Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




SOLAR SCIENCE
NASA's SDO Sees Giant January Sunspots
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 10, 2014


One of the largest sunspots in the last nine years, labeled AR1944, was seen in early January 2014, as captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. An image of Earth has been added for scale. Image courtesy NASA/SDO. For a larger version of this image please go here.

An enormous sunspot, labeled AR1944, slipped into view over the sun's left horizon late on Jan. 1, 2014. The sunspot steadily moved toward the right, along with the rotation of the sun, and now sits almost dead center, as seen in the image above from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Sunspots are dark areas on the sun's surface that contain complex arrangements of strong magnetic fields that are constantly shifting. The largest dark spot in this configuration is approximately two Earths wide, and the entire sunspot group is some seven Earths across.

For comparison, another giant sunspot, five to six Earths across, is shown below from 2005. The image was captured by the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

Sunspots are part of what's known as active regions, which also include regions of the sun's atmosphere, the corona, hovering above the sunspots.

Active regions can be the source of some of the sun's great explosions: solar flares that send out giant bursts of light and radiation due to the release of magnetic energy, or coronal mass ejections that send huge clouds of solar material out into space.

As the sunspot group continues its journey across the face of the sun, scientists will watch how it changes and evolves to learn more about how these convoluted magnetic fields can cause space weather events that can affect space-borne systems and technological infrastructure on Earth.

.


Related Links
Space Weather at NASA
SOHO at NASA
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SOLAR SCIENCE
Sun 'flips upside down' while reversing magnetic poles
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Jan 01, 2014
The sun has undergone a "complete field reversal," with its north and south poles changing places as it marks the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24. "A reversal of the sun's magnetic field is, literally, a big event," NASA's Dr. Tony Phillips said in a statement issued on the space agency's website. "The sun's polar magnetic fields weaken, go to zero and then emerge again with the opposite ... read more


SOLAR SCIENCE
Wake Up Yutu

Chang'e-3 satellite payload APXS obtained its first spectrum of lunar regolith

Chang'e 3 Lander and Rover From Above

China's moon rover "sleeps" through lunar night

SOLAR SCIENCE
Who Wants to Go to Mars - One Way?

More than 1,000 chosen for one-way Mars reality-TV mission

One-way trip to Mars? Sign me up, says Frenchwoman

Clues from Orbit Aiding Exploration Of Opportunity Rover

SOLAR SCIENCE
Toymakers target 'kidults' at high-tech Hong Kong fair

Earthly politicians seek roadmap for space exploration

An astronaut's rhythm

China has world's most outbound tourists

SOLAR SCIENCE
China launches communications satellite for Bolivia

China's moon rover continues lunar survey after photographing lander

China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores

Deep space monitoring station abroad imperative

SOLAR SCIENCE
Obama Administration Extends ISS Until at Least 2024

NASA extends space station life to 2024

New Science Bound for Station on Orbital's Cygnus

CU-Boulder to fly antibiotic experiment on ants to space station

SOLAR SCIENCE
Cygnus Heads to Space for First Station Resupply Mission

Orbital to attempt launch to space station Thursday

Orbital Sciences launches second mission to space station

'20 years of toil has paid off' Says Radhkrishnan

SOLAR SCIENCE
NASA's Kepler Provides Insights on Enigmatic Planets

Research: Smaller exoplanets found to be covered in gas

Newfound planet is Earth-mass but gassy

Planet-hunting telescope camera returns first images of exoplanets

SOLAR SCIENCE
3D printing poised to shake up shopping

RAMBO a small but powerful magnet

Sony unveils game service as PS4 sales top 4.2 million

S. Asia takes 71 percent of market for ship breaking




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement