Solar Activity

Solar Activity

With several active sunspots rotating over the sun's western limb, solar activity is quieting. The departure, however, is a riot. J. P. Brahic sends this picture of activity in the exit zone from Uzès, France:

 

Brahic took the picture through cirrus clouds using a 9 inch solar telescope, and he inserted an image of Earth for scale. The dark cores of the departing sunspots are about the size of our planet, and the surrounding tangle of magnetic filaments could swallow Earth with room to spare.

These sunspots are leaving behind at least one region still capable of major flares: AR2087 is almost directly facing Earth and it has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class eruptions. Any flares from AR2087 today would hit Earth head on.

From SpaceWeather.com