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By NASA
6 min read
NASA, NOAA: Sun Reaches Maximum Phase in 11-Year Solar Cycle
In a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period, which could continue for the next year.
The solar cycle is a natural cycle the Sun goes through as it transitions between low and high magnetic activity. Roughly every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip — on Earth, that’d be like the North and South poles swapping places every decade — and the Sun transitions from being calm to an active and stormy state.
Visible light images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory highlight the appearance of the Sun at solar minimum (left, Dec. 2019) versus solar maximum (right, May 2024). During solar minimum, the Sun is often spotless. Sunspots are associated with solar activity and are used to track solar cycle progress. For these images and more relating to solar maximum, visit https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14683.
NASA/SDO Images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory highlight the appearance of the Sun at solar minimum (left, December 2019) versus solar maximum (right, May 2024). These images are in the 171-angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, which reveals the active regions on the Sun that are more common during solar maximum. For these images and more relating to solar maximum, visit https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14683.
NASA/SDO
NASA and NOAA track sunspots to determine and predict the progress of the solar cycle — and ultimately, solar activity. Sunspots are cooler regions on the Sun caused by a concentration of magnetic field lines. Sunspots are the visible component of active regions, areas of intense and complex magnetic fields on the Sun that are the source of solar eruptions.
“During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,” said Jamie Favors, director, Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star — but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system.”
The solar cycle is the natural cycle of the Sun as it transitions between low and high activity. During the most active part of the cycle, known as solar maximum, the Sun can unleash immense explosions of light, energy, and solar radiation — all of which create conditions known as space weather. Space weather can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications systems — such as radio and GPS — and power grids on Earth.
Credits: Beth Anthony/NASA Solar activity strongly influences conditions in space known as space weather. This can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications and navigation systems — such as radio and GPS — and power grids on Earth. When the Sun is most active, space weather events become more frequent. Solar activity has led to increased aurora visibility and impacts on satellites and infrastructure in recent months.
During May 2024, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest geomagnetic storm at Earth in two decades — and possibly among the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years.
May 3–May 9, 2024, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory observed 82 notable solar flares. The flares came mainly from two active regions on the Sun called AR 13663 and AR 13664. This video highlights all flares classified at M5 or higher with nine categorized as X-class solar flares.
Credit: NASA “This announcement doesn’t mean that this is the peak of solar activity we’ll see this solar cycle,” said Elsayed Talaat, director of space weather operations at NOAA. “While the Sun has reached the solar maximum period, the month that solar activity peaks on the Sun will not be identified for months or years.”
Scientists will not be able to determine the exact peak of this solar maximum period for many months because it’s only identifiable after they’ve tracked a consistent decline in solar activity after that peak. However, scientists have identified that the last two years on the Sun have been part of this active phase of the solar cycle, due to the consistently high number of sunspots during this period. Scientists anticipate that the maximum phase will last another year or so before the Sun enters the declining phase, which leads back to solar minimum. Since 1989, the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel — an international panel of experts sponsored by NASA and NOAA — has worked together to make their prediction for the next solar cycle.
Solar cycles have been tracked by astronomers since Galileo first observed sunspots in the 1600s. Each solar cycle is different — some cycles peak for larger and shorter amounts of time, and others have smaller peaks that last longer.
Sunspot number over the previous 24 solar cycles. Scientists use sunspots to track solar cycle progress; the dark spots are associated with solar activity, often as the origins for giant explosions — such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections — which can spew light, energy, and solar material out into space. For these images and more relating to solar maximum, visit https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14683.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center “Solar Cycle 25 sunspot activity has slightly exceeded expectations,” said Lisa Upton, co-chair of the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel and lead scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. “However, despite seeing a few large storms, they aren’t larger than what we might expect during the maximum phase of the cycle.”
The most powerful flare of the solar cycle so far was an X9.0 on Oct. 3 (X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength).
NOAA anticipates additional solar and geomagnetic storms during the current solar maximum period, leading to opportunities to spot auroras over the next several months, as well as potential technology impacts. Additionally, though less frequent, scientists often see fairly significant storms during the declining phase of the solar cycle.
The Solar Cycle 25 forecast, as produced by the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel. Sunspot number is an indicator of solar cycle strength — the higher the sunspot number, the stronger the cycle. For these images and more relating to solar maximum, visit https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14683.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center NASA and NOAA are preparing for the future of space weather research and prediction. In December 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission will make its closest-ever approach to the Sun, beating its own record of closest human-made object to the Sun. This will be the first of three planned approaches for Parker at this distance, helping researchers to understand space weather right at the source.
NASA is launching several missions over the next year that will help us better understand space weather and its impacts across the solar system.
Space weather predictions are critical for supporting the spacecraft and astronauts of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Surveying this space environment is a vital part of understanding and mitigating astronaut exposure to space radiation.
NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. To see how space weather can affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.
By Abbey Interrante
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Media Contact:
Sarah Frazier, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
sarah.frazier@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Oct 15, 2024 Related Terms
Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Heliophysics Division Parker Solar Probe (PSP) Solar Science Sunspots The Sun The Sun & Solar Physics Explore More
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:00:29 Solar wind is a never-ending stream of charged particles coming from the Sun. Rather than a constant breeze, this wind is rather gusty. As solar wind particles travel through space, they interact with the Sun's variable magnetic field, creating chaotic and fluctuating motion known as turbulence.
This video confirms something long suspected: the turbulent motion of solar wind begins very close to the Sun, inside the solar atmosphere known as the corona. Small disturbances affecting solar wind in the corona are carried outward and expand, generating turbulent flow further out in space.
By blocking out direct light coming from the Sun, the Metis coronagraph instrument on Solar Orbiter is able to capture the fainter visible and ultraviolet light coming from the solar corona. Its high-resolution images show the detailed structure and movement within the corona, revealing how solar wind motion already becomes turbulent at its roots.
The red-tinted ring in the video shows Metis observations made on 12 October 2022. At the time, the spacecraft was just 43.4 million km from the Sun, less than a third of the Sun–Earth distance. The video of the Sun in the centre of the video was recorded by Solar Orbiter’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on the same day. (Read more about Solar Orbiter’s instruments here.)
“This new analysis provides the first-ever evidence for the onset of fully developed turbulence in the Sun’s corona. Solar Orbiter’s Metis coronagraph was able to detect it very close to the Sun, closer than any spacecraft could approach the Sun and make local measurements,” explains Daniel Müller, ESA’s Solar Orbiter Project Scientist.
Turbulence affects how solar wind is heated, how it moves through the Solar System and how it interacts with the magnetic fields of planets and moons it passes through. Understanding solar wind turbulence is crucial for predicting space weather and its effects on Earth.
‘Metis observation of the onset of fully developed turbulence in the solar corona’ by Daniele Telloni et al. was published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
[Video description: The Sun is shown in the centre, surrounded by a ring of data from Solar Orbiter’s Metis coronagraph. The data show changes in brightness of the solar corona, which directly relates to the density of charged particles. These changes are made visible by subtracting consecutive coronal brightness images taken two minutes apart. Red regions show no change, while white and black regions highlight positive and negative changes in brightness. This reveals how charged solar wind particles within the corona move in a chaotic, turbulent way. The video repeats three times.]
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By NASA
For every NASA astronaut who serves as a public face of human spaceflight, there are thousands of people working behind the scenes to make the agency’s missions a success. Even the smallest tasks impact NASA’s ability to explore and innovate for the benefit of humanity.
The team of administrative assistants and secretaries who work at the Johnson Space Center in Houston are acutely aware of this fact.
Whether they are coordinating meetings, arranging travel, or preparing materials and information for Johnson’s leaders, this team of over 90 individuals takes pride in providing critical support for the agency’s programs and managers. “We work hand-in-hand with management to get them where they need to go and ensure they have what they need to continue doing their important work,” said Carla Burnett, an executive assistant in the Center Director’s Office who is also the lead for all of Johnson’s administrative staff.
Carla Burnett participates in NASA’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s historic Moon speech, held at Rice Stadium in Houston on Sept. 12, 2022. Image courtesy of Carla Burnett Burnett has turned her long-standing passion for administrative work into a 41-year career at Johnson. She was just a youngster when she started working in the Astronaut Office mailroom – an opportunity that came through her high school’s Office Education Program. “Being a meek and mild high school student, sitting there with the astronauts, going through all of their fan mail – I was in awe! It was an absolute honor,” she said. That experience and earning recognition as her high school’s Office Education Student of the Year confirmed for Burnett that administrative work was the right career path for her. She said that fidelity and perseverance launched her from the Astronaut Office mailroom to a position as a crew secretary for two space shuttle flights. “Being a servant and helping others is what I really love about administrative work,” she said.
Today, Burnett supports Johnson’s senior executives and serves as a central resource for the rest of the administrative team. “They are all very self-sufficient and work within their own organizations,” she explained, but she may coordinate team-wide meetings, celebrations, or trainings, and she is always available to help answer questions. “We work consistently as a cohesive team. We are knowledgeable and, may I add, exceptional at what we do because we do it for the benefit and success of our Johnson family, NASA, and a plethora of communities!”
Burnett’s dedication to service is reflected across the administrative team, as is a commitment to caring for others. Edwina Gaines, administrative assistant for the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, said that being an instrument of team success and the opportunity to build long-lasting friendships are the most rewarding parts of her job. “That connection to people is important,” she said. “It’s important for me to know who I’m supporting or working with.”
Edwina Gaines snaps a selfie during a professional development event for administrative professionals in 2023. Gaines joined the Johnson team as a contractor nearly 20 years ago thanks to an opportunity that arose from her volunteer work at church. A church partner, the Houston Area Urban League, was helping a NASA subcontractor fill a secretarial position through the Small Business Administration’s HUBZone Program. Gaines got the job.
Since then, she has supported four programs and two institutional organizations, getting to know several agency leaders quite well. Gaines said she paid attention to little details – like which managers preferred printed materials over presentations, how they organized their offices, and when they typically stopped for coffee or something to eat – and worked to stay one step ahead of them. She recalled one occasion when she realized a manager had not taken a break in five hours and brought her something to drink. “It’s about taking care of the people who are doing the mission. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t complete the mission,” she said.
Rick Pettis, the administrative officer for the Center Operations Directorate, appreciates being part of a great team. Pettis has worked at Johnson since 2014, when he retired from the U.S. Navy after 23 years. “I enjoy helping people with problem solving,” he said. “Every day there will be someone who calls me to ask, ‘How do I get this done?’”
Rick Pettis poses with a spacesuit display.Image courtesy of Rick Pettis The administrative team’s work involves other highlights, as well. “When I met my first astronaut, I was in awe,” said Dottie Workman, a secretary supporting Johnson’s External Relations Office. “I couldn’t believe that someone so important was walking around the campus just like everyone else. He was so nice – he shook my hand and took the time to talk to me.”
Workman has been a civil servant for 52 years and 29 of those have been spent at Johnson. “My career has taken me all over the United States and Germany,” she said. “When my son was in the military and stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio he said, ‘Mom, why don’t you move to Texas?’ I didn’t have a good reason to say no, so here I am!”
Dottie Workman met J.J. Watt, former professional football player with the Houston Texans, during his visit to Johnson Space Center. Image courtesy of Dottie Workman. Outside of meeting and interacting with astronauts, Workman said being able to share NASA with her family and friends is her favorite part of working at Johnson. “It is always exciting to see their reaction,” she said.
Burnett is thankful for a united team that understands the value of their work. “I’m grateful to work with a group of professionals who know the significance of propelling today’s men and women into the next generation of deep space for years to come,” she said. “We are Artemis proud!”
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