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5 Years Of Incredible X-Ray Explosions From The Sun
Friday, November 9, 2012 16:13
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Want to see what happens when the sun wakes up? This amazing compilation shows every energetic X-ray outburst from the last five and a half years as our local star ramps up toward the most active part of its cycle.
The solar cycle is a natural 11-year variation in sunspot numbers and space weather activity that occurs when the sun’s internal magnetic field flips. During solar minimum, the sun has very few or no sunspots and produces few large flares and coronal mass ejections — energetic explosions on the sun that spew tons of radiation and charged particles into space. But at solar maximum it shoots ever more outbursts, which can disrupt communications on Earth, sometimes to a catastrophic degree.
