Between recent total solar eclipse, you may have caught a glimpse of what appears to be an explosive solar flare from the Sun after the fiery corona briefly flashes into view. But it turns out that wasn’t the case.
But what you and others saw was just as impressive and just as beautiful.
On Monday (April 8), millions of people across North America watched as the moon temporarily blocked its home planet, its shadow traveling at speeds of 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kilometers per hour) along a total orbit between Mexico and Canada. ) I witnessed him running at speeds exceeding . cosmic events, visible from spaceIt was especially special because it had a long totality period (a period when the sun’s light is completely blocked). Lasts up to 4 minutes 28 seconds.
During the totality, some observers saw a red dot around the hidden sun. Detailed photos of these points revealed that they were actually plasma, with the sun’s southwestern limb containing an especially large fiery plume.As a result, multiple retailers including: USA Today and NDTV reported that these fiery structures were generated. solar flare — Explosion on the surface of the sun. This could launch a giant plasma cloud known as a . coronal mass ejection (CME), to space. Many observers also took to social media to share photos of these “solar flares.”
However, experts pointed out that no solar flare occurred during the eclipse.
“There are many (false) reports that solar flares were seen during the total solar eclipse.” ryan frenchan astrophysicist at the National Solar Observatory in Colorado; I wrote it on social platform X. “This is sadly not true. The bright features seen by millions of people were actually noticeable. These are long-lived plasma structures and are not explosive like flares. .”
Related: When will a total solar eclipse occur in North America after 2024?
Solar activity data supports France’s claims. On April 8, only one small C-class solar flare occurred, but it ended a few hours earlier. Totality began anywhere in the United StatesAccording to CME did not start. SpaceWeatherLive.com. This flare was also not associated with the large prominence seen during the eclipse.
Unlike solar flares, which spew out plasma when they explode from the Sun’s surface, prominences are plasma structures that remain connected to the Sun’s surface for days or weeks, usually forming large loops. NASA. The prominence could eventually crack open like a CME, sending plasma into space, but this did not occur during the eclipse.
many people were Solar flares are expected to occur during the solar eclipse That’s because the sun is currently near the peak of its approximately 11-year solar cycle, known as . maximum solar activity period. During this period, dark sunspots litter the surface of the sun, frequently causes flares and other solar storms When the sun’s magnetic field begins to dissolve.
However, prior to the solar eclipse, The sun has become surprisingly less active and there are almost no sunspots.This means that the chances of solar flares occurring are significantly reduced. According to , this lull in solar activity is temporary and is expected to pass by the end of this week. EarthSky.com.
Don’t worry if you miss the eclipse, there’s still one You can rewatch the live stream of the event by NASA.
