The Sun is now in the quietest phase of its 11-year activity cycle, the solar minimum - in fact, it has been unusually quiet this year - with over 200 days so far with no observed sunspots. The solar wind has also dropped to its lowest levels in 50 years. Scientists are unsure of the significance of this unusual calm, but are continually monitoring our closest star with an array of telescopes and satellites.A great aurora caused by the great 1859 solar storm referred to as the Carrington Event hit the earth. In scientific circles where solar flares, magnetic storms and other unique solar events are discussed, the solar flare of September 1-2, 1859, was like a myth. Within hours, telegraph wires in both the United States and Europe spontaneously shorted out, causing numerous fires, while the Northern Lights, a solar-induced phenomena often observable in regions near Earth’s North Pole, were reported as far south as Rome, Havana and Hawaii, with similar effects at the South Pole.
The 1859 storm was more severe than any encountered during the recent times, according to a review of ice core data by Odenwald, and an analysis of geomagnetic data and Eyewitness accounts by Dr. Jim Green of NASA Goddard, and his team. “The 1859 storm was the granddaddy of all solar storms – there has been nothing like it since,” said Green. “It disrupted telegraph lines all over the world and generated aurora as far south as Panama. It enthralled the public – news reports were everywhere.”The Sun flare in our background cover photo is well over 869,919 miles wide, and contains 99.86 percent of the mass of the entire solar system! Well over a million Earths could fit inside its bulk!
The Sun's mass is roughly 1.99 x 1030 kg. This is about 333,000 times the mass of the Earth. The Sun contains 99.8% of all of the mass of the Solar System.
The mass of the sun is decreasing over time, as fusion reactions convert hydrogen into helium, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. On Sept. 2, 1859, an incredible storm of charged particles sent by the sun slammed into Earth's atmosphere, overpowered it, and caused havoc on the ground. Telegraph wires, the high-tech stuff of the time, suddenly shorted out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires. Colorful aurora, normally visible only in polar regions, were seen as far south as Cuba and Hawaii.
Earth's magnetic field normally protects the surface of the planet from some storms.
In 1859, the planet's defenses were totally overwhelmed.
Over the past decade, similar but less powerful storms have likewise busted through, giving scientists insight into what will eventually happen
again. The outlook is not rosy.
