Tag " sun"

This year was supposed to be the year of 'solar maximum,' the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. But as this image reveals, solar activity is relatively low. 'Sunspot numbers are well below their values from 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent,' the space agency says. It observed just a few small sunspots on an otherwise clean face, which is usually riddled with many spots during...


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A powerful solar flare that erupted Thursday (Nov. 3) from a huge blemish on the sun's surface has been classified as an X1.9 flare, ranking it among the most powerful types of storms our star can unleash. The flare originated in a humongous sunspot that was sighted earlier this week, which is one of the largest sunspots seen in years. The event began at 4:27 p.m. ET (2027 GMT). The flare...


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Sun wakes up from sleep for busiest sunspot cycle in years and threatens to disrupt Earth communications and power. This astonishing sequence of images shows a dramatic 'flare' bursting out from the sun which could affect satellite communications and power supplies here on Earth. The spectacular development unleashed a radiation firestorm on a level not seen for five years which is expected...


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27 March 2011 The Real Sounds of Solar Storm on 180 MHz http://www.3d-sun.org/swpod2011/27mar11/radiostorm.mp3 A solar radio storm is in progress. The source is sunspot 1176 and surrounding active regions, pictured above. Some of the bursts recorded by Amateur Radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft in rural New Mexico USA. "They remind me of waves crashing on a beach ," says Ashcraft. "I recorded...


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The mega-filament collapsed in a gorgeous cascade of hot plasma between noon and 2 p.m. EST. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a beautiful movie of the eruption (above). The explosion does not appear to be aimed at Earth, so we shouldn’t expect any magnetic storms or satellite troubles. (more…)


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LISTEN SPACEWEATHER RADIO (Live) Live Radar Audio Feed--how do we do it? It's simple. The Air Force Space Surveillance Radar transmits a 216.98 MHz signal into the heavens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Meteors, satellites and spacecraft passing overhead reflect those signals back down to Earth. The radar's primary antenna is located near Lake Kickapoo, Texas. A few hundred miles away in Roswell,...


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Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that's new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th. Many technologies of the 21st century are vulnerable to solar storms. Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, explains what it's all about: "The sun is waking...


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