Sunspots

Posts : 6 Join date : 2011-09-14

I read a news article online about huge explosions on the Sun these past two weeks. They say the Sun has been very active recently and should be putting putting on a good light show for northern observers.

I took a look at the Sun after reading this article and there were huge and many sunspots there. The most I have seen in 10yrs, I belive? If you have a a safe filter, please check it out! I'll try and take a picture.

Posts : 58 Join date : 2011-08-23

Hi AP0LLO. Post a picture for us non-solar filter owners. Looks like a lot of prominences taking place atm.

Posts : 37 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 43

TomK wrote:: Hi AP0LLO. Post a picture for us non-solar filter owners. Looks like a lot of prominences taking place atm.

here's a good site to see how the sun looks currently:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html

Posts : 4 Join date : 2011-09-14

The whole December 21, 2012 thing came up in my last club meeting. With all the activity on the sun and the recent supernovae, it kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it???

Do we really know the state of our Sun?

Posts : 116 Join date : 2011-08-23

Well, there's never a guarantee for anything, but based on other stars of similar size on the main sequence, it's a nice, boring, stable star that is only about halfway through it's life cycle (and therefore extremely likely to continue to support life for Earth long after we're gone).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Life_cycle

If anything, the Sun has been very quiet the last couple of decades. It was much more active 50-60 years ago (though it's much more active than during the Maunder minimum, to be sure). But an uptick in activity isn't terribly surprising given typical solar variations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_variation#History_of_study_into_solar_variations

Posts : 58 Join date : 2011-08-23

astro_alan wrote:

TomK wrote:: Hi AP0LLO. Post a picture for us non-solar filter owners. Looks like a lot of prominences taking place atm.

here's a good site to see how the sun looks currently:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html

Thanks Alan. But you will agree nothing like seeing one's own picture. Wink

Posts : 37 Join date : 2011-08-23 Age : 43

TomK wrote:

astro_alan wrote:

TomK wrote:: Hi AP0LLO. Post a picture for us non-solar filter owners. Looks like a lot of prominences taking place atm.

here's a good site to see how the sun looks currently:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html

Thanks Alan. But you will agree nothing like seeing one's own picture. Wink

Of course! I just check that to determine when there are good levels of sunspots visible, so I know to take a scope outside.