Sun

Sun activity archive for April 2024

Posted by
C. Alex Young
and
Raúl Cortés
and
Armando Caussade
and
Michael Maimone
and
April 1, 2024

Sun news for April 30, 2024: See the 4 coronal holes! Plus, X-flare potential?

Excitement is brewing on our star, with sunspot region AR3654 looking like a potential X flare producer. This giant sunspot region has continued to grow over the past day, and its beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity indicates that it could produce some seriously large solar flares. Bring it on, AR3654! We’ve not seen an X flare since March 28, when our old friend AR3615 gave us an X1.1. AR3654 has a few days to bring the action before it rotates out of view over the southwestern limb (edge). Before it does, be sure to take a look at this sunspot through safe solar viewing or eclipse glasses – it’s big enough that you don’t need any magnification aid. What you won’t be able to see are the four coronal holes that are currently adding to the excitement on our sun. These are regions where the sun’s magnetic field opens into space, letting fast solar wind pour out. Since this wind can disturb Earth’s magnetic field, these coronal holes are giving us an increased chance for auroras at the moment. So, all we need now for an amazing auroral display is an Earth-bound coronal mass ejection (CME) from a big flare… We’re looking at you, AR3654!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has been moderate over the past day with the production of an isolated M flare. Between 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today, the sun released 13 solar flares: 12 C flares and one M flare. The largest event was an M1.6 flare from AR3654 at 1:14 UTC on April 30. The flare produced an R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean at the boundaries of the Philippine Sea. The lead flare producer of the period was AR3654 with nine flares, including the M flare. There are currently five regions on the Earth-facing side of the sun, including newcomers AR3661 and AR3662.

Sun news for April 29, 2024: Giant sunspot now as wide as 3 Earths

Sunspot region AR3654 continues to increase in size and maintain its magnetic complexity. We expected more to come from the region, and it did not disappoint. It fired off 15 of the observation period’s 17 flares, including two M flares. The region also grew from an area twice that of Earth to more than three times that of Earth. With your eclipse glasses, you should be able to glimpse it from Earth. AR3654 is located near the equator in the western hemisphere. This means that if the region erupts, there is a greater chance for solar stuff to head our way, especially solar energetic particles. Will AR3654 send more activity our way? Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Solar activity is moderate, with two M flares over the past 24 hours from AR3654. The sun released 17 solar flares15 C flares and two M flares. The largest event, an M3.7 flare, happened at 00:54 UTC on April 29. The second event, an M2.5 flare, happened at 00:33 on April 29. Both M flares produced an R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean. AR3654 grew to an area three times that of Earth over the current observation period, 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today. The region has maintained its delta region. Two filaments erupted from the northeast and southeast limbs (edges) around 6:52 UTC. There are six regions on the Earth-facing side of the sun now.

Sun news for April 28, 2024: huge sunspot region poised for more action!

Sunspot region AR3654 doubled in size over the past day. It’s now about 2 planets in diameter. With your eclipse glasses, you might be able to glimpse it from Earth. At its location near the center of the sun’s visible disk, it could give us some excitement over the next few days. That’s because, besides growing in size, AR3654 has increased in magnetic complexity, indicating a potential for more flares. It already produced two M flares over the past day. Will we see more? Plus, given AR3654’s location on the sun’s visible disk, any eruptions will have a chance of sending sun-stuff our way. And that could mean more auroras in the days ahead. The region appears to have produced a small coronal mass ejection at around 11 UTC on April 27. That event could impact Earth in mid-to-late May 1. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Solar activity is moderate, with two M flares over the past 24 hours from AR3654. The largest event, an impulsive M3.0 flare, happened at 21:29 UTC on April 27. The second event, an M2.1 flare, happened at 12:33 on April 27. AR3654 is now the largest sunspot region on the sun’s disk. Overall, flare production was lower over the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), with two M and five C flares. A new Region, 3660, got its number. There are nine regions on the Earth-facing side of the sun now.

The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on April 29, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news for April 27, 2024: Sun-stuff brings auroras! More tonight?

The sun hurled sun-stuff at Earth multiple times this week. And now, as anticipated, auroras are lighting the skies at high latitudes. The arrival of the sun-stuff (literally a chunk of the sun, that is, solar plasma) sparked geomagnetic storms last night. Late yesterday (starting at 16:49 UTC on April 26) a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm hit, peaking at a level of Kp=5. The higher the Kp number, the more likely you are to see auroras farther from the poles. Conditions for more unsettled-to-active levels may persist today through tomorrow. In fact, NOAA issued an alert for active (Kp=4) levels.
Last 24 hours: Solar activity is low with the production of just C class flares in the past 24 hours. Our active flare-producing sunspot region for the past week has now departed from the southwest limb of the sun. A couple of active regions on the sun are currently showing beta-gamma magnetic complexity, meaning we can expect more flare production. Plus, more sun action may come via the southeast limb (edge). The solar flare production between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today consisted of 16 C flares. The largest was a C6.1 flare by active region AR3648 in the northwest at 20:22 UTC on April 26. The most productive areas during the period were sunspot regions AR3647 and AR3654. Both produced four Cs each. Currently, the sun has 11 active regions on its Earth-facing side. Active regions AR3648 in the northwest and AR3654 in the southeast kept their beta-gamma magnetic complexities, but both kept flaring to C-class flares. The remaining sunspot active regions are stable or in decay, showing only simple alpha or beta configurations.

Sun news for April 26, 2024: Auroras! More tonight?

We said yesterday that we might get auroras overnight, and auroras we got! Even though the most intense geomagnetic storming wasn’t anticipated until tonight, northern locations including Alberta and Manitoba in Canada caught glimpses of beautiful auroral displays yesterday evening. Take a look below. But don’t worry – there’s still a chance for auroras tonight. Geomagnetic disturbance is increasing at the time of writing (12 UTC), possibly ramping up to G1 (minor) storming by this evening. See that red line running through northern US states in the chart above? That marks the most southerly point that auroras would be visible if they materialise tonight. If you’re above that line, good luck!
Last 24 hours: Solar activity is back to moderate after the production of only two 2 M flares in the past 24 hours, along with 15 C flares. The most productive areas we saw during the week are now located near the limb (edge) and will soon rotate out of view. That includes the magnificent cluster of active regions that brought us several M flares and a flurry of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Those CMEs are one of the main causes of the current geomagnetic disturbance. More activity appears to be incoming from the east limb, though, which launched a beautiful prominence eruption and jets over the past day. The largest flare of this period was an M1.8 from AR3638 at 13:21 UTC on April 25. It caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. And at 17:12 UTC on April 25, AR3638 produced the second M, an M1.4. Shortly after the flare, an R1 (minor) radio blackout occurred over the Caribbean Sea. The lead flare producer was AR3638 in the southwest, which produced 12 flares between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today: the two Ms plus 10 Cs. Currently, the sun has 12 active regions on its Earth-facing side. Active regions AR3648 in the northwest and AR3654 in the southeast have grown to beta-gamma magnetic complexities, indicating a higher potential for flaring. The rest are stable or in decay, showing only simple alpha or beta configurations. Today we have a newcomer sunspot region that has emerged in the southeast quadrant, now numbered AR3659.

Here’s the action on the sun over the past day. Two M flares from the active region complex in the southwest were only enough for moderate activity, a decrease from yesterday. This prolific group will soon rotate out of view. Images via SDO and GOES-16.

Sun news for April 25, 2024: High activity, auroras on the way

Solar activity remains high after an impressive 6 M flares were fired over the past 24 hours. All but one of these M flares came from a huge complex of sunspot groups in the sun’s southwest. This complex has brought us some great action this week, but it’s soon to rotate out of view over the western limb (edge). Meanwhile, action is expected at Earth today, with G1 (minor) or higher geomagnetic storms expected later today through tomorrow. And that means possible auroral displays! The disturbance is due to the effects of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) flying past our planet, combined with fast solar wind from one of the three coronal holes currently on the sun’s visible face. Good luck, aurora-watchers!
Last 24 hours: We’ve observed long, beautiful jets in the northwest over the past day, while prominences have been dancing all around the solar limb (edge). The sun produced 21 flares between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today: 6 M flares and 15 C flares. The largest event was an M2.0 flare by active region AR3637 at 22:59 UTC on April 24. The list of the M flares of the past 24 hours is:
M1.5 by AR3645, 12:14 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the west coast of Africa.
M1.1 by AR3647 at 22:50 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M2.0 by AR3637 at 22:59 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.0 by AR3645 at 1:49 UTC on April 25. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Philippine Sea.
M1.0 by AR3645 at 2:27 UTC on April 25. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Philippine Sea.
M1.1 by AR3648 at 3:15 UTC on April 25. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Philippine Sea.
The lead flare producer of the day was AR3648 with 6 C flares. All 12 active regions on the Earth-facing solar disk are currently showing simple alpha or beta magnetic configurations, indicating a low potential for flaring in the coming day. They all are stable or in decay. A newcomer sunspot region has emerged on the southwest quadrant, now numbered AR3658.


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Sun news for April 24, 2024: HIGH activity, with sun-stuff coming

The EarthSky sun news team created this 1-minute video summary for you.

Activity remains high today! Over the past day, we had 5 M flares, four fewer than the day before. All the M flares came from the big sunspot complex in the sun’s southwest quadrant. This region is also continuing to produce long, beautiful jets. In the past day, we saw prominences dancing all around the visible sun. And a filament erupted in the sun’s northeast, which sent material northward away from Earth. Meanwhile, starting tonight, we are anticipating glancing blows to Earth from perhaps up to a dozen smaller coronal mass ejections, aka CMEs. These chunks of sun-stuff will likely only sideswipe us. And, because there are multiple chunks, the timing of their effects is difficult to pin down. But any effects will be combined with fast solar wind from one of the three coronal holes currently on the sun’s visible face. So we’re anticipating geomagnetic storming at the G1 (minor) level, or higher, starting tonight and into April 26. Good luck, aurora-watchers!
Last 24 hours: Overall activity has decreased with 5 M flares in the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). The sun released 20 flares in all: 5 M flares and 15 C flares. The largest event was an M2.9 flare at 17:33 UTC on April 23 from AR3638. Here’s the breakdown of the M flares from the past 24 hours:
M1.0, AR3647, 16:23 UTC on April 23. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.
M2.9, AR3638, 17:33 UTC on April 23. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean (the largest flare.)
M1.8, AR3645, 00:13 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.6, AR3645, 00:38 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.8, AR3638, 02:30 UTC on April 24. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
The lead flare producer of the day was AR3645 with 7 flares: 2 Ms plus 5 Cs. Sunspot region AR3638 produced 2 M flares. All active regions now have either an alpha or beta magnetic configuration, indicating a lowered potential for flaring in the coming day. The sun currently has 13 sunspot groups on its Earth-facing side.

Sun news for April 23, 2024: 9 M flares in the past day!

Wow! Sun activity has reached high levels after 9 M flares were blasted over the past 24 hours. Equally exciting is that some of the flares were sympathetic. That’s when flares in seemingly unrelated locations on the sun occur nearly simultaneously, because they are actually connected to each other by invisible magnetic fields. We saw some of this yesterday with the active sunspot complex in the southwest. On top of the M flare fiesta, it’s been a crazy day for sunspots. As of yesterday, we reached a daily sunspot number of 278, the highest in 22 years, since it reached 281 in August 2002. And we now have 14 sunspot groups on the Earth-facing side, the highest – along with one other day – that it’s been in Solar Cycle 25 so far. What a day on the sun!
Last 24 hours: We observed lots of filament activity over the past day, with some of these filaments participating in the sympathetic flaring. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun released 26 flares: 9 M flares and 17 C flares. The largest was an M3.6 flare produced at 3:19 UTC by AR3654 on April 23. Here’s the breakdown of the M flares from the past 24 hours:
M1.7, AR3647, 13:35 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Africa.
M1.1, AR3645, 14:55 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout off the west coast of Africa.
M1.6, AR3646, 15:19 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.
M2.8, AR3656, 15:50 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.
M1.1, AR3656, 16:30 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.
M1.5, AR3638, 21:16 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii.
M1.1, AR3645, 23:18 UTC on April 22. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii.
M3.6, AR3654, 3:19 UTC on April 23. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Philippine Sea (the largest flare).
M3.0, AR3654, 8:21 UTC on April 23. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Arabian Sea.
The lead flare producer of the day was AR3645, which fired off 9 flares: 2 Ms plus 7 Cs. Sunspot regions AR3656 and AR3654 also produced 2 M flares. There are four active regions showing potential with beta-gamma magnetic configurations: AR3639, AR3645, AR3646 and AR3647. The sun currently has 14 sunspot groups on its Earth-facing side, including newcomer AR3657. The sun has two coronal holes on its Earth-facing side, one near the disk’s center and one in the southeast.

Sun news for April 22, 2024: Bang! Activity is up

After a fairly calm Sunday, the sun has kicked it up a notch today. The sunspot region complex AR3638-AR3647 (AR3638, AR3643, AR3645 and AR3647) started firing off M flares at midday April 21 UTC time. There were also some near M flares, a C9.0 and C8.6. During the last 24-hour observation period from 11 UTC April 21 to 11 UTC April 22, these M and larger C flares had 6 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with them. Current analysis has shown that all these CMEs were southward directed and do not have Earth-directed components. Additional data may update these determinations. This complex is the region that started producing continuous jets earlier this week. AR3638 has a beta magnetic classification and AR3647 has a beta-gamma magnetic classification. None of the regions in this larger group are especially complex magnetically. Nevertheless, they are producing some interesting action. Stay tuned for what’s next.
Last 24 hours: Solar flare activity increased over the current observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). Sun activity is now at moderate levels due to 4 M flares. The total flare count is 18, 4 M flares and 14 C flares. The largest event of the period was an M3.4 flare at 21:44 UTC on April 21 from sunspot region AR3638. The region also produced an M2.2 at 15:07 UTC on April 21. Region AR3645 produced the other 2 M flares, an M1.0 at 12:39 UTC on April 21 and an M1.1 at 7:58 UTC on April 22. All of the M flares appear to have produced CMEs, but none of these eruptions have an obvious Earth-directed component. AR3638 and AR3645 have both shown slight growth in size. Other regions have either remained the same or decayed slightly. New regions AR3652, AR3653, AR3654, AR3655 and AR3656 were numbered this period. The sun has 13 sunspot groups on its Earth-facing side.

Sun news for April 21, 2024: Meet our sun-observing spacecraft

Today, meet our sun-observing spacecraft. Today’s video (above) shows combined images from the sun’s chromosphere (the thin layer between its visible surface and corona) and the corona (outer atmosphere). The first images in the video are from NOAA’s GOES-R spacecraft. When we look at them, we’re seeing prominences and filaments (primarily in the sun’s chromosphere) and bright areas and coronal loops from sunspot regions. The GOES-R images also show eruptions for all these areas, if eruptions are occurring. These are the kind of eruptions that create coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, that can leave the sun and head out into the solar system. The chromospheric imagery temperatures at around 20,000 to 80,000 Kelvin (basically the same as Celsius, at these temperatures). The coronal imagery shows the 600,000-degree Celsius corona. The next section in the video is the same combination of solar wavelengths of light. But now we’re seeing images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Note that GOES-R has a wider field of view and so shows more of the sun’s corona. But the SDO data is sharper and clearer (higher resolution). Thus GOES-R and SDO complement each other. The next set of images is a 4-panel view of different wavelengths, from SDO. The last two sets of images are from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. It provides coronagraphs, that is, artificial solar eclipses. The coronagraph images are primarily used to observe CMEs – big chunks of solar plasma and magnetic fields – leaving the sun. They can also be great for observing planets, comets, and even stars when these objects appear in the same field of view as the sun.
Last 24 hours: Solar flare number and size are down over the current observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). After yesterday’s 22 flares, we are down to 14 and only C-class. This brings sun activity to a low level. The largest event of the period was a C7.6 flare at 16:52 UTC on April 20, from sunspot region AR3645. The number of sunspot regions is also down from 14 to 12. Sunspot region AR3647 has remained quiet while retaining its beta-delta magnetic complexity. Regions AR3644, AR3645, and AR3650 have shown some minor growth. The remaining sunspot groups are largely unchanged.

The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on April 22, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news for April 20, 2024: Sunspots! And a strong geomagnetic storm

The sun is peppered with sunspots today: 14 sunspot regions on the sun’s visible face. It’s the largest sunspot number in Solar Cycle 25 so far. Will current sunspots grow large enough to produce any impressive flares? The X-flare potential today is at a whopping 20%. The magnetic energy of these many sunspots has been throwing off coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – great blobs of sun-stuff – left and right all week. CMEs have headed outward from the sun in all directions. And now some have arrived at Earth! Earth’s magnetic field felt their impact last night. The CMEs, combined with fast solar wind from a coronal hole, caused a surprise strong (G3) geomagnetic storm. The storm threshold (Kp=7) was reached at 19:15 UTC on April 19. It brought auroral displays to the U.S. as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon. Did you see auroras last night? Share your beautiful photos with us at EarthSky Community Photos. And stay tuned for more!
Last 24 hours:  Flare production increased from 12 to 22 over the current observation period between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today. The largest event of the period was an M1.0 flare from active region AR3638 at 13:06 UTC on April 19. An R1 (minor) radio blackout occurred over the Atlantic Ocean off the northeast coast of Africa. The lead flare producer during the period was active region AR3638, producing nine flares, including the M flare. The sun has 14 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side. This is one of the largest numbers of sunspot regions on the solar disk during Solar Cycle 25. The sun gained three new numbered active regions: AR3649, AR3650 and AR3651.

Sun news for April 19, 2024: Humongous prominence!

The sun let out a HUGE burp today – a burp of solar plasma that dwarfed planet Earth! It came in the form of a gigantic solar prominence. These long ropes of solar material are called filaments when observed on the solar disk, and prominences when they hang over the sun’s limb (edge), as this one did. The material comes from the chromosphere – our star’s lower atmosphere – and is 80,000 kelvin (143,000 °F). Think that’s hot? Well, this material is suspended by magnetic fields in the corona (the upper atmosphere) which is over a million kelvin (over 1.8 million °F)! Sometimes these prominences become unstable and erupt away from the sun in the form of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can cause auroras if they collide with Earth. But sometimes they simply fall back to the sun, or even just dissipate. As you can see in the GOES-R spacecraft imagery, this one largely dissipated. But there might also be a CME; we will have to wait for data from the SOHO spacecraft to be sure. Either way, wow! That was humungous.
Last 24 hours: We’ve got more great imagery today; the STEREO-A spacecraft’s heliospheric imager, H1, captured the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks having its tail pulled away last week by the passing of a CME. These are known as disconnection events, made famous by STEREO observations of Comet Enke, April 2007. Meanwhile on the sun, flaring activity remains moderate. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun produced 12 flares – a decrease from the previous day – including three M flares. The largest event was an M2.1 flare from sunspot region AR3647 at 4:53 UTC on April 19. It caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout off the east coast of Vietnam. The other two Ms were nearly simultaneous M1.6 flares from AR3643, one at 20:01 UTC and one at 20:16 UTC on April 18. These two flares caused R1 radio blackouts over the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the west coast of Baja California, Mexico. Six active regions produced flares, with AR3643 and AR3645 producing the most at three each. AR3639 has a beta-gamma magnetic configuration and AR3647 is showing beta-delta. These two regions have the best chance for major flares, with a delta region indicating the greatest complexity and potential. The sun has 13 active regions on its Earth-facing side, including the addition of a newcomer: AR3647.

Sun news for April 18, 2024: Cluster of sunspot regions firing jets and flares


Our star is currently covered in active sunspot regions, and a huge cluster in the southeast has been grabbing our attention. It’s been the source of most of the past day’s flares, as well as a near-continuous volley of plasma jets into space. Some of these jets extend to nearly the radius of the sun – over 400,000 miles – or the length of over 50 Earths back to back! And this cluster hasn’t been the only source of action. We’ve also been watching many prominences – long ropes of solar material and magnetic fields – billowing around the sun’s limb (edge), including a particularly long one spiraling off the north pole. It’s been a beautiful “sunny day” on our star as it reaches solar maximum.
Last 24 hours: Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun produced 25 flares: three M flares and 22 Cs. That means activity remains at moderate. The largest event was an M2.2 flare from sunspot region AR3638 at 2:48 UTC on April 18. It caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout to the east of the Philippines. The other two Ms were an M1.6 from AR3645 at 22:08 UTC on April 17 and an M1.1 from AR3645 at 7:37 UTC on April 18. The first of these caused an R1 radio blackout over an area south of Hawaii, while the other produced an R1 blackout affecting an area over the Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of India. Three active regions – AR3639, AR3643, and AR3645 – are now showing potential with beta-gamma magnetic configurations. AR3639 lost its high potential delta region, but is still showing the potential for more flaring. The lead flare producer of the past day was AR3645 with 12 flares. The sun currently has 12 active regions on its Earth-facing side, including two newcomers: AR3645 and AR3646.

Sun news for April 17, 2024: Auroras today and more tomorrow

The EarthSky sun news team created this 1-minute video summary for you. Filament eruptions and auroras!

Several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have struck Earth, producing beautiful auroral displays! A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm was registered late yesterday, and this magnetic disturbance is anticipated to extend for the rest of the day. It may even increase to a G2 (moderate) storm as more CMEs arrive, ones hurled by the sun on April 14-15. And there may be even more to come; a couple of fiery filament eruptions were observed over the past day – one in the southeast, and one just above the equator – which may have sent more sun-stuff our way. We’ll update you when modeling and analysis is complete.
Last 24 hours: The sun produced 17 flares during the past day: one M flare and 16 Cs. This keeps sun activity at moderate levels. The largest event recorded between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today was an M1.1 flare from sunspot region AR3637 at 18:02 UTC on April 16. A corresponding R1 (minor) radio blackout occurred, affecting an area over the Caribbean. The lead flare producer of the period was AR3639 with eight C flares. This region showed growth during the past day and gained delta complexity, now showing a beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration. This means this sunspot has the potential to produce more M and even X flares. Slightly less potent but still showing promise are AR3637 and AR3643, showing beta-delta and beta-gamma magnetic complexities, respectively. The sun currently has 11 active regions on its Earth-facing side, including newcomer AR3644 on the northeast limb (edge).

Sun news for April 16, 2024: Now we’re talkin’! 4 more M flares!

The EarthSky sun news team created this 1-minute video summary for you. 4 more Ms!

In recent weeks, it seemed almost as if the sun were asleep. Despite the fact that the sun is entering solar maximum, the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity, we witnessed an extended period of calm. But now it looks like the lull is over! The sun fired four M flares over the past day, along with 16 C flares. That’s in addition to the 4 M flares it had fired the day before that. Plus, fiery filament activity continues on the Earth-facing disk, with more activity observed as prominences overhanging the northeast limb (edge). This indicates that an active region just beyond the northeast horizon should rotate into view over the next couple of days, potentially adding to the resurgence in solar activity we’re currently seeing. Stay tuned!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate after four M flares were observed in the past day. The sun produced 20 flares overall, with 16 C flares adding to the Ms. The largest was an M4.0 flare from sunspot region AR3639 in the northeast. It was produced at 19:32 UTC on April 15. Here’s a list of the M flares produced between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today:
1. M1.5 by AR3634 at 14:04 UTC on April 15
2. M1.1 by AR3639 at 13:58 UTC on April 15
3. M2.2 by AR3639 at 14:17 UTC on April 15
4. M4.0 by AR3639 at 19:32 UTC on April 15
After each M flare, a corresponding R1 (minor) radio blackout occurred over the sun-facing portion of the Earth. The lead flare producer of the period was AR3639, which produced eight flares: three Ms, including the largest, and five Cs. This region has retained its beta-gamma magnetic configuration. The sun has 10 active regions on its Earth-facing side now.

Sun news for April 15, 2024: Solar activity surge?, high number of sunspot regions and filaments

The sun is peppered with sunspot groups and filaments line the disk, poking out into space as prominences. All this goes along with an overall increase in activity. The flare-related sun activity remains at moderate levels. Filaments across the sun have erupted, or at least an attempt has been made. GOES X-ray monitor recorded 4 small-size M flares (less than M5) and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observations showed a variety of filament fun. Two noticeable filaments are an eruption from the southeast. Best observed in SDO 304 angstrom light, the filament erupts, and then the faint dark wave of material is visible heading northwest. The prominence on the western limb stirs, looking like it is going to erupt, and starts to send material into space, but instead the solar plasma rains back down upon the surface. Despite not yet reaching high activity levels, there is a marked increase in activity, so we may be seeing the beginning of another surge in sun action. Stay tuned!
Last 24 hours: Moderate sun activity continues as overall flare number is on the rise. During the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun produced 26 flares, 22 C flares, and 4 M flares. The largest event was an M2.4 at 3:38 UTC from AR3634 on April 15. The other M flares were an M1.7, an M1.0, and an M1.2. All four M flares produced radio blackouts over the sun-facing portion of the Earth. The sun has 12 active regions on its Earth-facing side now.

Sun news for April 14, 2024: Incoming sunspots crowd solar horizon, activity surge expected!


The EarthSky sun news team created this 1-minute video summary for you. Surge expected!

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The eastern limb (edge) of the sun – the side just rotating into view – now has four sunspot groups! They are labeled AR3637, AR3638, AR3639, and AR3640. And so the sun’s east side continues to be the primary focus of activity. Sunspot group AR3637 blasted out an M4.3 flare this morning, keeping sun activity levels at moderate. The entire sun is covered with filaments, many of which are waiting to erupt. Near the north-central portion of the sun, a filament started to erupt. But all the material fell back into the sun’s surface, giving us a beautiful but failed eruption. This is all hinting at another surge in sun activity, coming soon. Stay tuned. By the way, we are expecting periods of isolated G1 (minor) geomagnetic storming late today through tomorrow, due to the passage of CMEs from April 11 and 12. Read more below.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity continues at a moderate level, thanks to an isolated M4.3 flare from AR3637. It happened at 2:24 UTC on April 14 and produced a temporary R1 (moderate) radio blackout over the Eastern Pacific. During the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun produced 10 C flares and the single M4.3 flare. The sun has seven active regions on its Earth-facing side now.

The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 1 UTC on April 15, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news for April 13, 2024: An eastern rim blazing with activity

The entire eastern rim of the sun has appeared blazing with activity for two days now. Those brave sunspot regions just over the solar horizon may rotate into view any minute. However, overall, in the past day, we saw fewer flares than the day before. Sun activity has dropped back to moderate, with the production of an isolated M2.4 flare earlier today. It came from an incoming, but as-yet-unnumbered, active region in the sun’s southeast. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the visible sun, in the solar southwest, we saw a long-lasting prominence on the sun’s visible edge throughout the past day. And, once more, this activity arose from an active region just out of view. More is expected to come. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has been moderate over the past day. The isolated M2.4 flare was the largest event. It happened at 5:02 UTC today (April 13), causing an R1 (moderate) radio blackout over an area south of Vietnam and Cambodia. The source of the M flare – an as-yet-unnumbered region just over the sun’s southeastern horizon – was lead flare producer of the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). It released six flares during the period, the M and five Cs. In the past day, the sun produced 11 flares in all, the M and 10 Cs. Active region AR3633 lost its gamma magnetic complexity. Its configuration reduced to only beta. The rest of the sunspot regions on the solar disk show either alpha or beta configurations. AR3628 continues to be the largest sunspot in area. The sun has five active regions on its Earth-facing side now.

Sun news for April 12, 2024: Sun activity back to high!

We’ve had some days of low sun activity, including April 8, during the total solar eclipse. But now a new active region – just out of sight over the sun’s northeast limb, or edge – has brought sun activity to high again, with an isolated M5.5 flare. The sun’s east is the side just now rotating into view. And both the northeast and southeast look pretty active as well, with arching, long-lasting prominences, flares, and jets. What will happen next?
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has been high over the past day (11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today), thanks to an isolated M5.5 flare from an as-yet-unnumbered region, just over the sun’s northeastern horizon. That single flare brought the overall activity level to high. The event occurred at 17:06 on April 11. Shortly after the flare, an R2 (moderate) radio blackout was observed affecting an area over Jamaica. Meanwhile, active region AR3633 kept its beta-gamma magnetic complexity, but has remained a low flare producer (typically, the greater the magnetic complexity, the greater the potential for sun flares). And AR3628 continues to be the largest sunspot in area, but it has lost some of its magnetic complexity, going from a beta to an alpha configuration. What’s more, the overall flare number decreased over the past day, in contrast to the day before. The sun produced only nine C flares, The sun has five active regions on its Earth-facing side now. There is a newcomer on the southeast limb now numbered AR3636.

Sun news for April 11, 2024: Flaring continues to increase

Sun activity has been low since a few days before Monday’s total solar eclipse. And it’s still low, but it’s been rising steadily. Over the past 24 hours, we had 22 C flares and no B flares. The lead flare producer of the period was AR3629, who just rotated out of view on the northwest limb (edge). The long-lasting prominence we saw during the eclipse is still there in the sun’s southeast, dancing and forming a large arch. A filament eruption occurred earlier today, April 11, in the sun’s northeast quadrant. But the coronal mass ejection hurled into space during this event does not seem to be coming our way here on Earth. We will wait for further analysis. One note: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) images are appearing shifted at the moment, due to regularly scheduled instrument calibrations. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has been low during the past day, albeit with an increase in flare production. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun produced 22 C flares. The largest event was a C2.7 flare from active region AR3634 at 1:36 UTC on April 11. AR3629 was the lead flare producer with 11 Cs, followed by AR3633 with six C flares. The sun has four active regions on its Earth-facing side now. And active region AR3633 kept its beta-gamma magnetic complexity, but has remained a low flare producer (typically, the greater the magnetic complexity, the greater the potential for sun flares). AR3628 continues to be the largest in area, but lost some of its magnetic complexity going from a beta to an alpha configuration.

Sun news for April 10, 2024: Sun activity picking up

The sun has been unusually quiet and calm in recent days. But the past day saw more C flares and an overall increase in flaring production. A sunspot region, AR3633, on the solar disk is showing a beta-gamma magnetic complexity, suggesting a potential for more flaring. Filaments rule the day on the solar disk and around the edges. A gorgeous prominence erupting on the southeast limb indicates solar activity is on its way to the Earth-facing side of our star. All of this as we wait and hope to see our old friend AR3615 again. When we last saw it on the Earth-facing solar disk, it was an X-flare producer and produces many other flares as well. Shall we see this again? If it still exists, it should rotate back into view a few days from now.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity continues at a low level. During the past day, between 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today, we saw the sun produce 11 flares, five C plus six faint B flares. The sun has four active regions on its Earth-facing side. Active region AR3633 shows a beta-gamma magnetic complexity, while sunspot region AR3628 is the largest in area but only a beta configuration.

Sun news for April 9, 2024: The sun is still calm

We expected an active sun during yesterday’s total solar eclipse, mostly because Solar Cycle 25 is now at or near its peak. Yet what we saw during the eclipse was a very calm sun, albeit a sun still at maximum. The sun always surprises us. And, at eclipse time, the main visible prominence was the one at 5 o’clock on the sun’s disk, a beautiful dancing prominence on the southeast limb (edge). For those whose skies were clear, Baily’s beads appeared as brilliant crystals shining on the edge of the moon. And many did see the much-anticipated diamond ring. All told, it was a jaw-dropping event. We at EarthSky received many beautiful photos of the event from our community. And the EarthSky team itself was scattered along the eclipse path, from Mazatlan to Quebec. See a special article sharing eclipse photos and chatter here.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity still  low, with a single C flare plus four Bs over the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). This ‘C-ingle‘ event was a C1.0 from AR3631 at 3:53 UTC on April 9. Five active regions populate the Earth-facing side of our star today, all showing calm and quiet with alpha or beta magnetic configurations, suggesting low flare potential.

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The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on April 9, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news for April 8, 2024: Eclipse day

Total solar eclipse pics from the EarthSky community

Total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. Experience it here!

When is the next total solar eclipse? Find out here!

Sun news for April 7, 2024: Where did our active sun go?!

One of the cool things about the upcoming total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 – tomorrow’s eclipse – was that it’s taking place when the sun is extremely active. But, like the clouds along the eclipse path, the sun seems to be conspiring against us! The sun has been extremely quiet in recent days. Over the past day, we saw only a single B flare. B flares are are considered minor. Weather permitting, 31 million+ people in the path of totality could have the opportunity to see the sun’s corona, or outermost atmosphere. And many have hoped for significant sun activity during the eclipse, which would lead, for example, to visible prominences, some perhaps extending hundreds of Earth-diameters around the black moon at eclipse time. At the moment, a very active sun during the eclipse appears unlikely. But the sun can always surprise us! Maybe it’s holding off, planning to give us a big surprise on eclipse day? We will at least see the complex corona typical during a solar maximum. Fingers crossed for clear skies. Stay tuned!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has taken a dip back to very low with a single B flare over the past day from 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today. This single event was a B6.7 from AR3633 at 21:18 UTC. Five active regions populate the Earth-facing side of our star today, all showing calm and quiet with alpha or beta magnetic configurations, suggesting low flare potential. There is one newcomer on the solar disk today, now labeled AR2633.

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Sun news for April 6, 2024: Sun activity increases, a little

An upper left quarter of a red sun animation showing bright spots.
April 6, 2024. Sun activity has increased over the past day from very low to low. And this long-lasting prominence, plus filament explosions, in the solar northeast may promise more action coming our way. Image via SDO.

The sun has been in a lull for at least two earthly days. But over the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), we saw an increase to five C flares. Also, a long-lasting prominence on the sun’s northeast limb (edge), the side now rotating into view, suggests activity coming from the sun’s far side in the next few days. The sun shows prominences – great loops of solar material and magnetic fields – on its northwest quadrant, close to the solar north pole. Faint filament eruptions (like prominences, but on the sun’s disk, so we don’t see them extending from the sun) complement the sun’s activity over the past day. We now await the new appearance of our old friend active region AR3615, which we know is alive and kicking living on the sun’s far side. Helioseismic maps show it; it still looks large in extent. Plus, Mars is on the far side of the sun from Earth now, and the Mars rover Perseverance is seeing the big giant sunspot region.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is picking up, but is still low. The sun blasted out five C flares over the past day. Flaring production is also increasing. We saw 14 flares produced during our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), five Cs added to 11 B flares. Normally, we don’t even mention the B flares,d they are so relatively weak. The largest was a C1.6 flare by an as-yet-unnumbered region in the sun’s northeast quadrant. Six active regions populate the Earth-facing side of our star today, all showing calm and quiet with alpha or beta magnetic configurations, suggesting low flare potential. There are three newcomers on the solar disk today, now labeled AR2630, AR2631 and AR2632.

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Sun news for April 5, 2024: Sun is calm, but auroras forecast for tonight

Activity on the sun went from very low to low over the past 24 hours (read more below). But, at Earth, we anticipate chances for an isolated G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. How can a calm sun create auroras? The forecast stems from a fast solar wind now emanating from a coronal hole, a temporary region of relatively cool, less dense plasma in the sun’s corona or outer atmosphere. Chances for auroral displays are best over northern Russia and Scandanavia tonight. North American observers are not so favored, with a possibility that the storm will be over by the time night falls on our part of the world. But the auroras might extend into our early night hours as well. Auroral displays were reported in Iceland last night. So clean your camera lenses, aurora-watchers, and good luck!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity has gone from very low to low, with an isolated C flare and only four active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing disk. All have alpha or beta magnetic configurations, suggesting low flare potential. The C flare of the past day was a C3.8 flare, blasted by an as-yet-unnumbered region in the sun’s southeast quadrant. The faint explosion occurred at 3:05 UTC on April 5. Total flare production of the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today) was 6 total flares, the C flare plus 5 faint Bs.

Sun news for April 4, 2024: Scientists mimic eclipses to study the sun

Sun activity is going through a lull, with only a few faint B flares and small, simple sunspots. We are fast approaching the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. Did you know eclipses inspired scientists to design a special telescope to study the sun’s outer atmosphere?  During a solar eclipse, the moon covers or occults the sun, and during totality, we can see the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, with visible light. This is a great time to study prominences and other structures in the corona, but the available time is at most 7 minutes and usually much shorter. In addition, this all assumes clear skies, and total solar eclipses only occur on average, every 18 months. This gave scientists the idea of creating a telescope that imitates a total solar eclipse, called a coronagraph. The basic idea is simple: put a disk in front of the telescope to block out the bright sun and reveal the corona. This would then allow us to study the corona much like during a total solar eclipse but for a much longer period of time whenever scientists want. Even better, we won’t have any weather restrictions if we put this instrument into space. It is easier said than done, but we can do it. Though not the first coronagraph, two of the most recent and most successful examples of this are the SOHO’s LASCO C1, C2 and C3 coronagraphs. C1 is no longer operating, but C2 and C3 are still two critical instruments for current solar and space weather observations. But there are limitations. Because of the available technology, there is a gap of about three solar radii between what the coronagraph can reveal and the limb of the sun. This is the region between the edge of the LASCO occulters and the white ring showing the size of the sun in the images. This limitation is one of the key reasons studying total solar eclipses is so important for understanding our star.
Last 24 hours: Very low sun activity continued, with only four B flares produced between 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today. The largest event was a B4.42 flare from active region AR3626 at 5:51 UTC on April 4. The solar disk has four labeled regions that only show simple alpha or beta magnetic complexity. This all leads to a low forecast for C flares of 40% and M flares of 10%.

Sun news for April 3, 2024: Predicting the sun’s eclipse day corona

The sun is unusually calm now, especially for being at or near the maximum for Solar Cycle 25. Read more about it in “last 24 hours,” below. Meanwhile, Rachel Lense at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, posted yesterday about the computer modeling of the sun’s corona – or outermost atmosphere – taking place at a company called Predictive Science in San Diego. The researchers at Predictive Science are using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to predict what the sun’s corona might look like on eclipse day, April 8. Perhaps you know that the sun’s corona is the star of the show during a total solar eclipse? When the moon covers the sun completely, it shows up in a pearly-white, mesmerizing, wispy halo or “crown” around the sun. But the corona looks different at different solar eclipses, depending on the sun’s activity level at that time. The corona is expected to be especially interesting at the April 8 eclipse, because we’re now at or near the peak of Solar Cycle 25. Predictive Science’s model uses the computational superpowers of NASA’s Pleiades supercomputer to update its predictions in near realtime. This means that the model continuously updates its predictions as it ingests data beamed down from SDO, providing information as close to real time as possible. Read more from NASA here, about modeling the sun’s corona.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is very low with the production of only B flares during the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). Total flaring of the period was three B flares! The largest event was a faint B7.7 flare from an unnumbered region in the northeast at 3:19 UTC on April 3. The sun has only one numbered active region on its Earth-facing disk (although more are rotating into view). Thus one of the lowest 24-hour periods of Solar Cycle 25 comes just as the cycle is near its peak activity! The past day was reminiscent of the calm and quiet in the eye of a hurricane …

April 3, 2024. An almost spotless solar disk today. Two newcomers are barely showing on the northeast limb (edge) bringing promises for more action to come. The sunspots are yet unnumbered. HMI Intensitygram orange. Image via SDO.
April 3, 2024. In today’s solar activity there are a couple of newcomers on the northeast limb (edge) just above the solar equator. This is a close look at these two incoming sunspot regions. Action on its way … perhaps. HMI Intensitygram Orange. Image via SDO.

Sun news for April 2, 2024: Large sunspots seen from Mars now


After weeks of moderate-to-high sun activity, mostly thanks to giant sunspot region AR3615, the Earth-facing solar disk is nearly spotless now. This almost-spotless sun is producing low activity with hardly any flares over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the far side of the sun – which we can see via our spacecraft on Mars – is another story. The Perseverance Mastcam-Z takes regular low-resolution images of the sun from the surface of Mars. Yesterday’s Mastcam-Z imagery clearly shows our old friend AR3615, no longer visible from Earth, but still giant-sized as seen from Mars. This sunspot group is worth monitoring over the next weeks. Perhaps it’ll survive and bring exciting action to us for another go-round. If so, it’ll do it under a new number (all sunspot regions get a new number if they make it back around). So the sun has been quiet in the past day. We do expect a little action at Earth as fast solar wind from a coronal hole reaches Earth with the possibility of bringing G1 (minor) storming by April 4. That means we might have some nice auroral displays soon, only days away from the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. The speculation about possibly seeing auroras as the sky darkens on eclipse day continues! Clear skies to all …
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low with the production of two C flares and one B flare during the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today). The largest event was a C1.2 flare from an unnumbered region in the southwest at 18:51 UTC on April 1. The other C flare came from AR3617 and the B flare came from the unnumbered region. The sun has three numbered active regions on its Earth-facing disk.

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Sun news for April 1, 2024: Cool! Overlapping flares, with Solar Cycle 25 near peak

The EarthSky sun news team has created this 1-minute video summary for you about the overlapping solar flares!

Sun activity is now moderate, with the departure of mighty sunspot region AR3615 over the sun’s western horizon. But we can see AR3615 is still sending out flares. And – with Solar Cycle 25 now at or near its peak – events on the sun are getting more complicated and sometimes overlapping. An interesting example of this complicatedness happened earlier today with a flare, or two flares, from AR3625 and AR3615. The M3.9 from AR3625 happened at 1:13 UTC, and the M3.4 from 3615 happened less than half an earthly hour later, at 1:38 UTC. Among scientists who watch the sun, it’s been challenging to disentangle these two events. Some see the M3.9 as just one event, a combination M3.9 from AR3615 + AR3625. It is difficult to separate them and determine which region produced which flare or flares. Our final interpretation is that AR2625 produced an M flare, during which time AR3615 produced a smaller, overlapping M flare. This leads to what appears to be a single flare with two bumps or peaks. Stay tuned for more interesting and exciting solar action in this year of peak sun activity!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate after an M3.9 flare from AR3615 and AR3625. As AR3615 is currently just over the sun’s western limb (edge), the sun is partially occulting (blocking) this region’s flares from our view on Earth. So flares from AR3615 now are likely, in fact, larger than we can observe now. Most flares during the past day (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today) came from AR3615, despite its being out of view. Of 11 visible flares on the sun in the past day – nine Cs and two Ms – five came from AR3615, three from an unnumbered region in the sun’s northeast, and three from AR3625. The sun has three numbered regions on its Earth-facing disk now.

? MORE at EarthSky: https://t.co/xD29wLfm4e pic.twitter.com/ubluGYqjHM

— Dr. C. Alex Young (@TheSunToday) April 1, 2024

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C. Alex Young

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About the Author:
C. Alex Young is a solar astrophysicist studying the Sun and space weather. Alex is passionate about sharing science with diverse audiences. This led him to start The Sun Today with his designer wife, Linda. First through Facebook and Twitter then adding an extensive website thesuntoday.org, the two work together to engage the public about the Sun and its role in our solar system. Alex led national engagement efforts for the 2017 total solar eclipse. He is the Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Raúl Cortés

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About the Author:
Raúl Cortés studied engineering at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico, obtained a scholarship to continue his studies in Japan and after returning to Monterrey he got credits on MBA from the Graduate School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Faculty. He became a teacher at the University UANL teaching Math and Physics and dedicated the rest of his professional career to serve in engineering areas for USA, Japan and Germany based corporations. His passion for the skies go back to when he was a child, always intrigued about the stars and constellations and reading and researching about the matter. From 2010 on, he dedicated his attention to photographing the stars, constellations, the moon and the sun. Raúl's work on his photography has been published and posted on the ESC as well as in other platforms and has gained attention to be published by local Monterrey newspapers.

Armando Caussade

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About the Author:
Armando is well known as an astronomy educator, after 30+ years leading extensive initiatives of public outreach and 10+ years teaching in colleges. As one of only a handful of Puerto Rican science communicators during Comet Halley's last visit, he assumed a pioneering role starting in 1985 when science was just beginning to enter the local mindset; over time his work brought meaningful change to the culture, inspiring people to pursue interests in science and technology. His affiliations include Ana G. Méndez University–Cupey, where in 2014 he spearheaded an 8-course extension program focusing on observational astronomy, the first ever in the island.

Michael Maimone

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About the Author:
Michael Maimone is an assistant editor for EarthSky and has always had a strong passion for communicating scientific complexity in a way that could easily be understood by anyone. Michael graduated from Penn State University in 2019 with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Planetary Science & Astronomy and Meteorology & Atmospheric Science. He has experience in radio astronomy research with the Green Bank Observatory and even as a mission operations specialist for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. He is currently working towards a master’s degree in systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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