Ups and downs in the daily minimum solar irradiance

Ups and downs in the daily minimum solar irradiance

With quite regular intervals of about 27 days which Sun takes to make full rotation circle, the Sun alternates between an active hemisphere with relatively many sunspots , and a hemispheric “face” that is pretty much void of these dark blemishes. For as long as it

International Space Station maneuvers to record the complete rotation of Sun

International Space Station maneuvers to record the complete rotation of Sun

This weekend the International Space Station will turn itself to position ESA’s SOLAR instrument for a better view of the Sun. This would be the first time ISS has changed attitude for scientific reasons alone.SOLAR instrument was installed on ESA’s Columbus

Our magnificent Sun – Solar cycle 24

Our magnificent Sun – Solar cycle 24

The solar cycle (or solar magnetic activity cycle) is the periodic change in the sun’s activity (including changes in the levels of solar radiation and ejection of solar material) and appearance (visible in changes in the number of sunspots, flares, and other

JHelioviewer software: A different way to watch the Sun

JHelioviewer software: A different way to watch the Sun

JHelioviewer is visualization software that enables everyone, anywhere to explore the Sun. Developed as part of the ESA/NASA Helioviewer Project, it provides a desktop program that enables users to call up images of the Sun from the past 15 years. Software contains

Prominent view

Prominent view

The Sun is constantly roiling with nuclear heat and intense magnetism that make sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, and all sorts of space weather. When directed toward Earth, those solar blasts can disrupt satellite and radio communications, damage our

SOHO’s Greatest Hits – Volumes 1 – 6

SOHO’s Greatest Hits – Volumes 1 – 6

The following images are a compilation of the best anomalies found from the SOHO probe by SolarWatcher. SOHO, the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, is a project of international collaboration between ESA and NASA to study the Sun from its deep core to the

ESA’s Proba-2 recorded three partial solar eclipses last night

ESA’s Proba-2 recorded three partial solar eclipses last night

Proba-2 sun observing satellite experienced three partial solar eclipses last night while ground-observers watching from northern Australia witnessed a total solar eclipse. ESA’s Proba-2 satellite passed through the Moon’s shadow a total of three times during the

This November brings total solar eclipse and penumbral lunar eclipse

This November brings total solar eclipse and penumbral lunar eclipse

November brings us two eclipses in the month. Total solar eclipse will occur on November 13 and penumbral lunar eclipse on November 28, 2012. On November 13, residents of northeastern Australia will see the sun fully obscured by the moon, whose shadow will darken the

Solar monitors offline due the superstorm impact on US East Coast

Solar monitors offline due the superstorm impact on US East Coast

While most are focused on Sandy and its epic impact on US East Coast those of you focused on space weather events have probably noticed that there is blackout of solar observing data providers. The SDO, SOHO, STEREO and Helioviewer sites are all offline. Websites are

Visualization of Sun’s magnetic fields: Gradient Sun

Visualization of Sun’s magnetic fields: Gradient Sun

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s visualization studio made an amazing video of Sun using a gradient filter which highlighted the details of the sun’s complex magnetic fields. Gradient filter helps researchers in better understanding how solar activity affects