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A sharp increase in solar activity in last twenty-four hours is observed on the space monitors those providing the information on x-ray solar radiation flux. Yesterday, 20 March and today, March 21, three of the C-class flares have been recorded. The index of the flare activity for the first time in several months has reached the yellow level (peak value of 3.5 on a 10-point scale). The index of the flare activity for the first time in several months has reached the yellow level (peak value of 3.5 on a 10-point scale).

The Sun has come all of one day away from breaking its record for the longest period of inactivity for the last decade – reaching a mid-summer low and falling into yet another state of “hibernation”. Yesterday, on the first day of autumn, new sunspots appeared on the surface of the Sun following an absence of almost 50 days. The small group of just two spots was registered by the NOAA as number 1025 when it formed yesterday in the Sun’s northern hemisphere close to its eastern limb. Astrophysicists had to wait almost two months for this event: the group of sunspots occupying the last line of the catalogue (number 1024), vanished from the solar disk on 11 July this year.

Precisely one month ago, on 11 July 2009, the last active area of the new solar cycle disappeared from the surface of the Sun. Over the 30 days following this, neither observers on Earth nor devices in space have been able to detect the emergence of any sunspots. Due to the fact that the Sun has completed a full rotation around its axis during this period, it is possible to conclude that not only are there no sunspots on the side facing Earth, but that there are no sunspots on the entire surface of the Sun. Therefore, it seems that our star has once again returned to a state of deep solar “winter”, following several sparks of activity in May-June 2009. Today (12 August) marks the start of the second month of this solar inactivity.

The strongest geomagnetic storm for the last seven months began on Earth almost precisely at the same time as the solar eclipse reached its maximal stage, the culmination of which occurred at GMT 02:35 (06:35 Moscow time). The ten-point Kp-index of geomagnetic activity, which only exceeded level 3 once in July, registered a rapid jump to Kp=6 within an hour, corresponding to a level 2 magnetic storm. Oscillations of such amplitude in the magnetic field have not been observed since October, 11th of last year, which is more than seven months ago.

The Russian TESIS (LPI RAS) Solar Observatory has transmitted observations back to Earth of the solar eclipse made on July 22nd, 2009. Thanks to the specific orbit of the space vehicle, the observatory’s x-ray telescopes detected the eclipse twice. On the first occasion, the satellite passed through the eclipse area at 04:30 Moscow time, making it the first on our planet to see the shadow of the Moon, which was still in space and was only approaching the Earth (film 1.2 MB, wmv format). And 4 hours later, when almost all the inhabitants of the Earth had already said goodbye to the eclipse, TESIS telescopes captured images of the second deepest transit of the Moon across the Sun.

Early in the morning on 22 July, 2009, at around 01.00 GMT (05.00 Moscow time) the trajectories of the Sun and Moon will converge at a particular point in the celestial sphere, and on Earth the Moon’s shadow will fall on India. This will mark the beginning of one of the most beautiful phenomena in the natural world and astronomy – a full solar eclipse, which, this year, will move from Asia across India, China, Japan, the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, and will finish its journey on the Pacific Ocean at around nine in the morning Moscow time (05.00 GMT). This year’s eclipse is unique in duration. At its climax, the Earth will be plunged into darkness for 6 minutes and 39 seconds. However, this long period of darkness will only be observed by sailors out at sea and a few lucky yacht owners – the point of maximum eclipse (northern latitude 21°12.6', eastern longitude 144°06.4') will be on the Pacific Ocean close to the edge of the Philippine Sea. India’s inhabitants will be able to feast their eyes on the fiery-edged black disk of the Sun for around three and a half minutes, and China, across which the Moon’s shadow passes, will be plunged into darkness for 4.5 to 6 minutes.

This year’s most powerful solar flare was photographed by TESIS telescopes in the southern hemisphere of the Sun on July 5th, 2009. The flash lasted 11 minutes from 10:07 until 10:18 Moscow time, reaching its peak at 10:13 Moscow time. At its highest point, the intensity of solar X-rays reached level С2.7 on the 5-point GOES scale.

One of this year’s largest mass ejections from the Sun’s atmosphere was recorded last Sunday by TESIS telescopes aboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite (video - wmv 4.3 MB). The source of the ejection was the active area currently located on the far side of the Sun, which is, as yet, invisible from Earth. In total, approximately 10³-10⁶ million tons of ionized gas was released into interplanetary space.

Today this year’s largest group of sunspots will cross the Sun’s central meridian. The group, registered as number 1019 in the international NOAA catalogue, was literally formed before astronomers’ eyes several days ago on the visible side of the Sun. The first two spots appeared on the Sun’s surface on May 31st. The next day, the number of spots in the group reached five, and the day after, on June 2nd, it was possible to count thirteen sunspots on solar disk, which had been clear prior to this. All of the spots fitted into an area with a lateral dimension of less than 100 thousand kilometers.

Specialists from the TESIS Control Centre, at the FIAN Laboratory of Solar X-ray Astronomy, have succeeded in fixing a malfunction in one of the observatory’s central telescopes, which occurred in the second half of May. The first malfunctions in the operation of the Gershel x-ray telescope were logged on 10 May, 2009. The Gershel telescope was observing the corona and the transition layer of the Sun at a wavelength of 171 and 304 A.