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Comet Machholz rounds the sun, drops fragments
Comet Machholz made its closest approach to the sun on January 31, 2023. It left behind tiny fragments. Read more about this unusual comet.
January 31, 2023
Sun activity archive for January 2023
Sun activity archive for January 2023. A daily record of flaring, big filaments and prominences, and other sorts of activity, on our local star.
January 31, 2023
Flashes on the sun might help predict solar flares
Using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, scientists have found that flashes on the sun could help them predict the next solar flare.
January 22, 2023
What makes a giant sunspot?
A giant sunspot - AR 3190 - is crossing the face of the sun this week. It'lll soon disappear, but is still visible as of January 21, 2023. What makes it?
January 21, 2023
Sun glossary: A list of solar terms and their definitions
The active sun is frequently in the news as Solar Cycle 25 ramps up. Here's a handy sun glossary so you can get up to speed on all the solar terms you'll see.
January 9, 2023
Sun activity archive for October 2022
Bottom line: Sun activity archive for October 2022. A daily record of flaring, big filaments and prominences, and other sorts of activity, on our local star.
October 31, 2022
CME strikes Solar Orbiter before Venus flyby
On September 4, 2022, during a close flyby of Venus, Solar Orbiter was hit by a large CME. Fortunately, the spacecraft was unharmed.
September 5, 2022
Limb darkening is an optical effect on the sun
Limb darkening is an effect we can see on the sun where the edges of the sun are darker than the center, due to the amount of photosphere we're looking at.
August 1, 2022
Geomagnetic storms: Will you lose power where you live?
Scientists studied past geomagnetic storms to learn more about how strong storms affect the power grid. The maps here show areas most at risk.
June 29, 2022
The sun as you’ve never seen it
ESA's Solar Orbiter reached perihelion, its closest point to the sun, in March. Here are stunning closeup images as never seen before.
May 22, 2022
