Latest Sunspot Stories

Why sunspots are a strong source of radio emissions and what information those emissions carry will be the focus of an invited talk by NJIT Research Professor Jeongwoo Lee tomorrow at the International Astronomical Union Symposium on the Physics of Sun and Star Spots in Ventura, CA. The event numbers among the top gatherings in the U.S. for people studying sunspots and related phenomena.Lee, who will speak today, Aug. 26, 2010, will highlight Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA), one of the two...

NJIT Distinguished Professor Philip R. Goode and the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) team have achieved "first light" using a deformable mirror in what is called adaptive optics at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). Using this equipment, an image of a sunspot was published August 23 on the website of Ciel et l'Espace, as the photo of the day: http://www.cieletespace.fr/node/5752"This photo of a sunspot is now the most detailed ever obtained in visible light," according...

After the most profound lull in solar activity for nearly a century, the Sun is finally coming back to life. But will the solar activity return to previous levels? ESA's venerable solar watchdog SOHO is there, watching and measuring, providing unique information about our nearest star.It was the perfect Christmas present for solar physicists. In mid-December 2009, the largest group of sunspots to emerge for several years manifested itself on the solar surface. It occurred just as some solar...

Scientists are learning to predict giant solar storms that could, at any time, hit the Earth and produce cascading catastrophesFrom Sept. 1 to 2, 1859, the sun blasted out a massive, record-breaking coronal mass ejection (CME)--a huge eruption of highly charged gases and plasma that may have weighed as much as a billion tons. Racing through the solar system at several million miles per hour, the CME eventually collided with the Earth's magnetosphere--an invisible, atmospheric cocoon...

The sun is in the pits of the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century. Weeks and sometimes whole months go by without even a single tiny sunspot. The quiet has dragged out for more than two years, prompting some observers to wonder, are sunspots disappearing?"Personally, I'm betting that sunspots are coming back," says researcher Matt Penn of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona. But, he allows, "there is some evidence that they won't."Penn's colleague...

Four hundred years ago on this day, Italian astronomer and philosopher Galilei Galileo unveiled a device that would become a timeless symbol of scientific discovery "“ the telescope.Throughout his lifetime, Galileo would improve upon his first eight-powered telescope model, allowing him to make unprecedented discoveries.After noting that the moon's surface was not glossy and smooth, as well as showing that Venus had a range of moon-like phases, Galileo was seen as an outsider by the...

Cooler than average weather patterns in the U.S. northeast, attributed to the solar cycle, will likely persist for the rest of the summer, forecasters said. There will be spikes of summer weather, AccuWeather.com reported Monday, but weather patterns that have prevailed so far will probably last. This year represents a low point for sunspots, NASA said. Studies indicate the lower the sunspots, the less bright the sun, which could translate to less heating of Earth, although many other...

First model of entire sunspots shows striking, beautiful detailIn a breakthrough that will help scientists unlock mysteries of the sun and its impacts on Earth, scientists have created the first-ever comprehensive computer model of sunspots. The resulting visuals capture both scientific detail and remarkable beauty. The results are published this week in a paper in Science Express. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).The high-resolution simulations of sunspots...

An international panel of experts led by NOAA and sponsored by NASA has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots. "If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center."Even a below-average cycle is...

A U.S.-sponsored study suggests scientists expect a below average number of sunspots between now and 2013, when Solar Cycle 24 will peak.An international panel of experts led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released a new prediction for at least another year of mostly quiet conditions.If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since...