Our Sun

Published by Ned in Astrophotography · Tuesday 10 Jan 2023

Our Sun ! We are now in solar sunspot cycle 25, you can see the actual sunspots, expected to peak around July 2025 (pic taken today). The dark blotches are associated with solar activity, often as the origins for giant explosions – such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections – which can spew light, energy, and solar material into space. So the number of explosions will increase over the next 2.5 years.

Heightened solar activity poses a risk to satellites, spacecraft and even spacewalking astronauts due to increased radiation exposure. On Earth, the large geomagnetic storms that solar activity triggers can interfere with high-frequency radio communications and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), power grids and auroras.

Check out the Carrington Event if you wish to see the consequences of serious solar activity and what a potentially catastrophic effect this could have on today's technologies.