The appearance of sunspots—their number, duration, and location—suggests that the dynamics of the Sun’s outer layer is synchronized with an internal clock.
solar activity
Posted inNews
Forecasting Solar Storms in Real Time
Predicting when solar storms will hit Earth remains a tricky business. To help, scientists can now submit their forecasts of coronal mass ejections online as they unfold in real time.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Space Weather and Global Policy
In the latest episode of its Centennial series, AGU’s Third Pod from the Sun talks space weather and its influence on global policy with Delores Knipp.
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Moon Sheds Light on Early Solar Spin
Lunar samples reveal that the Sun spun relatively slowly in its first billion years and blasted the Earth and Moon with coronal mass ejections.
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Planetary Low Tide May Force Regular Sunspot Sync Ups
A regular alignment of the planets—no, it’s not pseudoscience—makes a strong enough tug to regulate the Sun’s 11- and 22-year cycles.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Solar Flares Increase Radiation Risk on Commercial Aircraft
A new study quantifies how space weather may affect polar transcontinental flight.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Thermosphere Responds to a Weaker Than Normal Solar Cycle
Infrared emissions from nitric oxide and carbon dioxide in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which are closely tied to incoming solar radiation, are drastically lower than in the previous solar cycle.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
First Multi-Decade Simulation of the Earth’s Radiation Belt
A new simulation of the Earth’s electron radiation belts captures large-scale variations over nearly three solar cycles, and replicates primary cyclical features and extreme behaviors.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plasma Activity Around Sunspots May Foreshadow Solar Storms
A new study identifies possible precursors to space weather in the regions encircling sunspots.
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John T. “Jack” Gosling (1938–2018)
This prolific researcher helped us understand the interactions of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections with Earth’s magnetic field.