Hi everybody

Here's the latest article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.com.

Carrington Event – Biggest Solar Storm on Record
Dazzling aurorae filled the skies. Birds thought it was morning, people thought the world was ending. The telegraph didn't work. But strangely, sometimes the telegraph operators could send messages without a power supply. This was the Carrington Event, the biggest solar storm ever recorded.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art300256.asp

*Anniversaries*

Vesto Slipher was born on November 11, 1875. He was the director of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, and the discoverer of galactic red shift, which made Edwin Hubble's work possible. Slipher was the one who hired Clyde Tombaugh and supervised the work that led to the discovery of Pluto.

William Herschel's 276th birth anniversary is on Saturday, November 15. More about Herschel's life: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art300195.asp

*Philae has landed!*

The big story this week is that Rosetta's lander Philae has successfully landed on the comet and is returning data. Its stay may be prolonged, but its working life is limited to the battery power that it has. The comet is too far from the Sun for Philae to get much of a recharge. But it is a formidable achievement for the Rosetta mission to have accomplished what it has so far – and there's more to come as it follows the comet into the inner Solar System.

The composer Vangelis – Chariots of Fire – has written three pieces of music inspired by the Rosetta mission: Arrival, Philae's Journey, and Rosetta's Waltz. You can find them on my board “Astronomy and Music” http://www.pinterest.com/astrobella/astronomy-and-music/ There is also some music composed by William Herschel.

Please visit astronomy.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Astronomy.

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I welcome your feedback!

Do pass this message along to family and friends who might also be interested. Remember it's free and without obligation.

I wish you clear skies.

Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor
http://astronomy.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com
.