The solar flare activity in September came as a surprise to astronomers. The increase in activity occurred during a period when researchers wouldn’t expect that kind of activity.
Since the beginning of September, several solar outbursts have occurred. The outbursts can be linked to a huge sunspot that scientists have been growing ever larger.
This sunspot is peculiar according to researchers because the sun should be in an inactive period at the moment, a so-called solar minimum.
The researchers count the number of sunspots to keep an eye on how active the sun is, and during a solar minimum, a period of least solar activity in the 11-year solar cycle of the sun, sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes and often does not occur for days at a time.
Compared to a solar minimum, a solar maximum could mean between 50 and 200 sunbeds at any given time. When the number of spots is at least, the number can be close to zero.
In September, we have seen four solar flares – 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th. The latest solar storm has not reached us yet.
NASA: Sun Erupts With Significant Flare