Solar Activity

The output of the Sun in all forms, light, solar wind, and energetic particles, is not constant. It varies with both time (seconds to centuries!) and position on the Sun. These changes are called solar activity and are probably reflections of changes below the Sun's surface. Scientists can study the output and how it varies to probe the workings of the Sun.

The Sun's energy output takes two main forms: electromagnetic radiation and the emission of charged particles. The charged particles that carry a portion of the Sun's energy include both the relatively low-energy plasma of the solar wind and high-energy particles which have been accelerated to velocities near the speed of light. Solar activity produces space weather that affects Earth.

Types of solar activity include:

Sunspots
Solar Flares
Coronal Mass Ejections
Coronal Holes
Solar Plumes
The Solar Cycle

SOHO Pick of the Week -- SOHO

Back to Sun

April 20, 2012: Year Two: SDO highlights on its anniversary -- NASA
April 16, 2012: Giant prominence erupts -- NASA
April 9, 2012: SDO and STEREO spot something new on the sun -- NASA
April 6, 2012: Mysteries of the sun...explained in video -- NASA
April 5, 2012: SDO goes for a spin -- NASA
March 29, 2012: Giant solar tornado caught in NASA video -- National Geographic
February 17, 2012: Video: A tornado on the sun -- NPR
February 6, 2012: First panoramic view of the sun beamed down by NASA spacecraft -- The Guardian
December 8, 2011: Solar storms could 'sandblast' the moon -- Astrobiology
November 15, 2011: Orange sun scintillating -- APOD
November 6, 2011: Orange sun oozing -- APOD
November 1, 2011: Hinode's first light...and five more years -- NASA
October 25, 2011: STEREO mission celebrates five incredible years of science -- NASA
October 11, 2011: Sun-watchers hope giant telescope will get green light -- Nature
October 6, 2011: ESA to collaborate with NASA on solar science mission -- NASA
September 25, 2011: A large tsunami shock wave on the sun -- APOD
September 22, 2011: Active reconnection by a quiet sun -- ACE News
August 26, 2011: Linked solar eruptions explained -- Nature
August 23, 2011: The sun roils over Mexico -- Bad Astronomy blog
July 27, 2011: SDO spots extra energy in the sun's corona -- NASA
July 11, 2011: Dark fireworks on the sun -- NASA
June 10, 2011: The sun unleashed -- APOD
June 8, 2011: The sun is having a blast -- Astrobiology
May 2, 2011: Plasmoids and sheaths mean success or failure for solar eruptions -- Science Daily
March 17, 2011: A solar prominence eruption from SDO -- APOD
February 17, 2011: Global solar observatory flares into life -- Nature
February 11, 2011: SDO celebrates one year anniversary -- NASA
February 7, 2011: Sun 360: STEREO captures views of the entire sun -- APOD
February 6, 2011: First ever STEREO images of the entire sun -- NASA
December 15, 2010: A huge solar filament erupts -- APOD
December 15, 2010: NASA spies storm stretching across the sun -- Physics World
December 14, 2010: ESA makes the sun available to everyone -- ESA
December 13, 2010: Global eruption rocks the sun -- NASA
November 18, 2010: Profiling the largest solar explosions -- NASA
November 12, 2010: Sunspot 1123 hurls filament toward Earth -- NASA
November 2, 2010: Spicules: Jets on the sun -- APOD
October 18, 2010: It came from the sun -- APOD
September 23, 2010: Equinox and the iron sun -- APOD
August 26, 2010: Shrinking atmospheric layer linked to low levels of solar radiation -- AGU
August 6, 2010: The not so quiet sun -- APOD
August 6, 2010: Activity from Aug. 1 CME subsides -- NASA
July 24, 2010: First light for Solar Dynamics Observatory -- Nature
July 9, 2010: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captures profile of arcing active solar region -- NASA
June 29, 2010: NASA retires TRACE spacecraft after highly successful mission -- NASA
May 25, 2010: Why NASA keeps a close eye on the Sun's irradiance -- NASA
May 25, 2010: The Glory missions' Judith Lean discusses solar variability -- NASA
May 25, 2010: Spacecraft reveals small solar events have large scale effects -- NASA
May 22, 2010: Dark filament of the Sun -- APOD
May 10, 2010: Large eruptive prominence movie from SDO -- APOD
April 27, 2010: SDO observes massive eruption, scorching rain -- Science@NASA
April 23, 2010: SDO: The extreme ultraviolet Sun -- APOD
April 23, 2010: Sun erupts: Epic blast seen by NASA solar observatory -- National Geographic
April 21, 2010: NASA's new eye on the Sun delivers stunning first images -- NASA
April 21, 2010: First light for the Solar Dynamics Observatory -- Science@NASA
April 19, 2010: Blame the volcano trouble on Sun and global warming -- New Scientist
April 18, 2010: Large eruptive prominence imaged by STEREO -- APOD
March 16, 2010: Detailed view of a solar eclipse corona -- APOD
February 11, 2010: A new view of our volatile star -- Physics World
November 24, 2009: Monster waves on the Sun are real -- Science@NASA
November 23, 2009: Solar tsunami -- HEAPOW
November 19, 2009: Mystery of the solar tsunami -- solved -- NASA
November 11, 2009: A lightning strike in Africa helps take the pulse of the Sun -- Tel Aviv University
October 27, 2009: The Sun's sneaky variability -- Science@NASA
October 20, 2009: A solar prominence erupts in STEREO -- APOD
October 6, 2009: STEREO captures Sun's eruption -- NASA
October 4, 2009: Streams of the Sun -- Astrobiology Magazine
September 22, 2009: EVE: Measuring the Sun's hidden variability -- NASA
July 2, 2009: AGU journal highlights -- #9 -- Eurekalert
May 31, 2009: A solar prominence from SOHO -- APOD
April 25, 2009: Space missions to visit the Sun -- UK Telegraph
March 15, 2009: A prominent solar prominence from SOHO -- APOD
January 23, 2009: NASA sees the 'dark side' of the Sun -- Science@NASA
January 7, 2009: Danger ahead as the Sun goes quiet -- New Scientist
December 25, 2008: Solar mission launch starts busy year for Russia's space agency -- RIA Novosti
November 2, 2008: Spicules: Jets on the Sun -- APOD
October 4, 2008: A solar prominence unfurls -- APOD
September 24, 2008: Active Region 1002 on an unusually quiet Sun -- APOD
June 5, 2008: Sun's corona puts a twist on its pitches -- Sky & Telescope
June 3, 2008: Giant "tornadoes" seen erupting from the sun -- National Geographic
June 1, 2008: A twisted solar eruptive prominence -- APOD
February 6, 2008: A sunspot in the new solar cycle -- APOD
January 2, 2008: Third instrument for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory arrviese at Goddard -- NASA GSFC
November 28, 2007: UNH scientists report first findings on key astrophysics problem -- Eurekalert
May 30, 2007: News from your favorite star -- Astronomy.com
April 27, 2007: NOAA announces next solar storm cycle will likely start next March -- EurekAlert!
April 25, 2007: The quest to predict the next space "hurricane" season -- NASA GSFC
March 22, 2007: Hinode studies the Sun -- Astronomy.com
March 21, 2007: Solar activity won't break drought -- Australian Broadcasting Company
February 19, 2007: Surprises from the Sun's south pole -- European Space Agency
February 6, 2007: Sun storm: a coronal mass ejection -- NASA GSFC APOD
January 25, 2007: Twin spacecraft swing past Moon to prepare for 3-D solar studies -- SpaceDaily
January 4, 2007: 1000th orbit for the Cluster mission -- SpaceDaily

Solar activity news from 2006 and earlier