The Solar Cycle As Seen From Space
VIDEO IN ENGLISH
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
The Sun is stirring from its latest slumber. As sunspots and flares, signs of a new solar cycle, bubble from the Sun’s surface, scientists are anticipating a flurry of solar activity over the next few years. Roughly every 11 years, at the height of this 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 sluggish to active and stormy. At its quietest, the Sun is at solar minimum; during solar maximum, the Sun blazes with bright flares and solar eruptions. In this video, view the Sun's disk from our space telescopes as it transitions from minimum to maximum in the solar cycle.
Music credit: "Observance" by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS] from Universal Production Music
VIDEO EN ESPAÑOL
Mira este video en el canal NASA en Español en YouTube.
El ciclo solar visto desde el espacio
El Sol se está despertando de su último sueño. A medida que las manchas y las fulguraciones solares, señales de un nuevo ciclo solar, burbujean en la superficie del Sol, los científicos anticipan una oleada de actividad solar durante los próximos años. Aproximadamente cada 11 años, en el punto álgido de este ciclo, los polos magnéticos del Sol se desplazan — en la Tierra sería como si se diera un intercambio de los polos norte y sur cada década — y el Sol pasa de estar aletargado a activo y tormentoso. En su momento más tranquilo, el Sol se encuentra en el mínimo solar; durante el máximo solar, el Sol brilla con fulguraciones brillantes y erupciones solares. En este video, observa el disco del Sol visto mediante nuestros telescopios espaciales a medida que pasa del mínimo al máximo en el ciclo solar.
Crédito de música: "Observance" por Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS] de Universal Production Music
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Data visualizer
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Producer
- Joy Ng (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Support
- Maria-Jose Vinas Garcia (Telophase)
- Pedro Cota (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Related Pages
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ID: 13714 Produced Video
Solar Cycle 25 Is Here. NASA, NOAA Scientists Explain What This Means
Read moreSolar Cycle 25 has begun. The Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel announced solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the transition into a new solar cycle. In a press event, experts from the panel, NASA, and NOAA discussed the analysis and Solar Cycle 25 prediction, and how the rise to the next solar maximum and subsequent upswing in space weather will impact our lives and technology on Earth.A new solar cycle comes roughly every 11 years. Over the course of each cycle, the star transitions from relatively calm to active and stormy, and then quiet again; at its peak, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip. Now that the star has passed solar minimum, scientists expect the Sun will grow increasingly active in the months and years to come.Understanding the Sun’s behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. The Sun’s outbursts—including eruptions known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections—can disturb the satellites and communications signals traveling around Earth, or one day, Artemis astronauts exploring distant worlds. Scientists study the solar cycle so we can better predict solar activity.Click here for the NOAA press kit.Listen to the media telecon.Participants:• Lisa Upton, Co-chair, Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel; Solar Physicist, Space Systems Research Corporation• Doug Biesecker, Solar Physicist, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center; Co-chair, Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel• Elsayed Talaat, Director, Office of Projects, Planning and Analysis; NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service • Lika Guhathakurta, Heliophysicist, Heliophysics Division, NASA Headquarters • Jake Bleacher, Chief Exploration Scientist, NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate ||
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ID: 13715 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credits: “Infinite” by Joseph Pincus [ASCAP]; “Reflective Sensations”, “Ideas For Tomorrow”, “Think Tank” by Laurent Dury [SACEM]; “Wonderful Orbit” by Tom Furse Fairfax Cowan [PRS]](/vis/a010000/a013700/a013715/13715_TrackSolarCycle_YouTube.00284_print.jpg)
How To Track The Solar Cycle
Read moreA new solar cycle comes roughly every 11 years. Over the course of each cycle, the Sun transitions from relatively calm to active and stormy, and then quiet again; at its peak, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip. Now that the star has passed solar minimum, scientists expect the Sun will grow increasingly active in the months and years to come.Understanding the Sun’s behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. The Sun’s outbursts—including eruptions known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections—can disturb the satellites and communications signals traveling around Earth, or one day, Artemis astronauts exploring distant worlds. Scientists study the solar cycle so we can better predict solar activity. As of 2020, the Sun has begun to shake off the sleep of minimum, which occurred in December 2019, and Solar Cycle 25 is underway. Scientists use several indicators to track solar cycle progress. ||
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ID: 13706 Produced Video
NASA/NOAA Interview Opportunity: Space Weather live shots
Read moreClick here for NOAA's Solar Minimum Press Kit with downloadable imagery and b-roll.Cut b-roll for the live shots will be posted Tuesday, Sept 15 by 4:00 p.m. EST || SolarBanner5.jpg (2448x382) [463.6 KB] || SolarBanner5_print.jpg (1024x159) [164.0 KB] || SolarBanner5_searchweb.png (320x180) [93.2 KB] || SolarBanner5_thm.png (80x40) [18.1 KB] ||
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ID: 4854 Visualization
Coronal Holes at Solar Minimum and Solar Maximum
Read moreA sample of solar coronal holes around the time of the maximum of sunspot activity (April 2014). Note the polar regions are devoid of coronal holes but a large hole appears in the southern hemisphere. || CoronalHoleMax_AIA193_00150_print.jpg (1024x1024) [173.1 KB] || CoronalHoleMax_AIA193_00150_searchweb.png (320x180) [89.6 KB] || CoronalHoleMax_AIA193_00150_thm.png (80x40) [7.4 KB] || CoronalHoleMax_AIA193_2048p30.mp4 (2048x2048) [61.7 MB] || CoronalHoleMax_AIA193_2048p30.webm (2048x2048) [2.9 MB] || frames/4096x4096_1x1_30p/CoronalHoleMaximum_193A/AIA193-Time/ (4096x4096) [64.0 KB] || frames/4096x4096_1x1_30p/CoronalHoleMaximum_193A/AIA193-Frames/ (4096x4096) [64.0 KB] || frames/600x100_6x1_30p/CoronalHoleMax_Timestamp/ (600x100) [64.0 KB] ||
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ID: 4788 Visualization
The Solar Polar Magnetic Field
Read moreFrom our single vantage point of Earth, our view of the Sun is never complete. While the far-side of the Sun eventually rotates into view, coverage of the Sun's polar regions is never satisfactory as perspective effects either completely block our view or create a distorted view. We must often resort to computer modeling of these solar polar regions.This visualization presents the Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) magnetic field model based on solar observations covering the years 2017-2019. One version also presents the 'hole' in our measurements of the solar polar region. The region oscillates in size over the course of the year due to the changing perspective created by the tilt of Earth's orbital plane with the solar equator. In this region, researchers must resort to approximations to build a more complete view of the solar magnetic field.Why is the solar magnetic field in this region important? Because the combined with the outgoing flow of the solar wind, the magnetic field lines from the polar regions curve up, and then back down to near the Sun's equatorial plane, which is still fairly close to the orbital plane of Earth and other planets in our solar system. This gives the Sun's polar magnetic field a significant influence on the space weather impacting Earth and crewed and uncrewed assets around the solar system. ||
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ID: 4391 Visualization
The Dynamic Solar Magnetic Field
Read moreA visualization of the slow changes of the solar magnetic field over the course of four years. || PFSSbasicView_inertial.HD1080i.0400_print.jpg (1024x576) [168.7 KB] || PFSSbasicView_inertial.HD1080i.0400_searchweb.png (320x180) [78.9 KB] || PFSSbasicView_inertial.HD1080i.0400_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || PFSSbasicView_inertial_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [326.6 MB] || PFSSbasicView_inertial_1080p10.mp4 (1920x1080) [470.2 MB] || PFSSbasicView_HD1080p10.mov (1920x1080) [804.4 MB] || PFSSbasicView_inertial_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [18.1 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/PFSSbasicView/ (1920x1080) [128.0 KB] ||
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ID: 13814 Produced Video
SVS Demo Reel 2020
Read moreThis is the SVS Demo Reel submitted to SIGGRAPH 2021.Coming soon to our YouTube channel. || SVS_2020.File.1080p.00250_print.jpg (1024x576) [129.8 KB] || SVS_2020.File.1080p.00250_thm.png (80x40) [3.1 KB] || SVS_2020.File.1080p.00250_searchweb.png (320x180) [60.0 KB] || SVS_2020.File.1080p.mp4 (1920x1080) [367.7 MB] || captions_silent.30842.en_US.srt [42 bytes] || SVS_2020.File.720p.mp4 (720x404) [62.6 MB] || SVS_2020.file.2160pp.mp4 (3840x2160) [1.4 GB] || SVS_2020.file.2160pp.webm (3840x2160) [78.3 MB] ||
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