Explanation:
The surface of our Sun is constantly changing.
Some years it is quiet, showing relatively few sunspots and active regions.
Other years it is churning, showing many
sunspots and throwing frequent
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and
flares.
Reacting to
magnetism, our Sun's surface goes through periods of relative calm,
called Solar Minimum and relative unrest, called Solar Maximum, every 11 years.
The featured video shows on the left a month in late 2019 when the
Sun was near
Solar Minimum, while on the
right a month in 2014 when near
Solar Maximum.
The video was taken by NASA's
Solar Dynamic Observatory in far
ultraviolet light.
Our Sun is progressing again toward
Solar Maximum in 2025, but displaying even now a surface with a
surprisingly high amount of activity.
Night Sky Network webinar:
APOD editor to review coolest space images of 2023
