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Solar Activity Ramps Up as Giant Sunspot Group Turns to Face Earth
Monster sunspot group 1890 now faces Earth. Taken on Nov. 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Ron Cottrell.
The Sun is finally acting like it’s in solar maximum. Our Sun has emitted dozens of solar flares in since Oct. 23, 2013, with at least six big X-class flares. Just today it blasted out a X1.1 flare at 04:32 UT (11:32 p.m. EST on Nov. 7, 2013). While old Sol had been fairly quiet for the time where it was supposed to be active in its normal 11-year cycle, only recently has activity ramped up with increased flares and sunspots. During 2013, there has been intermittent strong activity (like this and this in May, the activity since mid-October is really the first extended period of activity.
Speaking of sunspots, a huge group called designated as AR 1890 has turned to face Earth, and Spaceweather.com reports that this sunspot has a trend of producing very brief flares. The X1-flare today was no exception as it lasted barely a minute. NOAA is forecasting a 60% chance of M-class solar flares and a 20% chance of X-flares on Nov. 8th from this sunspot group.
You can see an image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory below, as it recorded a flash of extreme UV radiation from the blast site:(…)
Read the rest of Solar Activity Ramps Up as Giant Sunspot Group Turns to Face Earth (142 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/106278/solar-activity-ramps-up-as-giant-sunspot-group-turns-to-face-earth/
