                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2023 December 11

                     Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum
                        Video Credit: NASA, SDO, SVS

   Explanation: The surface of our Sun is constantly changing. Some years
   it is quiet, showing relatively few sunspots and active regions. Other
   years it is churning, showing many sunspots and throwing frequent
   Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and flares. Reacting to magnetism, our
   Sun's surface goes through periods of relative calm, called Solar
   Minimum and relative unrest, called Solar Maximum, every 11 years. The
   featured video shows on the left a month in late 2019 when the Sun was
   near Solar Minimum, while on the right a month in 2014 when near Solar
   Maximum. The video was taken by NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory in far
   ultraviolet light. Our Sun is progressing again toward Solar Maximum in
   2025, but displaying even now a surface with a surprisingly high amount
   of activity.

    Night Sky Network webinar: APOD editor to review coolest space images
                                   of 2023
                    Tomorrow's picture: double sky arches
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

