NASA
Forget the dark side of the moon. After a new NASA breakthrough, we can now see the far side of the sun. (via TIME)
Why should we care about imaging the whole sun? According to Michael D. Lemonick over at TIME.com, we don’t like the sun when it’s angry. The star occasionally erupts masses of charged subatomic particles, which seriously mess with NASA.
These eruptions, known as coronal mass ejections, aren’t enough to hurt the planet physically […] What they can do is fry the electronics of communications satellites, and even put astronauts in danger of a radiation overdose. These electronic storms are part of the broader phenomenon known as “space weather,” and it’s good to have as much warning as possible when the Sun is looking angry.
A new spacecraft has made it possible to determine when coronal mass ejections happen, no matter where they occur on the sun’s surface. And aside from potentially protecting astronauts, they also produce great video. Check out NASA’s clip below, and read more about the breakthrough at TIME.com.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1N2h5cLySs&w=450]