Related papers: Why the sunspot cycle is double peaked
We analyze both Kitt Peak magnetogram data and MDI continuum intensity sunspot data to search for the following solar toroidal band properties: width in latitude and the existence of a tipping instability (longitudinal m=1 mode) for any…
The solar cycle is a complex phenomenon. To comprehensively understand it, we have to study various tracers. The most important component of this complex is the solar dynamo, which is understood as self-excitation of the solar magnetic…
Direct observations over the past four centuries show that the number of sunspots observed on the Sun's surface vary periodically, going through successive maxima and minima. Following sunspot cycle 23, the Sun went into a prolonged minimum…
Recent results indicate that the Babcock-Leighton mechanism for poloidal field creation plays an important role in the solar cycle. However, modelling this mechanism has not always correctly captured the underlying physics. In particular,…
We believe the Babcock--Leighton process of poloidal field generation to be the main source of irregularity in the solar cycle. The random nature of this process may make the poloidal field in one hemisphere stronger than that in the other…
The Sun's global meridional circulation is evident as a slow poleward flow at its surface. This flow is observed to carry magnetic elements poleward - producing the Sun's polar magnetic fields as a key part of the 11-year sunspot cycle.…
The striking similarity between the cyclic equatorward migration of the torsional oscillation belts and the sunspot activity latitudes inspired several attempts to seek an explanation of the torsional phenomenon in terms of interactions…
The butterfly diagram of the solar cycle exhibits a poleward migration of the diffuse magnetic field resulting from the decay of trailing sunspots. It is one component of what is sometimes referred to as the "rush to the poles". We…
Sunspots are concentrations of magnetic field visible on the solar surface (photosphere). It was considered implausible that solar flares, as resulted from magnetic reconnection in the tenuous corona, would cause a direct perturbation of…
Cyclic activity on the Sun and stars is primarily explained by generation of the magnetic field by a dynamo mechanism, which converts the energy of the poloidal field into the energy of the toroidal component due to differential rotation.…
Context. The Sun shows an activity cycle that is caused by its varying global magnetic field. During a solar cycle, sunspots, i.e. extended regions of strong magnetic fields, occur in activity belts that are slowly migrating from middle to…
Through meticulous daily observation of the Sun's large-scale magnetic field the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) has catalogued two magnetic (Hale) cycles of solar activity. Those two (~22-year long) Hale cycles have yielded four…
The solar cycle and its associated magnetic activity are the main drivers behind changes in the interplanetary environment and Earth's upper atmosphere (commonly referred to as space weather and climate). In recent years there has been an…
The solar magnetic activity cycle has an amplitude that varies within a wide but limited range of values. This implies that there are nonlinear mechanisms that prevent runaway solutions. The purpose of this paper is to propose observable…
The parameter G, which is determined from the general number of sunspots groups Ng according to the daily observations G=Sum(1/Ng)^2, is offered. This parameter is calculated for the days when there is at least one sunspots group. It…
Solar flares occur due to the sudden release of energy stored in active-region magnetic fields. To date, the pre-cursors to flaring are still not fully understood, although there is evidence that flaring is related to changes in the…
We present a physical mechanism of formation of tilt angles of sunspots due to the process of formation of active regions below the solar photosphere. The contribution of Coriolis force factors on large-scale flows of super-granular…
We report a study of a compound solar eruption that was associated with two consecutively erupting magnetic structures and correspondingly two distinct peaks, during impulsive phase, of an M-class flare (M8.5). Simultaneous multi-viewpoint…
It is proposed that the observed near-surface inflows towards the active regions and sunspot zones provide a nonlinear feedback mechanism that limits the amplitude of a Babcock-Leighton-type solar dynamo and determines the variation of the…
Sunspot proper motions and flares of a super active region NOAA 5395, which was the biggest and the most flare-active region in the 22nd sunspot cycle, were analyzed in details. We measured sunspot proper motions by using the H-alpha - 5.0…