Solar maximum news, features and articles
Latest about solar maximum

10 solar storms that blew us away in 2023
By Harry Baker published
The sun has been spitting out more frequent and intense solar storms this year as it approaches solar maximum. Here are some of the biggest.

10 scorching-hot discoveries made about the sun in 2023
By Harry Baker published
From a surprisingly active solar cycle to finding evidence of ancient superflares and solar auroras, here are the most exciting discoveries about the sun made this year.

Monster X-class flare is most powerful solar eruption since 2017, could trigger auroras and major geomagnetic storms
By Harry Baker published
On Dec. 14, a 2.8 magnitude X-class flare exploded from the sun, triggering radio blackouts on Earth and unleashing a CME that could also hit our planet in the next few days. It is the most powerful solar flare in more than six years.

'Almost unbelievable': Rare void from the sun briefly blew up Mars' atmosphere last year, and it could happen to Earth too
By Harry Baker published
On Dec. 26, 2022, NASA's MAVEN Orbiter witnessed Mars' magnetic shield and atmosphere drastically "balloon" outward by thousands of miles. The sudden expansion was triggered by a rare gap in solar wind.

Gigantic 'hole' in the sun wider than 60 Earths is spewing superfast solar wind right at us
By Harry Baker published
A monstrous dark patch, known as a coronal hole, recently appeared near the sun's equator. The temporary gap enables unusually fast solar wind to race toward Earth.

'Cannibal' solar explosion likely to hit Earth today, bringing strong geomagnetic storm and widespread auroras
By Harry Baker last updated
A recent solar explosion that almost reached "X-class" status has hurled a massive coronal mass ejection toward Earth, which will likely hit our planet and trigger a geomagnetic storm on Dec. 1.

A once-in-a-lifetime view of the sun's 'solar maximum' is coming April 8th
By Jamie Carter published
With the solar cycle set to peak earlier than predicted, the sun's corona should look its spectacular spiky best for April 8's total solar eclipse.

Massive solar eruption carves 60,000-mile-long 'canyon of fire' into the sun on Halloween night
By Harry Baker published
A powerful explosion from the sun briefly opened up an enormous valley on the solar surface that was more than twice as wide as the contiguous U.S. and seven times longer than Earth.

15 signs the sun is gearing up for its explosive peak — the solar maximum
By Harry Baker published
Experts believe the upcoming solar maximum could be more active and arrive sooner than previously expected. Here are 15 signs that they are right.

Scientists finally acknowledge that they got their solar cycle predictions wrong, and that we are fast approaching the sun's explosive peak
By Harry Baker published
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has released a "revised prediction" for the current solar cycle, which states that the upcoming solar maximum will arrive sooner and be more explosive than they initially forecast — as Live Science previously reported.
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