Can mirage phenomena be traced on the sun?

It is suggested, that effects of total reflection and refraction may appear sometimes in various objects on the Sun in connection with grazing incidence towards layers formed by magnetic fields and perhaps also by electrostatic double layers or shock waves. It seems possible that such effects may influence sometimes the contrast of bright structures as well as dark structures at selective wavelengths as well as in white light.     

A comparison of the near-ultraviolet continuum and chromospheric emission line fluxes of the late-type giant stars

We investigate the near-ultraviolet high-resolution LWR spectra of the stars Cas, And, Tau, Gem, Cru, Boo, and Peg, obtained with the aid of the International Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite. We have given here a list of the strongest and most prevalent emission lines in the near-ultraviolet spectra of Boo, KlIIIp, and Peg, M2.5II-III which have the same luminosity class and different spectral type. The near-ultraviolet continuum flux measurements and integrated emission line fluxes of these stars for the 2500–3200 Å region are presented in order to compare the variations in the appearance of the near-ultraviolet flux distribution with the temperature structure of their chromospheres for K and M giant stars. We also discuss differences between observed and calculated fluxes found from the Planck function.     

North-South asymmetry in the solar flare index

This paper reports the results of a study of the N-S asymmetry in the flare index using the results of Knoka (1985) combined with our results for the solar cycles 17 to the current cycle 22. By comparing the time-variation of the asymmetry curve with the solar activity variation of the 11-year cycle, we have found that the flare index asymmetry curve is not in phase with the solar cycle and that the asymmetry peaks during solar minimum. A periodic behaviour in the N-S asymmetry appears: the activity in one hemisphere is more important during the ascending part of the cycle whereas during the descending part the activity becomes more important in the other hemisphere. The dominance of flare activity in the southern hemisphere continues during cycle 22 and, according to our findings, this dominance will increase gradually during the following cycle 23.     

COMMENTS ON THE PAPER: RECALCULATION OF H-Lα SKY SURVEYS: NO NEED FOR ANISOTROPIC SOLAR WIND MASS OUTFLOWS?

In a recently published paper, Scherer and Fahr (1995) claimed that the departures of sky L emission measured by Prognoz 5 and 6 from an optically thin model can be attributed entirely to deficiencies of the optically thin approximation, and are not due to variations of solar wind ionization rate with latitude, as advocated since many years by our research group. They base their claim on the result of their new sophisticated model of L radiation transport.It is shown here that their new model, in the simple case of isotropic solar wind, predicts a distribution of intensity in a simple geometry which is completely contradicted by the observations: they find a minimum of intensity near the upwind direction, where a maximum has been observed consistently by all L instruments. Therefore, their conclusion based on an erroneous model must be rejected.     

Palaeoseismology of the Havran-Balıkesir Fault Zone: evidence for past earthquakes in the strike-slip-dominated contractional deformation along the southern branches of the North Anatolian fault in northwest Turkey

The Havran-Bal?kesir Fault Zone (HBFZ) is one of the major active structures of the Southern Marmara Region, which has been shaped by the southern branch of North Anatolian fault since the Pliocene. HBFZ is a 10–12 km wide, 120 km long, right-lateral strike-slip fault zone that consists of two ENE-striking main faults, namely, the Havran-Balya and Bal?kesir faults. The 90-km-long Havran-Balya fault exhibits right-stepping en echelon geometry and is made up of (1) Havran, (2) Osmanlar, (3) Turplu and (4) Ovac?k fault segments. On the eastern part, the 70-km-long Bal?kesir fault is divided into two fault segments; (1) Gökçeyaz? and (2) Kepsut. We estimated the long-term slip rate between 3.59 and 3.78 mm/yr using river offset. The Kepsut, Gökçeyaz? and Ovac?k fault segments are capable of generating an earthquake with a moment magnitude of up to 7.2. Detailed palaeoseismological studies show that the HBFZ is responsible for some surface faulting earthquakes with an average recurrence interval of 1000–2000 years during the late Holocene. Considering the fact that there was no evidence of a surface-ruptured earthquake for 2000 years, it can be stated that there is a seismic gap on the Gökçeyaz? fault segment.     

Sloshing in a three-dimensional rectangular tank: Numerical simulation and experimental validation

Pressure variations and three-dimensional effects on liquid sloshing loads in a moving partially filled rectangular tank have been carried out numerically and experimentally. A numerical algorithm based on the volume of fluid (VOF) technique is used to study the non-linear behavior and damping characteristics of liquid sloshing. A moving coordinate system is used to include the non-linearity and avoid the complex boundary conditions of moving walls. The numerical model solves the complete Navier–Stokes equations in primitive variables by using of the finite difference approximations. In order to mitigate a series of discrete impacts, the signal computed is averaged over several time steps. In order to assess the accuracy of the method used, computations are compared with the experimental results. Several configurations of both baffled and unbaffled tanks are studied. Comparisons show good agreement for both impact and non- impact type slosh loads in the cases investigated.