The departure of active sunspot AR1504 has left the Earth-facing side of the sun quiet and nearly blank.
Only one small emerging sunspot interrupts the empty expanse photographed this morning by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
With no significant active regions facing Earth, NOAA forecasters estimate a mere 1% chance of strong M- or X-class solar flares.
Solar activity should remain low for at least the next 24 hours.
GB60HRH Qsl cards arrived from the printer at UX5UO Qsl print this morning.
All cards processed and in the mail by lunchtime!
Qsl cards via M0OXO
The European Space Agency (ESA) has formally approved an international collaboration of about 1 x 105 scientists from research institutes across Europe, along with some Americans, to design and build the satellite Euclid. Expected to be launched later this decade, Euclid will map approximately 2 x 109 galaxies and the dark matter around them. The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) is involved in developing one of the two instruments for the Euclid space telescope. Using a telescope with a 1.2 m aperture, the Euclid mission will map a radius of about 1 x 1010 light years from earth; this is equivalent to mapping the evolution of the Universe over about three quarters of its history. This equates to 40% of the entire sky.
The deep-field mission will cover a patch of sky equivalent to 100 times the size of the full moon, or 1.5 x 104 times the angular area covered by the Hubble Space Telescope’s “Ultra Deep Field” exposure. The combination of depth and sky coverage might allow Euclid to detect the first galaxies that formed at the beginning of the Universe.
June 2012 newsletter from Randy W6SJ;
I am pleased to give you all a progress report. We should all be pleased at our efforts. ARRL made an announcement recently that the LOtW user total had reached 50,000. I think that is a fair measure of the size of the DX community and compares reasonably well with the number of unique call signs worked by the big DXpeditions.
In our case, our flag counter says we have had 53,000 unique visitors. Interestingly, our survey said that a number of people are repeat visitors. I’d like to provide unique content to keep them coming back but am running out of ideas. Thoughts are welcome. So I think that while I am not sure we have saturated the minds of every DXer, I think they all know of us and what we stand for.
It is also interesting to note that many DXpeditions are putting up our Code and/or our logo and a link to our website, many doing without it being brought to their attention. That said, there are some who are oblivious or just forgot. So we try to enlist them. I have only had one group that misunderstood our goals and responded that they “were all experienced and didn’t need any help.” BTW, that DXpedition got “poor grades” for operating skills from many who got or tried to get a QSO.
I think that I continue to be frustrated at understanding human behavior. I think I don’t know any more about that than I did 50 years ago. We really do not have a Ham Rule Book. Most sports have adopted strict rules. Consider The Rules of Golf. Every golfer knows them. All follow them in tournaments, and the great majority follows them in weekly games. Importantly, no one will place even a “friendly bet” with the guys who cheat.
Our hobby is different from golf because we don’t go out with a foursome of buddies who know what we do. It’s a solitary activity and by and large no one who knows you can hear you, whether you are operating well or acting like a jerk, which I think of as cheating. You operate according to your character and usually only you know what you will do if you get frustrated and it triggers a thoughtless act.
I think our mission now is to raise the consciousness level of every DXer so as to spread the word. We don’t want them to “know about the Code.” We want them to believe it and abide by it. The more we bore into the consciousness of every DXer, the better those pileups will be. The more that the DXpedition leaders really train their operators, the better those pileups will be managed.
We know that there will be operators who employ poor practices just as a minister looks out upon his congregation on Sunday morning and he KNOWS that a few of those smiling faces belong to people who will in the next week engage in the very sins about which he is admonishing them.
That thought inspires me to re-double our efforts. We should not forget that many of us will be “replaced” in coming years by a new generation of “old fogies.” How will they learn to operate? Will they learn and be inspired to abide by the Code? Or will they learn from the jerks?
With that thought in mind I close with this quote from Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, N.J.
“We have to fight the dangerous streams in culture, the consumerism and narcissism and me-ism that erode the borders of our moral culture,” he said. “We can’t put shallow celebrity before core decency. We have to have a deeper faith in the human spirit. As they say, he who has the heart to help has the right to complain.”
He wasn’t talking about amateur radio operators, but he might as well have. Those who read this do believe and do have a right to complain about those jerks because we all sincerely have the heart to help and are doing so.
Finally, lean on your national society to support the Code publicly and put it at their website. For U.S. hams, I continue to be embarrassed that the ARRL is still just ignoring our existence. Take a minute to write or e-mail to your Section and Division Leaders and to management at Newington.
I thank you for your help and for your positive words of encouragement. And please forward this newletter to your pals and members of your local ARC.
Read the full DX Code Of Conduct by clicking this link ; http://www.m0oxo.com/dxcode-of-conduct.html
China’s space program took another leap forward this week when Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong 1 space station.
Not long after the docking, which occured on Monday, June 18th, the joined spacecraft passed directly in front of the sun over Xinzhou, China, where amateur astronomer Su Shaojie recorded the split-second transit.
The newly-manned Tiangong 1 is visible in the night sky, glowing about as brightly as a 1st magnitude star. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker or your smartphone for sighting opportunities.
The LOTW account for Frank CM5FZ was finally uploaded today and 400 confirmations made immediately. Apologies for the delay in sorting this one, we were waiting for his new Radio licence being issued before we proceeded,
Paper ‘traditional’ Qsl cardS available via MØOXO OQRS
A large asteroid that scientists initially thought could pose a threat to Earth in the year 2040 will actually whizz safely by our planet and leave our world unscathed.
The new prediction is based on new research of the asteroid 2011 AG5, which was discovered in January 2011. The space rock measures approximately 460 feet (140 meters) wide, and was spotted during the Catalina Sky Survey, which is operated by the University of Arizona in Tucson. Several observatories monitored 2011 AG5 for nine months before it was too far and faint to be detected.
What was known about 2011 AG5’s orbital path, however, showed there was a small possibility that the space rock could collide with Earth in 28 years. But, at a recent workshop at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., scientists presented new findings, and said they are confident that in the next four years, ground- and space-based observations will indicate that the chance of 2011 AG5 missing Earth will be greater than 99 percent.
When the asteroid is approximately 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) away from Earth in 2023, astronomers will have an even clearer picture of the degree of hazard posed by 2011 AG5.
Despite no new GFF representative being appointed as yet, Green Day 2012 Awards are still available from MØOXO.
Several stations have so far claimed their Awards for the green Day event that was held earlier this month. All details can be found on this link.
GFF Awards will continue to be available whilstever there is the need for them and/or supplies run out. Email me with any questions here.
For all those waiting for the cards from Michael (G7VJR) for his recent operation as GQ7VJR, I can report that cards arrived yesterday morning and were processed in the evening.
All cards, both Direct and OQRS will be mailed today (Direct) and next week (Bureau). Qsl is of course via M0OXO
Not long to go now to the yearly jaunt of the StrumbleHead Team to Ramsey Island, of the South West Coast of Wales.
MC0SHL will be QRV from 12th thro 16th July 2012 on all HF Bands using SSB and Digimodes. Listen for us as well on 6m, the band was in good shape last year so remember to keep a look out for MC0SHL.
Ramsey is named after Saint David (Dewi Sant) and is the Patron Saint of Wales. It was also the home of his Confessor Saint Justinian. The Island is less than 2 miles long and its highest point is 136M (446ft) above sea level. It is renowned mainly for its Seabird Colonies as well as its steep Cliffs and other wonderful scenery. It also has the most important Grey Seal Colony in Southern britain today. Photo above is taken from Ramsey island and looking across the water to mainland Wales.
