We present a visual determination of the number of bright points (BPs) existing in the quiet Sun, which are structures thought to trace intense kG magnetic concentrations. The measurement is based on a 0farcs1 angular resolution G-band movie obtained with the Swedish Solar Telescope at the solar disk center. We find 0.97 BPs Mm-2, which is a factor 3 larger than any previous estimate. It corresponds to 1.2 BPs per solar granule. Depending on the details of the segmentation, the BPs cover between 0.9% and 2.2% of the solar surface. Assuming their field strength to be 1.5 kG, the detected BPs

In a recently published differential analysis (see ApJ, 724, 1536, Dec. 1 issue) , we have derived abundance corrections for iron lines, using synthetic spectra from solar magnetoconvection simulations that were performed via running the Copenhagen stagger-code on massively-parallel clusters. The series of 3D snapshots used for the spectral synthesis covers 2.5 solar hours in the statistically stationary regime of the convection.Crucially, we show that the effect of magnetic fields on solar abundancedeterminations can not be neglected. This is equally valid for all three different Fe

The CoRoT satellite discovers the first Jupiter-like exoplanet, which can be studied in detail when it passes in front of its central star. The CoRoT satellite, operated by the French space agency CNES, has discovered a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a star similar to the Sun in the constellation Serpens Cauda at a distance of 1.500 light-years from the Earth. The parameters of this gas giant, which has features in common with the majority of exoplanets discovered so far, represents a valuable standard model when it comes to identifying new Jovian-type bodies with moderate temperatures

The quiet Sun (the 99%, or more, of the solar surface not covered by sunspots or active regions) is receiving increased attention in recent years; its role on the global magnetism and its complexity are being increasingly recognised. A picture of a rather stochastic quiet Sun magnetism is emerging . From these recent works, the quiet Sun magnetism is presented as a myriad of magnetic field vectors having an isotropical distribution with a cascade of scales down to the mean free path of the photon (1 marcsec, or 10km on the solar surface). But this chaotic representation also shows clear

El mayor telescopio espacial comienza a realizar el cartografiado extragaláctico HerMES, un proyecto astrofísico internacional que estudia la formación y evolución de galaxias en el Universo lejano

Fecha: Martes, 22 de diciembre de 2009Hora: 11’30h Lugar: Organización Mundial del Turismo (Capitán Haya 42, Madrid) La Fundación Starlight, con el apoyo de la UNESCO y la OMT, presenta una iniciativa innovadora para la fusión de turismo y ciencia en destinos turísticos. Esta innovación es la certificación turística Starlight, una alianza entre el turismo y la ciencia, para promover destinos en base a criterios científicos. En este caso, la calidad del cielo nocturno para la observación astronómica y la creación de productos y servicios turísticos que la exploten. A impulsos del Instituto de