Aurora Australis

        Among the views of Earth afforded astronauts aboard the +International Space Station (ISS), surely one of the most spectacular is of the aurora. These ever-shifting displays of colored ribbons, curtains, rays, and spots are most visible near the North (aurora borealis) and South (aurora australis) Poles as charged particles (ions) streaming from the Sun (the solar wind) interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

While aurora are generally only visible close to the poles, severe magnetic storms impacting the Earth’s magnetic field can shift them towards the equator. This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the +Sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 kilometers (220 miles), with the astronaut observer most likely looking towards Antarctica (not visible) and the South Pole.
       The aurora has a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image. While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red left of image center. Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of the Earth’s horizon (the limb) is clearly visible, as is the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere directly above it (at image top center). Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at image top right.

      Auroras happen when ions in the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. The atoms are excited by these collisions, and they typically emit light as they return to their original energy level. The light creates the aurora that we see. The most commonly observed color of aurora is green, caused by light emitted by excited oxygen atoms at wavelengths centered at 0.558 micrometers, or millionths of a meter. (Visible light is reflected from healthy (green) plant leaves at approximately the same wavelength.) Red aurora are generated by light emitted at a longer wavelength (0.630 micrometers), and other colors

Yes, the freedom is yours: Extreme Supermoon

Yes, the freedom is yours: Extreme Supermoon: SUPERMOON Credits : JPL/NASA The term super-moon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 , defined as a new or full moon which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit .In short, Earth, Moon and Sun are all in a line, with Moon in its nearest approach to Earth.

The technical term for this phenomenon is a perigee - syzygy which is shortened to "supermoon"!!
Well March 19 2011 has witnessed one of the "ExtremeSuperMoon" phenomenon..... which is repeating itself after an interval of 18 yrs..
Actualy its a common misconception that supermoon is a phenomena which occurs after 18 yrs,in truth there are about 4-6 super moons annually.The extreme supermoon of march 19 2011 is the second super moon of the year....


The difference between a normal moon and a super moon is that

The Super-moon is
-> 14% larger
-> 30% brighter
To explain this phenomenon we must notice that the path of the moon around earth is elliptical (relatively) with earth at one of its focii and at perigee position the moon is closest to the earth and at this time we observe this miraculous phenomena..


The picture below shows the size differences observed at different positions in moons elliptical orbit.

full moon at apogee and perigee
Apogee and prigee of moon, Size difference can be clearly noted..

Due to the super moon phenomena the variations in tide,(ie is high tides and low tides) would be higher than normal.
This could be explained by the considering the inverse square law relation,

During a super moon event the "r"(distance) would be very short compared to the other times, So there would be a high gravitational pull...and this pull results in the different tide levels..

The following is a list of past and predicted extreme super-moons.

* November 10, 1954
* November 20, 1972
* January 8, 1974
* February 26, 1975
* December 2, 1990
* January 19, 1992
* March 8, 1993
* January 10, 2005
* December 12, 2008
* January 30, 2010
* March 19, 2011
* November 14, 2016
* January 2, 2018
* January 21, 2023
* November 25, 2034
* January 13, 2036

Astrologers of the past belive that occurence of a supermoon (its prediction) is a sign of a impending disaster to come..and the coincidence of many natural disasters with this phenomenon is striking.
There is a huge group of people who are blaming super moon for the march 11 tsunami that struck in Japan.In my point of view it is totally absurd.

Perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The "super moon" of March 1983 & SuperMoon of Dec. 2008 were harmless contradicting its relation with Natural disasters...

All I want to point out is that dont blame supermoon for the natural calamities we are facing. And guys remember by doing so we are spoiling once a life time opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the miracles of nature.

How long will life exist??

    The earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. But, the thing that matters the most is HOW LONG will life on it thrive?? It is said that planet Earth would last for about 8 billion years or so until the sun becomes a red giant, destroying our planet. It could even be earlier if a body large enough to destroy the earth collides with it. By then, life on earth would be a history "for our souls" to talk about.

    The gradual but unintended changes in our climate due to man's deeds have caused our mother planet to deteriorate, the major cause being global warming and pollution.
    Most of the sun's rays reaching the earth are absorbed by the ozone layer present in the stratosphere but presently, the amount of heat and radiant energy reaching the earth and that reflected by the ozone layer is largely contrasting. This is due to the presence of ozone holes in the earth's stratosphere. Ozone is depleted mainly due to its catalytic destruction by atomic halogens formed due to the dissociation of halo-carbon(C-X) refrigerants like CFCs, Freons and Halons. In the presence of UV light, these halo-carbon molecules dissociate leaving free halogen atoms. These halogen atoms act as a catalyst for ozone depletion. The growth of these ozone holes are more pronounced towards Antarctica. The decrease in the thickness of the ozone layer causes the UV rays to penetrate to the surface causing sunburns, skin cancer, cataracts, reduction in the phytoplankton population in the oceans and damages to plants.
     The Greenhouse Effect also accounts for the increase in the surface temperature. A greenhouse is made of transparent material like plastic or glass.It mainly heats up because the Sun warms the ground inside, which then warms the air in the greenhouse. The air continues to heat because it is confined within the greenhouse, unlike the environment outside the greenhouse where warm air near the surface rises and mixes with cooler air aloft. The earth itself can be considered as a greenhouse. The major greenhouse gases include water vapor(35-70%), carbon dioxide(9-26%), methane(4-9%), ozone(3-7%). A part of the sun rays reaching the earth surface are reflected by the earth surface. These green house gases warm the earth by re-radiating some of the energy back towards the surface.As a result of the increase in temperature round the world, the silicate rock cycle speeds up, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and depositing it as calcium carbonate in the oceans. Thus, plants won’t be able to survive, and everything depending on them dies too.
     The most important source of these harmful gases is from the emissions from industries, motor vehicles, refrigerators etc. The concentrations of CO and methane have increased by 36% and 148% respectively since 1750. These levels are much higher than at any time during the last 800,000 years. The unlimited use of petroleum have caused not only its diminish but also an increase of about 20% of CO over the past twenty years. The excessive cutting of trees have made the natural cycles unstable and they have contributed for about 60% increase in the CO content. The increase in population have caused more industrial production, more felling of trees and hence, larger accumulation of greenhouse gases. So to control these adverse effects to a large extent, we have to change our life style. We have to lessen up the usage of fossil fuels, control the emissions from industries and motor vehicles, support afforestation and important of all, abide to the 3 R's(Reduce, Re-use and Recycle).


     According to the present assessment, life on earth wouldn't survive beyond a period of about half a billion years or so if this continues to be the situation.

Most important of all is to understand that we humans are the ones who make up our destiny. It's time we introspect and make changes to our lifestyle so that our future generations live in peace.