How do we define ‘most active’? August 2024 is looking likely to have had the highest sunspot numbers in over 20 years, and yet… solar flares have been lacklustre this month over all, barely exceeding low M-class activity.

August 2024 on the Sun. This month saw (yet another) increase in sunspot numbers, providing the highest sunspot numbers for over 20 years. And yet… where are all the big solar flares or filament eruptions? These seem to have slowed down for now. #spaceweather

Absolutely the definitive book about the Sun, which when you think about it, is quite an important object to have a book about!

The past two weeks on the Sun, as seen in both white light on the left (observing the Sun’s surface), and ultraviolet on the right (observing the 1 mil °C atmosphere). Observing the Sun across the wavelength spectrum is critical in understanding our local star! #astronomy

Wrong on the first part, correct on the second. The Sun is not fire, it’s plasma! In white light (visible to us), the Sun’s atmosphere is too faint for us to see. However, during eclipses, features like in the image on the right are observed by millions! No conspiracy here.

There’s no use crying over spilt milk! (As the Greek mythology goes). Milky Way from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 🌌

This Tuesday, I’ll be the keynote speaker at Boulder Solar Day - a 1 day conference of the solar physics community here in Boulder, CO. My talk, ‘Celestial Shadows & Dancing Lights: How Sun Science Can Capture Public Interest’, will be posted online after! www2.hao.ucar.edu/events/worksho…