Each second, 1.5 million tons of solar material shoot off of the Sun and out into space. The magnetosphere shields Earth from this solar wind, but it can get in near the poles and disrupt satellite, radio and GPS signals. Three new missions launching into the northern polar cusp will aim to improve this technology problem: https://go.nasa.gov/35qUn3V | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

22K views · 464 reactions | The Solar System from Near The Sun |...

Have you heard? We are now officially in the solar maximum phase! That means we’re in the part of the 11-year solar cycle where solar eruptions, geomagnetic storms, and auroras are most likely to occur. But how do scientists tell where we are in the solar cycle? They count sunspots! Those dark solar splotches tell a story: As solar activity waxes and wanes, so does the sunspot count. But don’t just take our word for it – try it yourself! Track the current and past solar cycles with these fun sun