As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

[Maria]

Now that we have passed the equinox, Austrailia and the lands down under are getting some fantastic displays of Southern Lights.

[Maria]

Even t hough the sun has several sunspots, solar activity has been low.

However, this shot from Finland shows a lovely spring phenomenon called pollen coronas.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2014

[Maria]

SOLAR MAX for this sun cycle has arrived. It is a SOLAR MINI-MAX per NASA.

Pesnell is a leading member of the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, a blue-ribbon group of solar physicists who meet from time to time to forecast future solar cycles. It's not as easy as it sounds. Although textbooks call it the "11-year solar cycle," the actual cycle can take anywhere from 9 to 14 years to complete. Some Solar Maxes are strong, others weak, and, sometimes, as happened for nearly 70 years in the 17th century, the solar cycle can vanish altogether.

Pesnell points to a number of factors that signal Solar Max conditions in 2014: "The sun's magnetic field has flipped; we are starting to see the development of long coronal holes; and, oh yes, sunspot counts are cresting."

For the complete article, please go to: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sc ... arminimax/

[Maria]

We have had five Solar Class M-flares today.

Below is the one minute dynamic chart: (it is continually updating)

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-x-ray-flux

An M1.0 just struck, but watch out. More could come our way as there are three unstable sun spots directly facing earth.

Click the dynamic link below to see the alerts and warnings from NOAA regarding these flares we have been experiencing over the last three days:

http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/no ... meline.png

post updated 12/16/2014

[Maria]

Auroras during this time of the year are rare, however, throughout the world, we are experiencing RED AURORAS.

• RED AURORAS: A minor solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field today, and this is sparking auroras at high latitudes. Ray Stinson photographed the display during the morning hours of July 28th over Glacier National Park in St Mary, Montana:

http://www.spaceweather.com

Red aurora over Saxony, Germany:

Red aurora over Montana:

[Barbara]

All these pictures are pretty !

As far as the one's over nicely-named town of St Mary, looks like the Queen of Heaven and St Vladimir presented a special celestial panorama or two for the occasion of the latter's Feast Day !

I must look on the map to see where that is exactly.

[Maria]

All these pictures are pretty !

As far as the one's over nicely-named town of St Mary, looks like the Queen of Heaven and St Vladimir presented a special celestial panorama or two for the occasion of the latter's Feast Day !

I must look on the map to see where that is exactly.

My husband said that the auroras were bright red over Europe just before WWII. It was like a warning.