A Complete Solar Cycle from SOHO
Credit: SOHO - EIT Consortium, ESA, NASA
Posted on 12/03/2007 3:38:39 PM PST by sig226
Explanation: Every eleven years, our Sun goes through a solar cycle. A complete solar cycle has now been imaged by the sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft, celebrating the 12th anniversary of its launch yesterday. A solar cycle is caused by the changing magnetic field of the Sun, and varies from solar maximum, when sunspot, coronal mass ejection, and flare phenomena are most frequent, to solar minimum, when such activity is relatively infrequent. Solar minimums occurred in 1996 and 2007, while the last solar maximum occurred in 2001. This picture is composed of a SOHO image of the Sun in extreme ultraviolet light for each year of the last solar cycle, with images picked to illustrate the relative activity of the Sun.
One of the best apods I’ve seen in a long time.
The sun doesn't have cycles - because THAT might explain global warming.
The Goracle said it's OUR fault.
And the Goracle's never wrong - he even said the debate is over, so he must be right...
Nothing like pesky facts to get in the way of a political crusade...ugh.
Very cool!
Eleven years is a half cycle. The complete magnetic cycle is twenty-two years.
thank you
Please, the scientific community has reached consensus. We did it and we have to fix it by paying money to the government and decrease our standard of living. :-)
Thanks for pic, sig.
I’m too old for saddle sores :)
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