1 00:00:20,754 --> 00:00:22,455 OUR STRANGE, AVERAGE SUN 2 00:00:22,555 --> 00:00:27,894 HEY STAR GAZERS, TRACE DOMINGUEZ SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR AND ASTRONOMY ENTHUSIAST HERE! 3 00:00:27,994 --> 00:00:33,666 OUR SUN IS ALWAYS UP THERE, CONSISTENTLY SHINING IS WARMTH AND ENERGY ONTO OUR PLANET EVERY 4 00:00:33,767 --> 00:00:36,169 DAY OF THE YEAR FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS NOW 5 00:00:36,269 --> 00:00:41,241 BUT EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS AS BASIC AS A TUESDAY ICED COFFEE, OUR SUN IS ACTUALLY KIND OF A 6 00:00:41,341 --> 00:00:42,242 WEIRDO. 7 00:00:42,342 --> 00:00:43,376 LIKE, IN THE BEST WAY. 8 00:00:43,476 --> 00:00:46,112 FOR EXAMPLE: IT S NOT ACTUALLY YELLOW OR WHITE 9 00:00:46,212 --> 00:00:51,418 IF YOU LOOK AT THE SPECTRA COMING OFF THE SUN IT S ABOUT 5,800 KELVIN OR GREENISH-BLUE! 10 00:00:51,518 --> 00:00:56,990 WE THINK OF IT AS WHITE OR YELLOW BECAUSE OF HOW OUR EYES AND ATMOSPHERE SCATTER AND 11 00:00:57,090 --> 00:00:58,391 PROCESS LIGHT 12 00:00:58,491 --> 00:01:01,394 HONESTLY THE SUN IS NOT EVEN THAT BRIGHT: I MEAN FOR A STAR. 13 00:01:01,494 --> 00:01:05,532 WHEN YOU ARE OUT AT NIGHT, ALL STARS YOU CAN SEE, ARE BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN. 14 00:01:05,632 --> 00:01:10,804 FROM ALPHA CENTAURI OUR SUN WOULD BE ABOUT AS BRIGHT AS RIGEL IN ORION APPEARS FROM EARTH. 15 00:01:10,904 --> 00:01:13,606 BUT ALPHA C IS ONLY FOUR LIGHT-YEARS AWAY. 16 00:01:13,706 --> 00:01:19,913 RIGEL IS EIGHT-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FOUR LIGHT YEARS AWAY, AND THAT STAR IS FORTY SEVEN THOUSAND 17 00:01:20,013 --> 00:01:22,515 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN. 18 00:01:22,615 --> 00:01:24,584 NOT TO SAY THE SUN ISN T POWERFUL! 19 00:01:24,684 --> 00:01:27,487 RIGHT NOW THE SUN IS AT A PERIOD OF VERY LOW ACTIVITY! 20 00:01:27,587 --> 00:01:29,089 WE RE IN A SOLAR MINIMUM! 21 00:01:29,189 --> 00:01:32,525 BUT DURING A SOLAR MAXIMUM THE SUN IS NUTSO. 22 00:01:32,625 --> 00:01:37,697 EMITTING STRONGER MAGNETIC FIELDS, CREATING SOLAR STORMS AND SPACE WEATHER, AND OF COURSE 23 00:01:37,797 --> 00:01:42,902 PRODUCING POWERFUL EXPLOSIONS OF MATERIAL LIKE SOLAR FLARES AND CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS 24 00:01:43,002 --> 00:01:47,340 WHICH CAN CAUSE BLACKOUTS ON EARTH S POLES AND POSE A DANGER TO ASTRONAUTS AND SATELLITES 25 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:48,341 IN SPACE. 26 00:01:48,441 --> 00:01:50,944 BREATHE IT S ALL PRETTY AMAZING. 27 00:01:51,044 --> 00:01:54,280 THIS IS WHY WE KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON OUR SUN AND TRACK THE SOLAR CYCLE. 28 00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:57,884 WE DO THIS BY COUNTING THE NUMBER OF SUNSPOTS ON THE SUN S SURFACE. 29 00:01:57,984 --> 00:02:02,222 FEWER SUNSPOTS, LESS SOLAR ACTIVITY; MORE SUNSPOTS, MORE ACTIVITY! 30 00:02:02,322 --> 00:02:06,960 SUNSPOTS AREN T ACTUALLY DARK THEY JUST APPEAR DARKER THAN THE SURROUNDING SOLAR ATMOSPHERE. 31 00:02:07,060 --> 00:02:11,898 BY COUNTING THE NUMBER OF SUNSPOTS, ASTRONOMERS WERE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE A PATTERN IN SOLAR 32 00:02:11,998 --> 00:02:16,970 ACTIVITY THAT COINCIDED WITH LOTS OF OTHER ATMOSPHERIC AND SOLAR PHENOMENA -- LIKE AURORA, 33 00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:19,739 WHICH ARE STRONGEST DURING SOLAR MAXIMUMS. 34 00:02:19,839 --> 00:02:24,544 WE RE AT THE END OF THE 24TH SOLAR CYCLE SINCE WE STARTED KEEPING TRACK IN THE MID-1700S. 35 00:02:24,644 --> 00:02:29,616 WE VE ALREADY SPOTTED THE START OF CYCLE 25 -- AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL MAKE FOR SOME 36 00:02:29,716 --> 00:02:33,586 AMAZING ASTRONOMY FROM A AVERAGE, AMAZING STAR. 37 00:02:33,686 --> 00:02:37,686 KEEP LOOKIN UP!