Quiet Interlude in Solar Max

Quiet Interlude in Solar Max
Credit: NASA/SDO

(Phys.org) —Something unexpected is happening on the Sun. 2013 was supposed to be the year of "solar maximum," the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Yet 2013 has arrived and solar activity is relatively low. Sunspot numbers are well below their values from 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent.

The image above shows the Earth-facing surface of the Sun on February 28, 2013, as observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. HMI observes the solar disk at 6173 Ångstroms, a wavelength designed to study surface oscillations and the magnetic field.

HMI observed just a few small sunspots on an otherwise clean face, which is usually riddled with many spots during peak solar activity.

Provided by NASA

Citation: Quiet Interlude in Solar Max (2013, March 8) retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2013-03-quiet-interlude-solar-max.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Solar cycle update: Twin peaks?

0 shares

Feedback to editors