Tag: "solar activity"

The Sun Shows A Flare for the Dramatic

The Sun Shows A Flare for the Dramatic

A solar flare, associated with the big sunspot numbered 1402, erupted on January 23rd, launching a coronal mass ejection–a "cantaloupe" of plasma that makes Earth look like a grape. Rated as an M9-class flare, it packed umph just shy of what's necessary for adult "X-class" flaredom, the most powerful kind.

 
Ben Burress

Post on Jan 27, 2012 by from

The Last Hoorah for Solar Cycle 23?

The Last Hoorah for Solar Cycle 23?

Magnetic activity on March 27th; white indicates N magnetic poles, black S. Credit: ESA/SOHO/NASA. A few blogs back I wrote about the 11-year cycle of ups and downs in solar activity–the Solar Cycle –and how over the last year or so the baton was supposedly passed from Cycle 23 to Cycle 24. But there has [...]

 
Ben Burress

Post on Apr 11, 2008 by