| THE COLONY NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2024 | 17
By Mike Vergara, 951-473-5806
I have written a lot about what we can see in the sky. There
is one object, though, that's kind of been overlooked: our Sun.
This time of year, it's pretty obvious, right? Big, bright, and
really hot! In addition to that, it is also at what astronomers
call "solar maximum." The sun is in a very active phase of its
22-year cycle. This activity shows in the number of sunspots
and solar flares.
"Sunspots" are dark areas on the surface of the sun that are
caused by tangles in the sun's magnetic field and reduced
surface temperature. They can be relatively small, or many
times the size of the Earth.
"Solar flares" are massive explosions on the sun that emit
radiation, light, and high-energy atomic particles into space.
They are classified by the amount of x-rays they emit, and are
rated on a scale similar to the Richter scale of earthquakes.
Most solar flares have little to no effect on us because of
our atmosphere and Earth's magnetic field. Flares with 'M'
(medium) and 'X' (large) ratings, however, can cause radio
blackouts, radiation storms, and extreme auroras near the
poles.
Sometimes a solar flare will "burp" (a technical term), and
cause a coronal mass ejection, or CME. A CME can eject
billions of tons of solar material and plasma into space along
with its own magnetic field. If a CME were to directly hit the
Earth, it could cause damage to electrical and electronic
systems worldwide.
If you want to learn more about the current solar activity,
check out Spaceweather at https://www.spaceweather.com.
This month's full moon, which occurs on the 17th, is this
year's Harvest Moon. The Harvest moon is the full moon
closest to the autumnal equinox on September 22.
To find where the planets and constellations are, visit http://
skymaps.com/index.html. From there you can print your own
map of the sky for the month.
Clear skies!
September Sky September Sky
