EarthSky

January 3, 2023

Latest Updates About Solar Activity

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] What's happening on the Sun this week? Find out about our current space weather & what we can expect here on Earth. (Image: NASA/SDO)
September 20, 2022

Aurora Season: Why More Auroras at Equinoxes?

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] This week started with the return of region AR3088, now labeled AR3102. Activity increased by the weekend with several M flares and the return of region AR3089. (Image: David Mark)
August 1, 2022

Limb Darkening is an Optical Effect on the Sun

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Limb darkening is an effect we can see on the sun where the edges of the sun are darker than the center, due to the amount of photosphere we're looking at.
May 3, 2022

Why are East & West on the Sun Reversed?

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] East and west on the sun are opposite from what you might expect. On the sun, east is to the left and west is to the right. Learn why here. (Image: NASA/SDO)
May 2, 2022

A Grand Solar Minimum? Or a Normal Sun?

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] A Grand Solar Minimum happens when the peaks of several solar cycles in a row show less than average intensity. Are we in one? (Image: NOAA)
May 1, 2022

What Does the Sun’s X-Ray Flux Tell Us?

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Solar physicists often speak of the sun's X-ray flux as being high, or low. Solar flares are like waves on the background ocean of the sun's X-ray flux.
March 26, 2022

Solar Filaments, aka Prominences, Arc Upwards

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Solar filaments (aka prominences, when viewed on the limb of the sun) are large, bright arcs of solar material and magnetic fields.
March 24, 2022

Aurora Season: Why More Auroras at Equinoxes?

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] This pattern in nature – auroras increasing twice a year – is one of the earliest patterns ever to be observed and recorded by scientists.
March 19, 2022

Sun activity: Possible CME Sideswipe Weekend of March 18

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Sun activity for March 19, 2022. As you can see from the image, most of the activity right now is occurring on the limbs of the sun, as seen from Earth’s perspective. Image via NASA SDO.
March 14, 2022

Sunspot Region AR2965, M2 Solar Flare & Glorious Auroras

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Lots of fun with the Sun lately. A coronal mass ejection slammed into Earth and gave weekend aurora. Then the Sun fired off a moderate solar flare.
January 31, 2022

Big sunspot region AR2936 has blasted a CME toward Earth

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] The large sunspot region AR2936 – which quadrupled in size this past weekend – released an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) on January 30, 2022.
December 21, 2021

Aurora Alert for December 23, After M-class Flares

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] There’s been a small uptick in solar activity over the past two days (December 20 and 21, 2021). The increase comes from the fact that nine sunspot groups (active regions or AR) now pepper the visible face of the sun.
November 4, 2021

Aurora Alert! CME Impacting Earth Arriving November 4, 2021

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Aurora alert in effect for the next few days: the sun sent out a halo coronal mass ejection on November 2, 2021, due to arrive at Earth on November 4.
October 30, 2021

Solar Storm and Aurora Starting Tonight 10.30.2021

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] A solar storm after an eruption on the sun is carrying plasma toward Earth, which should produce northern and southern lights this weekend.
September 1, 2021

Aurora Alert! Pair of CMEs to Jolt Earth’s Magnetic Field

[Alex on EARTHSKY.ORG] Aurora alert! A pair of coronal mass ejections will reach Earth September 1-2, 2021. Though not dangerous to satellites or the grid, they might cause auroras.