Sun  ID: 11150

Space Weather Forecast

Story by Karen Fox Released on January 1, 2013
Download Options
Sunny with a chance of wild space weather.
The sun goes through a natural cycle approximately every 11 years, hitting peaks and valleys of solar activity. The cycle is marked by the increase and decrease of sunspots—visible as dark blemishes on the sun's surface and connected to eruptions such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The largest number of sunspots in any given solar cycle is designated as "solar maximum," and this next peak of activity is predicted to occur in 2013. The eruptions that occur during solar maximum can't harm humans on Earth. But scientists observe this activity, what they call space weather, because it can affect satellites in orbit and disrupt power grids on the ground. Watch the movie to see the kind of gigantic, and often beautiful, eruptions we expect to see more of in 2013.
Download Options
These images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) show the range of eruptions and solar flares that we will see more of in 2013.
Download Options
The sun was calm in fall 2010 (left), but had cycled toward solar maximum and a more active and varied solar atmosphere by fall 2012 (right).
Download Options
Two wavelengths were blended in one image to create this SDO view of a large solar eruption in Aug. 2012.
Download Options
As the sun moves toward solar maximum in 2013, more sunspots like these will appear on its surface.
 

Related Story

SDO Solar Comparison October 2010 to October 2012

For More Information

NASA.gov

Story Credits

Video Editor:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Producer:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Lead Writer:
Karen Fox (ADNET Systems, Inc.)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11150

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Sun