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'Sigmoids' are S-shaped structures found in the outer atmosphere of the Sun (the corona), seen with X-ray telescopes and thought to be a crucial part of explosive events like solar flares. Now a group of astronomers have developed the first model to reproduce and explain the nature of the different stages of a sigmoid’s life. Professor Alan Hood and Dr. Vasilis Archontis, both from the Mathematical Institute at St. Andrews University, Scotland, will present the team’s results at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science conference at the University of Hertfordshire. Prof. Hood will present some of the work...

Sunspots could be seen by the Soho telescope in 2001 (l), but not this year (r) There are no sunspots, very few solar flares - and our nearest star is the quietest it has been for a very long time. The observations are baffling astronomers, who are due to study new pictures of the Sun, taken from space, at the UK National Astronomy Meeting. The Sun normally undergoes an 11-year cycle of activity. At its peak, it has a tumultuous boiling atmosphere that spits out flares and planet-sized chunks of super-hot gas. This is followed by a calmer period. Last...

A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm. Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation. The prediction is based in part on major solar storm in 1859 caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires. It was perhaps the worst in the past 200 years, according to the new study, and with the advent of modern power grids and satellites, much...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The sun's winds are less blustery than they used to be, NASA said on Tuesday, revealing data from a solar probe that promises new insights about Earth's local star but poses few if any consequences for humans -- unless you're an astronaut. The data show the solar wind, a steady stream of charged sub-atomic particles emitted by the sun and blowing at 1 million mph (1.6 million kph), has dwindled to its lowest level in at least 50 years, reducing its strength as a shield against potentially harmful galactic cosmic radiation.

Today, the Space and Science Research Center, (SSRC) in Orlando, Florida announces that it has confirmed the recent web announcement of NASA solar physicists that there are substantial changes occurring in the sun’s surface. The SSRC has further researched these changes and has concluded they will bring about the next climate change to one of a long lasting cold era. Today, Director of the SSRC, John Casey has reaffirmed earlier research he led that independently discovered the sun’s changes are the result of a family of cycles that bring about climate shifts from cold climate to warm and back again....

The restless bubbling and frothing of the Sun's chaotic surface is astonishing astronomers who have been treated to detailed new images from a Japanese space telescope called Hinode. The observatory will have as dramatic an impact on our understanding of the Sun as the Hubble Space Telescope has had on our view of the universe beyond, scientists told a NASA press conference in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday. "Everything we thought we knew about X-ray images of the Sun is now out of date," says Leon Golub from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. "We've seen many...

Aurora Borealis visible in Southern Michigan tonight. Very bright, but not too colorful...at least not yet. Just an FYI for you sky watchers out there.

Solar activity remains very high and shows no signs of abating. Sunspot 798/808 has unleashed seven X-class solar flares since Sept. 7th. Forecasters say there's a 75% chance of more X-flares during the next 24 hours, possibly causing radio blackouts and radiation storms. Coronal mass ejections hurled into space by these explosions could hit Earth's magnetic field in the days ahead. Sky watchers, particularly in northern places like Canada and Alaska, should remain alert for auroras. The best time to look is local midnight. The sun's 27-day rotation is slowly turning sunspot 798 to face Earth. Explosions in the coming...

Increased solar activity causing disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field may cause whales to run aground in the North Sea, say researchers. Analysis of whales stranded between 1712 and 2003 shows that more are stranded when solar activity is high. Writing in the Journal of Sea Research, scientists propose that whales use the Earth's magnetic field to assist navigation like homing pigeons do. As the Sun disrupts the magnetic field whales can become confused, they say. Animal magnetism The Sun goes through a cycle with an average length of about 11 years, though individual cycle lengths have ranged from 8...

Picture credit: TheCabal"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"LINK TO THREAD TEN Iran seeks swap of Brits for suicide attackers Report says 40 Revolutionary Guard 'volunteers' held by UK Iran apprehended British military personnel and Navy vessels earlier this week in order to secure release of 40 "suicide operations volunteers" held by the UK, according to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard source. The source told the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the British Army command in Iraq received the demand from the Revolutionary Guard, reported the Middle East Media Research Institute. According to the source,...

The three giant sunspots that caused so much space weather in recent weeks are now on the farside of the sun. There are hints that the three are still active. Witness these CMEs hurled over the sun's limb by farside explosions: Nov. 6th (pictured right), Nov. 7th, and Nov. 9th. Using a technique called helioseismic holography, researchers can "see" a portion of the sun's farside. In a few days their images should tell us if two of the sunspots (486 and 488) are indeed still big. The sun's 27-day rotation is carrying these spots back toward the Earth-facing side of...

Professor Ramon Lopez, Art's first hour guest, confirmed that there are very large explosions taking place on the far side of the sun. Quite possibly these are coming from sunspot 10486. We do not know if that sunspot is now shrinking or is growing. From this side, all we are seeing are the full halos expanding out.

Questions about the Recent Wild Solar Activity Readers had many questions about the recent, historical round of 10 solar flares in two weeks and their associated space storms (called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs) that hit Earth. I got behind with the Mailbag because the flares just would not stop -- blame it on the Sun! -- but here, finally, are some answers (recent additions at the top): Kurtis writes: Is there a possibility that since humans have really only existed for .01% of our Sun's total lifetime, that the Sun is in the process of returning to its norm,...

The X18+ solar flare has been associated with a high velocity FULL HALO coronal mass ejection. There IS an Earthward directed component. Estimated plane of sky velocity for this event is 2381 km/sec, although it is probable the true velocity is above 2400 km/sec because there is some evidence for acceleration of the CME. True x-ray intensity is unknown, but is probably near the X30 x-ray level (possibly between X30 and X40). VERY impressive event! Definitely one for the record books. We have no idea yet when this one might impact the Earth or how strong the impact might be....

The Sun is more active now than it has been for a millennium. The realisation, which comes from a reconstruction of sunspots stretching back 1150 years, comes just as the Sun has thrown a tantrum. Over the last week, giant plumes of have material burst out from our star's surface and streamed into space, causing geomagnetic storms on Earth. The dark patches on the surface of the Sun that we call sunspots are a symptom of fierce magnetic activity inside. Ilya Usoskin, a geophysicist who worked with colleagues from the University of Oulu in Finland and the Max Planck Institute...

The Sun cut loose with three severe flares in less than 24 hours through Monday morning, bringing to nine the number of major eruptions in less than two weeks. Scientists have never witnessed a string of activity like this. Colorful aurora are expected to grace the skies at high latitudes and possibly into lower portions of the United States and Europe over the next two or three nights. Satellites and power grids could once again be put at risk. Early Monday, Paal Brekke, deputy project manager of the SOHO spacecraft, was still digesting the significance of the three additional outbursts...

AURORA ALERT: Earth is inside a solar wind stream flowing from the indicated large coronal hole. Image credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope. Earth is entering a solar wind stream flowing from a large coronal hole on the Sun. Sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. The best viewing sites will be at high latitudes: e.g., New Zealand, southern Australia, northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and other northern US states like Wisconsin and Michigan ... and, of course, the ISS. Right: Near Sheep Mountain, Alaska, Calvin Hall was serenaded by Great Horned Owls as he watched these green auroras dance overhead on...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 August 15 Meteors and Northern Lights Credit & Copyright: Wade B. Clark Jr. Explanation: Skygazers report that the annual Perseid meteor shower went pretty much as predicted, producing a meteor every few minutes during the dark early morning hours of August 12 and 13. And as the constellation Perseus rose above the horizon on the night of August 11, astrophotographer Wade Clark was anticipating recording images of...