February 24 More Active Sun, More Intense Wildfires

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February 24
More Active Sun, More Intense Wildfires


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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hoskin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, captured this image of the sun 2 days ago, on February 22, 2022. In the lower left you see 2 sunspots, called AR2954 and AR2955. They're thought to be responsible for the massive farside solar flare of this past weekend. Spaceweather.com called them "just 2 innocent-looking sunspots ... The pair must have decayed from a more menacing configuration last week." Thank you, David! Read about the active sun.


Solar cycle 25 starting with a bang!

The sun has been active lately! Sunspots have peppered its visible face every day so far in 2022. We've had storms on the sun's surface (aka solar flares) causing coronal mass ejections - great clouds of solar plasma - to leave the sun. And so we've seen more geomagnetic storms and displays of high-latitude auroras, or northern lights. Our sun follows an 11-year cycle of activity. And the current cycle, Solar Cycle 25, began in 2020. Since then, activity on the sun has ramped up quickly. So does that mean this cycle will be more active than the last? Not necessarily. Read about the active sun.

Wildfire risk will rise, UN report says

A new United Nations report released yesterday says we can expect uncontrollable wildfires to increase in this century. The projections are for a 14% increase by 2030, 30% by 2050, and 50% by the end of the century. Even deep cuts to greenhouse emissions won't prevent the increase, said these scientists. The work also found that communities are not prepared for the rising threat of damages from wildfires. Read more about wildfires.

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Today is the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Visit the Planetary Society's Mars Calendar.









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