Forget Black Friday. Let a little sunshine in.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) released a video this week of a spectacular solar flare erupting from the surface of the sun.
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Though the sun is currently in a solar minimum (it undergoes an 11-year cycle of a maximum, when it’s most active, to a minimum, when it’s less active) it’s still very busy producing sunspots, solar flares, and churning with activity.
SDO caught the sun in the act as it released a giant filament on Nov. 15. The filament was followed by another shortly after.
Filaments are dark strands of plasma that are cooler than the surrounding material that erupt from the sun’s surface. They are held in place by the sun’s magnetic forces, but can break away.
Though the sun is in a quiet period, there is always the chance of increased solar activity from time to time.
If you’d like to see more action of our sun, you can visit the SDO’s website.
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