'Brightpoints': New clues to determining the solar cycle
Thursday, September 4, 2014 - 00:31
in Astronomy & Space
Approximately every 11 years, the sun undergoes a complete personality change from quiet and calm to violently active. However, the timing of the solar cycle is far from precise. Now, researchers have discovered a new marker to track the course of the solar cycle -- brightpoints, little bright spots in the solar atmosphere that allow us to observe the constant roiling of material inside the sun.