SOHO glimpsed oscillations on the Sun's surface. Credit: SOHO

It’s a puzzle – the outer atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona, is actually much hotter than the Sun itself. Now scientists using the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory think they may have found one of the reasons why: waves that run along the Sun’s magnetic field and reach far into space. The ripples of plasma may transfer energy to the corona.

• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory release on the ripples.
• NASA release on the ripples.
• Space.com on the ripple effect.

Lunar gas may be causing odd events on the Moon.

As early as 527 A.D, astute observers of the Moon have reported a variety of odd events on the Moon’s surface, including bright flashes, localized reddish hues and haze. Are these Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP) real? And if so what are they? Professor Arlin Crotts of Columbia suggests the changes can be traced to the emission of gas from the Moon’s surface.

• Crotts' Web page on TLP.
• Wikipedia on TLP.

The giant telescope took seven years to build.

Tests have begun on one of world’s largest optical telescopes, located on a mountaintop on the Canary Islands. Situated 7,900 feet above sea level, the huge Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) consists of a mirror measuring 34 feet across and is made up of 36 separate hexagonal mirror segments. This Spanish-led telescope will be able to spot some of faintest, most distant objects in universe.

• GTC Web site
• BBC story on the GTC
• Guardian story on the GTC

Location of the Orion Nebula from the Sky in Google Earth.

Google Earth let users explore the planet through satellite imagery. Now it’s letting those users turn their attention to the heavens.

Google Earth, working with the Space Telescope Science Institute, now offers a feature that explores the night sky. Users can browse the cosmos and zoom in to get Hubble images, background information and links.

And speaking of satellites, 2007 is the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, declared in 1957. Sixty-seven countries participated in the coordinated attempt to observe the globe and atmosphere. Americans and the Soviet Union successfully launched satellites as part of the program. The National Academy of Sciences is celebrating the anniversary with events around the United States.

• HubbleSite's gSky page.
• HubbleSite news release.
• Google Earth explains its new feature.
• The National Academy of Sciences on the International Geophysical Year.

A strangely shaped cloud of dust around a newborn star has astronomers scratching their heads. The lopsided disk may have been caused by the gravity of planets sweeping up debris in the disk, or by the gravity of a nearby star.

And Uranus’ rings are about to go missing. Every 42 years, Uranus’ orbit brings its thin rings in line with Earth, making them vanish like a sheet of paper held up on its edge at eye level. Astronomers use the opportunity to search for moons that might otherwise be hidden by the rings.

• Astronomers Find Highly Elliptical Disk Around Young Star
• Going, Going, Gone: Hubble Captures Uranus's Rings on Edge

The Moon takes on a reddish hue during an eclipse. Credit: Fred Espenak

Two to four times a year, the Moon passes through a portion of the Earth’s shadow, causing an eclipse. On August 28, skywatchers will be treated to a total lunar eclipse starting at 4:30 a.m. EST. All of North America will be able to see some portion of the eclipse. From the eastern USA, the Great Lakes region and Ontario, the Moon will sets while total eclipse. Only observers to the west of the Rockies (including Alaska) will be treated to the entire event.

• NASA's Eclipse Home Page.

Researchers are looking into the effects of a trip to the red planet.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking volunteers for a simulated trip to Mars. Six crew members will spend 17 months in an isolation tank, simulating a round trip to the Red Planet. The crew will live and work in series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow. Once the hatches close, their only contact with outside world will be through a radio link to “Earth.”

• ESA's call for volunteers.

Saturn's moon, Hyperion, is riddled with deep pits. Credit: NASA

One of the solar system’s strangest looking moons is Hyperion, which orbits the ringed planet Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft, now orbiting Saturn, photographed Hyperion a few years ago and revealed a moon that looks more like a sponge or coral than rock or ice. Now scientists think they know what causes the strange appearance.

• The Cassini mission's Hyperion page.