http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 1:32 pm EDT on May 3, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however—when intense enough—they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, and the radio blackout for this flare has already subsided. http://phys.org/news286821406.html Space & Earth Fri, 03 May 2013 17:36:55 EST news286821406 (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. http://phys.org/news281955018.html Space & Earth Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:50:37 EST news281955018 Something unexpected is happening on the sun. 2013 is supposed to be the year of Solar Max, 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 in 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent for many months. http://phys.org/news281606141.html Space & Earth Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:55:51 EST news281606141 (Phys.org)—When a sun-gazing NASA satellite designed and built by the University of Colorado Boulder launched into space on Jan. 25, 2003, solar storms were raging. http://phys.org/news278237942.html Space & Earth Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:21:33 EST news278237942 (Phys.org)—In the galactic scheme of things, the Sun is a remarkably constant star. While some stars exhibit dramatic pulsations, wildly yo-yoing in size and brightness, and sometimes even exploding, the luminosity of our own sun varies a measly 0.1% over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. http://phys.org/news277113325.html Space & Earth Fri, 11 Jan 2013 07:55:43 EST news277113325 (Phys.org)—The picture on the left shows a calm sun from Oct. 2010. The right side, from Oct. 2012, shows a much more active and varied solar atmosphere as the sun moves closer to peak solar activity, a peak known as solar maximum, predicted for 2013. Both images were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observing light emitted from the 1 million degree plasma, which is a good temperature for observing the quiet corona. Credit: NASA/SDO http://phys.org/news273231718.html Space & Earth Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:42:08 EST news273231718 (Phys.org)—On Nov. 13, 2012, the sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 9:04 p.m. EST. http://phys.org/news272042158.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:16:48 EST news272042158 (Phys.org)—NASA's very first small explorer, the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer or SAMPEX, was launched July 3, 1992 to study the zoo of particles and cosmic rays surrounding Earth. Surviving much longer than its expected mission of three years and providing invaluable observations for those who study space weather, the SAMPEX mission is now almost over. In early November, the spacecraft's orbit will decay enough that it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere, burning up completely on re-entry. http://phys.org/news271070379.html Space & Earth Fri, 02 Nov 2012 10:19:46 EST news271070379 The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 2:14 p.m. EDT on Oct. 20, 2012. This flare is classified as an M9 flare. M-class flares are the weakest flares that can still cause some space weather effects near Earth. Since flares are rated on a scale from 1 to 10, an M9 is a particularly strong M class flare, but still ten times weaker than the most powerful flares, which are labeled X-class. http://phys.org/news270111485.html Space & Earth Mon, 22 Oct 2012 07:58:16 EST news270111485 (Phys.org)—Northern night skies have recently been alive with light. Those shimmering curtains get their start about 93 million miles away, on the sun. http://phys.org/news268418663.html Space & Earth Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:45:04 EST news268418663 (Phys.org) -- The sun emitted a mid-level flare, peaking at 4:55 PM EDT on July 28, 2012. http://phys.org/news262945037.html Space & Earth Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:17:34 EST news262945037 The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare on July 19, 2012, beginning at 1:13 AM EDT and peaking at 1:58 AM. Solar flares are gigantic bursts of radiation that cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to harm humans on the ground, however, when strong enough, they can disrupt the atmosphere and degrade GPS and communications signals. http://phys.org/news261913065.html Space & Earth Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:38:11 EST news261913065 (Phys.org) -- With the impending solar maximum expected to bring heightened rates of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), putting at risk an ever-increasing human presence in space, Oh et al. designed and assessed a prediction system to keep astronauts safe from these solar storms. http://phys.org/news260789035.html Space & Earth Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:24:11 EST news260789035 The short answer? Really big. The long answer? Really, really big. http://phys.org/news256550525.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 May 2012 09:02:17 EST news256550525 (PhysOrg.com) -- Recent research shows that the space age has coincided with a period of unusually high solar activity, called a grand maximum. Isotopes in ice sheets and tree rings tell us that this grand solar maximum is one of 24 during the last 9300 years and suggest the high levels of solar magnetic field seen over the space age will reduce in future. This decline will cause a reduction in sunspot numbers and explosive solar events, but those events that do take place could be more damaging. Graduate student Luke Barnard of the University of Reading presented new results on ‘solar climate change’ in his paper at the National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester. http://phys.org/news252574806.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:40:59 EST news252574806 (PhysOrg.com) -- Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While these are the most common solar events, the sun can also emit streams of very fast protons – known as solar energetic particle (SEP) events – and disturbances in the solar wind known as corotating interaction regions (CIRs). All of these can produce a variety of "storms" on Earth that can – if strong enough -- interfere with short wave radio communications, GPS signals, and Earth's power grid, among other things. http://phys.org/news246787313.html Space & Earth Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:40:01 EST news246787313 Viewed from the technological perspective of modern humans, the sun is a seething cauldron of disruptive influences that can wreak havoc on communication systems, air travel, power grids and satellites – not to mention astronauts in space. http://phys.org/news232897019.html Space & Earth Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:37:13 EST news232897019 (PhysOrg.com) -- Radiation risks to airplanes and spacecraft are likely to increase when the Sun moves from its present grand solar maximum to lower levels of activity, says research from the University of Reading. http://phys.org/news232704257.html Space & Earth Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:40:03 EST news232704257 (PhysOrg.com) -- Assistant Professor Sarah Symons explains some of the out-of-this-world activity happening in space. http://phys.org/news219567195.html Space & Earth Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:53:31 EST news219567195 A geomagnetic space storm sparked by a solar eruption like the one that flared toward Earth Tuesday is bound to strike again and could wreak havoc across the gadget-happy modern world, experts say. http://phys.org/news217406413.html Space & Earth Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:40:25 EST news217406413 (PhysOrg.com) -- Sunspot formation is triggered by a magnetic field, which scientists say is steadily declining. They predict that by 2016 there may be no remaining sunspots, and the sun may stay spotless for several decades. The last time the sunspots disappeared altogether was in the 17th and 18th century, and coincided with a lengthy cool period on the planet known as the Little Ice Age. http://phys.org/news203746768.html Space & Earth Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:50:01 EST news203746768 Sky viewers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights, or aurorae, tomorrow. After a long slumber, the Sun is waking up. Early Sunday morning, the Sun's surface erupted and blasted tons of plasma (ionized atoms) into interplanetary space. That plasma is headed our way, and when it arrives, it could create a spectacular light show. http://phys.org/news199985777.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:10:02 EST news199985777 Every 11 years, the sun undergoes a furious upheaval. Dark sunspots burst forth from beneath the sun's surface. Explosions as powerful as a billion atomic bombs spark intense flares of high-energy radiation. Clouds of gas big enough to swallow planets break away from the sun and billow into space. It's a flamboyant display of stellar power. http://phys.org/news175970429.html Space & Earth Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:41:06 EST news175970429 (PhysOrg.com) -- Challenging conventional wisdom, new research finds that the number of sunspots provides an incomplete measure of changes in the Sun's impact on Earth over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. The study, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Michigan, finds that Earth was bombarded last year with high levels of solar energy at a time when the Sun was in an unusually quiet phase and sunspots had virtually disappeared. http://phys.org/news172412647.html Space & Earth Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:24:33 EST news172412647 (PhysOrg.com) -- Subtle connections between the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere, and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research appearing this week in the journal Science. The study can help scientists get an edge on eventually predicting the intensity of certain climate phenomena, such as the Indian monsoon and tropical Pacific rainfall, years in advance. http://phys.org/news170601993.html Space & Earth Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:01 EST news170601993 (PhysOrg.com) -- Solar flares are amongst the most dangerous cosmic phenomena man has ever known. Though they pose no harm to humans, their effect on technology is vast. When they occur, they possess the capability to knock out satellites orbiting earth and bring down power grids that provide electricity to millions of people. In order to avoid catastrophe physicists around the globe are working to accurately forecast these solar flares. http://phys.org/news170535071.html Physics Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:51:47 EST news170535071 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international panel of experts led by NOAA and sponsored by NASA has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots. http://phys.org/news163083874.html Space & Earth Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:05:13 EST news163083874 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international panel of experts has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle, stating that Solar Cycle 24 will peak in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots. Led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and sponsored by NASA, the panel includes a dozen members from nine different government and academic institutions. Their forecast sets the stage for at least another year of mostly quiet conditions before solar activity resumes in earnest. http://phys.org/news162653480.html Space & Earth Wed, 27 May 2009 14:32:07 EST news162653480