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Hinode (Sunrise), a project to study the Sun, is exploring
the magnetic fields of the Sun, and is improving our understanding of the mechanisms that power the solar atmosphere and drive solar eruptions.
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The Sun is Sleeping!
Sep 6 - Sep 15, 2008
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Conditions on the Sun continue to be quiet. The Hinode X-ray movie above shows ten days of solar (in)activity. There have been no numbered spots since July 21.
The magnetic configuration of sunspots: Active regions in the northern hemisphere of the Sun that appear with negative polarity leading are a part of the new sunspot cycle of the Sun, cycle 24. On May 5, AR 10993, new cycle sunspots made an appearance in the southern hemisphere (positive polarity leads).
As seen in X-ray data from Goes 10, the Sun is indeed quiet. Since June 15, X-ray flux has been less than or equal to 1 x 10-8 Watts/m2. (See also GOES X rays on Solar Monitor).
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More Quiet Time on the Sun
June 24 - July 8, 2008
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The movie above is a compilation of X-ray images from June 24 to July 8, 2008. The loops close to the equator on June 24-26 (to the right of the central meridian) are from old-cycle spots, NOAA active region 10999 (AR 10999). The Sun continues to show little activity and has produced only one B-class flare in the time period May 17 - July 11 (as seen by GOES ). For an explanation of flare classes, go to Space Weather's Classification of X-ray Solar Flares.
New cycle spots in the southern hemisphere will appear with positive polarity on the western (right) side of the sunspot. For new cycle spots in the northern hemisphere, the reverse is true (negative polarity to the west). Compare AR10999 with the southern hemisphere new cycle spot of 6 May, 2008. The solar surface (photosphere) has has had only two numbered spots June 11 - July 11, 2008 (see the Solar Monitor).
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