As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

[Maria]

This coming week could be a hot one per the image below. On the southeast limb at the edge, one can see two huge sunspots that have not yet been labeled.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2014/ ... 0sdc1bdo36

Here a small article from http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2013

SUNSPOT AROUND THE CORNER: A sunspot approaching from just behind the sun's southeastern limb is crackling with solar flares. The explosions are registering C2 to C8 on the Richter Scale of Flares even though they are partially eclipsed by the edge of the sun. In Athens, Greece, amateur astronomer Peter Desypris photographed the flying debris from one of the explosions:

[Maria]

Per http://www.spaceweather.com:

Below is a picture of the new Active Region AR1944, formerly AR1967.

So far it has unleashed 5 M-class solar flares .... and counting. They just keep coming.

[Maria]

Solar winds are creating beautiful auroras.

From www.spaceweather.com

• Earth is entering a stream of solar wind blowing almost 500 km/s or 1.1 million mph. First contact on Jan. 28th sparked tall curtains of light around the Arctic Circle. Harald Albrigtsen sends this picture of the display from Skulsfjord, Tromsø, Norway...

  

  Arctic photographers, take note of those settings because more auroras are on the way. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% to 40% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on Jan. 29-30 as Earth moves deeper into the solar wind stream.

[Alexander Kuzmin]

I can suggest this video for the topic. It shows all the stages. It was done in the town of Apatity in Murmansk region of Russia on January 25, 2012 when the sun was very active. It lasted for 7 hours (this video is a fast making or how it is called), the temperature was -20 C.

[Maria]

Thank you.

If you live in or are visiting areas in the Northern Latitudes (poleward of 60 degrees), you may see auroras:

• Space Weather Message Code: WATA20
  Serial Number: 562
  Issue Time: 2014 Jan 31 1325 UTC

  WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G1 Predicted
  Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day:
  Feb 01: None (Below G1) Feb 02: G1 (Minor) Feb 03: None (Below G1)
  THIS SUPERSEDES ANY/ALL PRIOR WATCHES IN EFFECT
  Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude.
  Induced Currents - Weak power grid fluctuations can occur.
  Spacecraft - Minor impact on satellite operations possible.
  Aurora - Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine.

[Maria]

Nice video, Alexander. Thanks for posting it.
Yes, time-lapse photography has been used.

If you live in or are visiting areas in the Northern Latitudes (poleward of 60 degrees), you may see auroras in the next few days due to the M6.6 solar flare that we experienced yesterday.

This advisory has been posted by NOAA.

• Space Weather Message Code: WATA20
  Serial Number: 562
  Issue Time: 2014 Jan 31 1325 UTC

  WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G1 Predicted
  Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day:
  Feb 01: None (Below G1) Feb 02: G1 (Minor) Feb 03: None (Below G1)
  THIS SUPERSEDES ANY/ALL PRIOR WATCHES IN EFFECT
  Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude.
  Induced Currents - Weak power grid fluctuations can occur.
  Spacecraft - Minor impact on satellite operations possible.
  Aurora - Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine.

[arcmode]

Solar physicists around the world today are wondering: has the Sun fallen silent? In 2013, the Sun began the peak phase of its 11-year sun spot cycle called the Solar Maximum when sun spot production should be at its highest. However, the lack of sun spot activity has left solar physicists startled.

Cold snap.