As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

[Maria]

This report from Belgium is important:

NOAA active region 2665 (Catania group 36) continued to produce B
flares and a couple of C flares. The strongest was a C2.3 flare peaking at
3:28UT.
As it is rotating towards the West limb the trailing spots have disappeared
from this region but especially the intermediate section of the region
appears to remain fairly dynamic.
Further C class flares are expected and there remains a potential for an M
flare from this region until it has well passed the West limb.
No Earth directed CMEs have been observed in coronagraph data.
Proton flux levels remained at background values. Strong activity from
region 2665 could possibly lead to an increase in proton flux levels in the
next few days until the region has well passed the West limb.

Solar wind was marked by the passage of the July 14 CME. After the shock
arrival observed in the past reporting period, during this period total
magnetic field declined from 21nT at noon July 16 to around 10nT around
midnight when also density dropped back to background values. Solar wind
speed reached a maximum of over 600 km/s around 21:00UT before declining to
under 500km/s currently. The Northward component of the magnetic field
remained strongly negative (down to -15nT) until midnight before settling
at near zero values on July 17.
Over the next 24 hours we expect a recovery towards nominal solar wind
conditions with elevated values for magnetic field and Solar wind speed
slowly decaying.

[Maria]

AR2665 although on the western limb of the sun still has a 30% chance of M-flaring and a 5% chjance of X-flaring per NOAA.

Today, AR2665 had another slow ascent and slow decline taking more than 1.5 hours to rise to a C1.2 solar class flare and then taking five hours to decline before a new smaller flare erupted around 2350 UT (4:50 PM PDT). We were outside traveling, and the sun was burning hot. Here is the data from NOAA:

event beg. peak end
1030 1709 1842 2050 G15 5 XRA 1-8A C1.2 1.3E-02 2665

A careful look at the sun apparently shows an interaction between AR2665 and AR2666 (immediately above 2665). It appears as if the two are sword fighting with flames of fire. On the east limb (left side) of the sun, there appears to be an active region making its début. Time will tell. During a solar minimum, many of these apparently active or returning active regions decline rapidly. Since I have saved these images to my hard drive, they are static, not dynamic (subject to change).

solar image_07-17-2017_2042 UT AR2665 in sustained C flaring on West limb.jpg (165.43 KiB) Viewed 2125 times

[Maria]

I believe that we are under Divine Protection. Click the following video.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2017/ ... 39mi33gab1

NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft, which has a partial view of the sun's farside, identified the source of the blast as active sunspot AR2665, familiar to readers of Spaceweather.com who watched the behemoth cross the face of the sun earlier this month.

If this explosion had occurred 2 weeks ago when the huge sunspot was facing Earth, we would be predicting strong geomagnetic storms in the days ahead. Instead, the CME is racing directly away from our planet. There will be no impact ... this time.

AR2665 recently unleashed massive solar flares in a one-two punch along with an associated CME. That second solar flare had to have been in the X-Class solar flare range.
If AR2665 had been directly facing earth, we would be having serious communication problems plus facing a CME that could cause massive failures to our power grids. Many times in the past, active sunspot regions on the far side of the sun have released huge solar flares with CMEs. Our Lord seems to have positioned our world so that we would be protected from most solar blasts. Praise and glorify the Lord.

[Maria]

Yesterday, the sun had flatlined, but today NOAA and Belgium report that a new region on the East limb approaching the earth has unleashed a B1.5 class solar flare.

reference: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar ... nt-reports

1230 + 0734 0737 0739 G15 5 XRA 1-8A B1.5 2.5E-05

Below is a link from NASA which shows this new active region. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/la ... 4_0171.jpg

[Maria]

Introducing White Sunspots on the sun. Is this new White Sunspot the active region we previously saw on the East Limb of the sun?

From the July 25, 2017 edition of http://www.spaceweather.com

"WHITE SUNSPOT": Sunspot numbers have dropped to zero this week as dark cores associated with sunspot activity have vanished. Instead of dark spots, the sun has a light spot. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed this sprawling "white sunspot" on July 25th:

The correct name of this phenomenon is "faculae." It is a cousin of sunspots.

Regular dark sunspots are magnetic islands on the surface of the sun. Magnetic fields in these areas are typically thousands of times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. Sunspot magnetic fields are so strong, they block the flow of heat from the nuclear furnace below. They appear dark because they are relatively cool compared to their surroundings.

Faculae are also made of magnetic fields. However, the magnetism of faculae is concentrated in much smaller bundles than in sunspots. Instead of blocking heat from below, they essentially form corridors that allow us to see into sun's hot interior, creating an apparent bright spot on the surface of the sun.

These bright structures are more common than you might think. During the peak of a sunspot cycle, faculae actually win out over sunspots and make the sun appear slightly (about 0.1%) brighter at Solar Maximum than at Sunspot Minimum.

Beligium reported earlier today at 1230 UT: "A small sunspot group seems to be developing at position N05W20." (slightly to the right of geocenter). It was still visible when I looked at NASA images of the sun a few minutes ago. If this tiny region is reported and accepted as AR2668, then the eight day stretch of spotless days will have come to an end.

[Maria]

Huge AR2665 is coming back sometime between July 31 to August 2.

This Active Region has unleashed at least three massive M- or X-class solar flares while it was transiting the far side of the sun.

Here is an image taken of its latest CME that was hurled into space safely away from the Earth.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2017/ ... mldiq1the0

NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft, which has a partial view of the sun's farside, pinpointed the explosion: The source appears to be old sunspot AR2665. The huge active region crossed the Earthside of the sun in early July, sparking moderately strong geomagnetic storms when it faced our planet. Apparently, it is still active, producing at least three significant CMEs since it began its farside transit more than 10 days ago.

AR2665 will spin back around to face Earth in early August. If the sunspot continues to explode, it could bring a new round of geomagnetic storms and auroras to our planet.

To view today's entire article (July 28, 2017), please visit : http://www.spaceweather.com

[Maria]

Former Beta AR2665 is returning and will shortly be renamed by NOAA, most likely to AR2670.
While transiting the far side of the sun, AR2665 did not remain inactive but unleashed at least three M-Class and X-Class solar flares. What will happen when it returns? Will we be hit with a CME from an X-Class solar flare? Stay tuned.

Before AR2665 departed this side of the sun, some great photos were taken showing an interlinking reaction between two sets of active regions, the prior AR2666 and AR2665. It is as if AR2666 (at top) reaches out and is shaking hands with AR2665 (lower sunspot region).

Below is that image: