Johannes Kepler is probably most well known for developing the laws of planetary motion. He was also a keen solar observer and in 1607 made some wonderful observations of our nearest star using a camera obscura. His drawings were wonderfully precise and enabled astronomers to pinpoint where the Sun was in its 11-year cycle. Having taken into account Kepler’s location and the location of sunspots, a team of researchers have identified the Sun was nearing the end of solar cycle-13.
Continue reading “Kepler Sketched the Sun in 1607. Astronomers Pinpointed the Solar Cycle”Solar Flares and Solar Magnetic Reconnection Get New Spotlight in Two Blazing Studies
Two recent studies published in The Astrophysical Journal discuss findings regarding solar flare properties and a new classification index and the Sun’s magnetic field, specifically what’s called solar magnetic reconnection. These studies hold the potential to help researchers better understand the internal processes of the Sun, specifically pertaining to solar flare activity and space weather. Here, Universe Today discusses these two studies with both lead authors regarding the motivation behind the studies, significant results, and implications on our understanding regarding solar flares and space weather.
Continue reading “Solar Flares and Solar Magnetic Reconnection Get New Spotlight in Two Blazing Studies”Seeing Both Sides of the Sun at the Same Time
As everybody who saw May’s spectacular auroral displays knows, the Sun is in its most active period in 11 years. The active region sunspot group that unleased the giant X-class flare rotated around the Sun, away from our direct view. But, that isn’t keeping the Solar Orbiter from spotting what’s happening with it and other active regions as they travel around on the Sun.
Continue reading “Seeing Both Sides of the Sun at the Same Time”Do We Now Have an Accurate Map of Nearby Stars?
If the Sun has a stellar neighbourhood, it can be usefully defined as a 20 parsec (65 light-years) sphere centred on our star. Astronomers have been actively cataloguing the stellar population in the neighbourhood for decades, but it hasn’t been easy since many stars are small and dim.
Even with all of the challenges inherent in the effort, astronomers have made steady progress. Do we now have a complete catalogue?
Continue reading “Do We Now Have an Accurate Map of Nearby Stars?”Was Earth’s Climate Affected by Interstellar Clouds?
Scientists scour the Earth and the sky for clues to our planet’s climate history. Powerful and sustained volcanic eruptions can alter the climate for long periods of time, and the Sun’s output can shift Earth’s climate over millions of years.
But what about interstellar hydrogen clouds? Can these regions of gas and dust change Earth’s climate when the planet encounters them?
Continue reading “Was Earth’s Climate Affected by Interstellar Clouds?”The Sun’s Magnetic Field Might Only Be Skin Deep
It’s coming back! Sunspot AR3664 gave us an amazing display of northern lights in mid-May and it’s now rotating back into view. That means another great display if this sunspot continues to flare out. It’s all part of solar maximum—the peak of an 11-year cycle of solar active and quiet times. This cycle is the result of something inside the Sun—the solar dynamo. A team of scientists suggests that this big generator lies not far beneath the solar surface. It creates a magnetic field and spurs flares and sunspots.
Continue reading “The Sun’s Magnetic Field Might Only Be Skin Deep”That Recent Solar Storm Was Detected Almost Three Kilometers Under the Ocean
On May 10th, 2024, people across North America were treated to a rare celestial event: an aurora visible from the Eastern Seabord to the Southern United States. This particular sighting of the Northern Lights (aka. Aurora Borealis) coincided with the most extreme geomagnetic storm since 2003 and the 27th strongest solar flare ever recorded. This led to the dazzling display that was visible to residents all across North America but was also detected by some of Ocean Networks Canada‘s (ONC) undersea sensors at depths of almost three kilometers.
Continue reading “That Recent Solar Storm Was Detected Almost Three Kilometers Under the Ocean”The Sun Hurls its Most Powerful Flare in a Decades
The Sun has been vying for attention these last couple of weeks. First with the appearance of a fabulous complex sunspot region and then with a plethora of solar flares. On the 14th May, yet another was released, this time an X8.7 class flare from the same complex sunspot regions. It was significantly more powerful than the flare that set off the aurora displays which enchanted much of the planet but alas it was not pointing toward the Earth ( 🙁 sad emoji face.) Even though it was not directed at us, it could still disrupt communications and electronics but is a reminder that the Sun, whilst is on its way to solar maximum still has lots to give.
Continue reading “The Sun Hurls its Most Powerful Flare in a Decades”Solar Max is Coming. The Sun Just Released Three X-Class Flares
The Sun is increasing its intensity on schedule, continuing its approach to solar maximum. In just over a 24-hour period on May 5 and May 6, 2024, the Sun released three X-class solar flares measuring at X1.3, X1.2, and X4.5. Solar flares can impact radio communications and electric power grids here on Earth, and they also pose a risk to spacecraft and astronauts in space.
NASA released an animation that shows the solar flares blasting off the surface of the rotating Sun, below.
Continue reading “Solar Max is Coming. The Sun Just Released Three X-Class Flares”Solar Orbiter Takes a Mind-Boggling Video of the Sun
You’ve seen the Sun, but you’ve never seen the Sun like this. This single frame from a video captured by ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission shows the Sun looking very …. fluffy! You can see feathery, hair-like structures made of plasma following magnetic field lines in the Sun’s lower atmosphere as it transitions into the much hotter outer corona. The video was taken from about a third of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
See the full video below, which shows unusual features on the Sun, including coronal moss, spicules, and coronal rain.
Continue reading “Solar Orbiter Takes a Mind-Boggling Video of the Sun”