flying missions.

For instance, NASA has a presidential mandate to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 — a mind-boggling challenge on multiple dimensions.  As a recent Washington Post article describes:  “You can’t land on an asteroid because you’d bounce off — it has virtually no gravity. Reaching it might require a NASA spacecraft to harpoon it. Heck, astronauts couldn’t even walk on it because they’d float away.”

Check out the very interesting piece by the Washington Post, describing the many technological hurdles of a manned mission to an asteroid, at this link:  http://wapo.st/oNK3Wr

Image courtesy NASA / JPL

Look out, Mars.  Here comes one bad-ass dune buggy.  If all goes as planned, the Mars Sciences Laboratory (MSL) — nicknamed “Curiosity” — will blast off to Mars early this winter.  It’s about the size of a Mini Cooper — five times larger than the previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity — and can travel faster, farther, and over rougher terrain than its Mars-vehicle cousins.

Curiosity is an audacious technical marvel in search of past or present life on Mars.  It uses a state-of-the-art radioactive power system to generate electricity and heat.  It’s jam-packed with a multi-million-dollar laboratory of scientific instruments.  And its ingenious landing system is right out of a science-fiction novel:  A “sky crane” will literally lower Curiosity from an above-flying descent stage to the Martian surface.

The launch window is November 25th through December 18th.  Pencil in August 2012 for a wild ride down to the Martian surface.

Rendering courtesy NASA / JPL-Caltech

(Space.com) “A piece of space junk zoomed uncomfortably close by the International Space Station today (June 28), so close that the outpost’s six-man crew had to take shelter in Russian space capsules in case of a collision.  The space debris made its closest approach to the space station at 8:08 a.m. EDT (1208 GMT), coming within 850 feet (260 meters) of the space station, where it posed a slim chance of hitting the station. However, the debris passed by the station without incident and the spaceflyers were able to re-enter the station after about a half hour.”

For the complete Space.com article, please visit http://bit.ly/k2BVd6

Image courtesy of NASA

(ABC News) “A small asteroid, estimated between 16 and 65 feet in diameter, whipped past Earth this afternoon – missing by a mere 7,600 miles.  Asteroid 2011 MD approached Earth at 1 p.m. EDT.”

“NASA said that an object the size of Asteroid 2011 MD is expected to come this close to Earth about every six years on average. Scientists say that when Asteroid 2011 MD makes another pass in 2022, an impact with Earth is possible.”

“A larger, 1,300-foot asteroid, Asteroid 2005 YU55, is expected to flash past Earth on Nov. 8, 2011.”

For the complete article, visit:  http://abcn.ws/j4b2w9

Image courtesy ABC News

The workhorse of America’s aerospace program for the last 30 years, the Space Shuttle, is about to fly its last mission on July 8th.  Space.com has put together a wonderful article documenting NASA’s preparations for this final mission.   Included are some fantastic pictures.   Check it out at http://bit.ly/kHe9AE

The sun spewed out a huge solar flare (called a CME, or coronal mass ejection) on Tuesday, June 7th. Fortunately, we missed the brunt of the CME.

We are approaching a period that scientists call a “solar maximum”:  an eleven-year cycle of increased solar activity. With the world’s dependence on satellites for communications, scientists are concerned that a closer approach (or direct hit) of a CME could wipe out a good portion of the world’s satellite network. It could have even more far-reaching effects, such as shutting down electrical power grids on a global scale.

This is not a pie-in-the-sky worry. As mentioned in yesterday’s PC Magazine article: “In 1859, the biggest flare on record hit, creating auroras worldwide and interrupting telegraph service for weeks. Considering today’s connected world, and our reliance on satellites, a major solar storm could be disastrous.”

Is there any way we could protect ourselves from such an event? Unfortunately, not. The sun is essentially playing roulette with our technology infrastructure. All we can do is hope that our number doesn’t come up.

To read the PC Magazine article, including an incredible video of the flare as provided by NASA, please visit http://bit.ly/iP6pId.

P.S.  If there is any good news, it is that the solar flare set the stage for aurora borealis (“Northern Lights”). If the sky is clear in your portion of the U.S. tonight (June 9th), take a peek to the north. You may be treated to an extraordinary light show.

(Fast Company) Scientists have found a planet that is the best candidate yet to be Earth-like and capable of supporting life. It’s called Gliese 581d, and the weather is lovely.

There are no days on Gliese 581d; one side is perpetually light and one side is perpetually dark. People thought this would mean that the night side would be perpetually frozen. But a new study by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace found that because of the local star’s red light that penetrates deep into the heavy carbon atmosphere, the planet regulates heat quite well. Downside: It will always be a sort of red-hued dusk. And gravity is twice as strong, meaning it won’t be too pleasant to walk around. But at least we’ll be able to live there.

The problem, as with most things in space, is the distance. At 20 light years away, it would take 300,000 years [with current propulsion technology] to get there.

For the complete article, please visit http://bit.ly/kiVu3I

[Image is of the red moon, not of Gliese 581d, but you get the idea.  Image provided by Flickr user +gAbY+]

As my parents will attest, as a child I would wake them up at all hours of the night to see unique celestial events.   From meteor showers to planetary peculiarities, I’d bring them outside in my PJs to witness whatever spectacle was occurring.   Many decades later, these curiosities are still fascinating to me.   Click on the picture for an enlarged depiction. And the following is a nice summary by Space.com:

“If you get up any morning for the next few weeks, you’ll be treated to the sight of all the planets except Saturn arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky.  For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.  This sky map of the six planets shows how they should appear at dawn to observers with clear weather and an unobstructed view.”

The photos include the first color close-ups of the planet.  There have been “fly by” missions of the tiny planet.  But this is the first long-term, planet-orbiting mission.  The goal is to examine the geology, atmosphere, and magnetosphere during the craft’s year-long mission.  The vehicle was launched nearly seven years ago, on August 3, 2004.  For more details on this intriguing mission, and a great close-up photo, visit http://bit.ly/gUDTQz

(Space.com) “A fortuitous skywatching moment made for a beautiful image of the space shuttle Discovery in the night sky, even though what’s really happening in the picture is slightly less poetic. What looked like a bright shooting star with a wide, curly tail is most likely Discovery performing a waste water dump while soaring in orbit near the end of its 39th and final mission”. For photos and complete article, visit http://bit.ly/h73cNt

(Ars Technica) “Each year’s meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) seems to include at least one session on the search for ET. This year was no exception, with some very interesting presentations on what astrobiologists look for, the plans for the next Mars rover, and the role of NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer. “  For the complete article, click here.

(ScienceNews) This solar portrait captures the far side of the sun, hidden from Earth’s view, as seen by NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft. Now that the craft have begun an 8-year exploration of the sun’s far side, scientists for the first time have obtained 360-degree panoramas of the sun, as shown in an accompanying video. The dark crack is a narrow region where data still needs to be gathered.  Read full article here.

NASA REPORT:  When solar activity recently plunged into a century-class minimum, many experts were puzzled. Now a group of researchers say they have cracked the mystery of the missing sunspots.  Full article here.

Because of the huge solar flare yesterday, watch for aurora borealis (or “Northern Lights”) this week.  Years ago, I took a photo of this spectacle.   Check out the photo here.   If you get a chance to see the Northern Lights, don’t miss it.

I received lots of questions regarding the photographing aurora borealis.  Glad to provide some advice.

For tips on how to photograph the “Northern Lights” with your digital camera, as well as gallery of some spectacular photos, check out this Web page.