The northwestern limb of the sun is crackling with M-class solar flares. The source appears to be departing sunspot complex 1280-1286. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emerging from the blast site are not Earth-directed. Nevertheless, these flares are having a minor
This morning at 1145 UT, an active region on the sun’s western limb unleashed an M3-class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the flash of extreme UV radiation:Although the blast site was not directly facing Earth, radiation from the explosion
Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring sine wave 400,000 km long. It’s an enormous filament of magnetism slithering over the sun’s northeastern limb:One of the wave troughs appears to be passing through the core of sunspot 1282. If so, an eruption
Sunspots are emerging at several locations around the solar disk, peppering the Earth-side of the sun with active regions. Of particular interest is fast-growing sunspot 1282, shown here in an August 31st snapshot from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:AR1282 has
NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of polar geomagnetic activity today in response to the expected impact of an incoming solar wind stream. Solar activity is at very low levels and there is currently no chance for strong solar flares on the earth facing side of…
A yawning dark hole in the sun's atmosphere is spewing solar wind toward Earth. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the opening during the early hours of Aug. 26th: Solar wind flowing from this coronal hole is expected to arrive on Aug. 28-29,…
A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of August 24th, sparking geomagnetic activity around the Arctic Circle. "Bright, fast-moving auroras lit up the sky just after midnight," reports Sean M. Scully, who sends this picture f
Every time you look, sunspot 1271 has a new outline. For the past two days the active region has been in a constant state of change, altering its shape on an hourly basis. Click on the image for 48 hours of shape-shifting:These rapid changes have caused the
After a weekend of quiet decay, sunspots 1271 and 1272 are growing again. Click on the image to view 24 hours of development:The increase in size has not yet translated into a significant increase in flares. Solar activity remains low, although this could change if
A double-barreled hole has opened up in the sun’s atmosphere and it is spewing a split-stream of solar wind toward Earth. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this composite UV image of the double coronal hole on August 20th:Sky watchers should be alert for
