Possible Hyder Flare in the making on the Sun

[Delta4Embassy]

Had one a few months ago so this is not to be confused with a 'megaflare.'


SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

"GREAT CIRCLE OF MAGNETISM: A dark filament of magnetism in the sun's southern hemisphere has curled upon itself to form a circle of gargantuan porportions. The circumference of the ring is almost a million kilometers--dimensions that make it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. Amateur astronomer Peter Desypris sends this picture from Athens, Greece

"I could not fit the entire ring in my telescope's field of view," says . "This is a mosaic of two images."

Bushy magnetic filaments are often unstable, and they have a tendency to collapse. Filaments crashing to the surface of the sun can cause of a type of explosion called a Hyder flare. Any flare from this filament could be extra-energetic as it releases the tension stored in its million-km coil. Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor the structure for possible developments. "

 

[waltky]

Solar flare alert...

BIG SUNSPOTS:
Sunday, Jul. 17, 2016 - Solar activity has been low for months. This could soon change. Two big sunspot groups are directly facing Earth, and one of them has an unstable magnetic field that poses a threat for M-class solar flares. Bill Hrudey photographed the active regions on July 16th from Cayman islands:

What are granules? The sun is so hot, it literally boils. Granules are bumps on the boiling surface, much like the bumpy surface of water boiling on a hot stove. One difference: While the granules on your stove are only a few centimeters across, granules on the sun are as wide as Texas.

"Sunspots AR2567 & AR2565 are great imaging targets surrounded by many granules," says Hrudey.​

As if granules weren't big enough, the primary dark cores of these sunspots are twice as wide as the entire Earth. Great targets indeed. If you have a solar telescope, take a look.

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids