2021-12-28 Weekly SCHH Ham Club This and That
Items of Interest:
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made history as it became the first spacecraft to “touch the sun.” The probe was launched in 2018 to study the solar winds that emanate from the sun.
After circling the sun eight times, the probe entered the sun’s atmosphere to gather particle samples from the corona.
“Parker Solar Probe “touching the Sun” is a monumental moment for solar science and a truly remarkable feat,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Not only does this milestone provide us with deeper insights into our Sun’s evolution and its impacts on our solar system, but everything we learn about our own star also teaches us more about stars in the rest of the universe.”
The probe was about 8.1 million miles above the surface of the sun when its instruments detected specific readings indicating it had entered the sun’s atmosphere. As it orbited the sun, the probe passed in and out of the corona, which proves that the Alfvén critical surface, the point at which the solar atmosphere ends and solar winds begin, is not uniform in shape or size.
The probe will head deeper into the sun during its next flyby in January 2022, when it is expected to get within 3.83 million miles of the sun’s surface.
“Flying so close to the Sun, Parker Solar Probe now senses conditions in the magnetically dominated layer of the solar atmosphere – the corona – that we never could before,” said Nour Raouafi, the Parker project scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “We see evidence of being in the corona in magnetic field data, solar wind data, …”
HAMFESTS & CONVENTIONS:
Orlando, FL – February 11-13, 2022
Charlotte, NC – March 11-12, 2022
Note: They are monitoring COVID situation and expect to give “final” go-ahead by February 11th
Raleigh, NC – April 16th, 2022
Humor:
Meetings:
The next membership meeting will be face-to-face at Pinckney Hall on January 6th at 7 PM. Bob Heil will be the guest speaker and will start the meeting. If we are lucky, there will not be time for anything else.
Club Website:
The URL is https://www.ke4ham.org. If you notice any errors or have site-related questions, email: webmaster@ke4ham.org.
Nets:
Wednesday Nets (8 PM) operates from KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+ and Echolink node: KE4HAM-R
Sunday NET (8 PM) operates on 147.550 MHz simplex and Echolink node:
KE4HAM – L
Other operating:
Daily — DX spotting and open chat 24/7 on 147.550 MHz simplex and the Jasper Repeater, 147.060+ (no Echolink).
AD5EN – SCHH Amateur Radio Club VP 2021, President 2022