The dark area you see in pic related is actually one of two massive 'coronal holes' the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has observed in recent weeks.
>The solar winds produced from these holes (coronal holes) have the potential to not only create geomagnetic storms on the Earth which can disturb communications in all forms, but also affect astronauts' on deeper space mission.
These strange holes in the sun occur amidst other odd solar activity, and some scientists are starting to worry.
>Sunspot activity appears to be slowing down with each new cycle and absolutely gigantic holes have started to appear in the sun. At the moment, the sun is approaching the peak of its 11 year cycle, and an increasing number of scientists are becoming concerned about what the next cycle will bring.
> Even worse, could the increasingly erratic behavior of the sun be an indication that the sun is dying? Traditionally, scientists have taught that the sun won’t die until billions of years from now, but in recent years astronomers have observed stars similar to our own sun suddenly begin to behave very erratically and then rapidly die.
Gentlemen, is the apocalypse approaching?
http://thetruthwins.com/archives/is-our-sun-in-the-very-early-stages-of-shutting-down
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nasa-spots-2-massive-coronal-holes-on-suns-surface-is-sun-disintegrating/1/681387.html
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/the-weakest-solar-cycle-in-100-years/
>>17770626
Highly unlikely.
Just pretending to be retarded, right?
>>17770626
We have to nuke the sun to reignite the nuclear fission.
>>17770645
>>17770633
>>17770631
Wow. I thought for sure /x/ would have fun speculating on apocalyptic scenarios.
Go figure.
>>17770671
It's fun when they are probable, not outright ridiculous.
>>17770686
How is the sun dying ridiculous? Don't all stars die?
>>17771152
>sun dying
Way too silly
>mayan calendar ends
OH SHIT ITS HAPPENING
>>17771152
>"Don't all stars die?"
>Asking a question you know the answer to
Summerfag, right?
As an astronomer this thread pisses me off. The sun is relatively young, and its activity is spontaneous so you shouldn't freak out over a solar flare or solar wind unless it's gigantic which is incredibly rare.
>>17771152
Yeah, after a shitzillion years.
>>17771275
>sun relatively young
>activity is spontaneous
Sounds like our sun is a teenager going through puberty. Has to deal with spontaneous raging hard-ons, has to run to a closet and rub one off before he rapes something. Dresses goth.
>>17771275
>>17772313
Isn't it more middle aged? A billion years from now, it grows so much the water on Earth is gone. Should there had been a terraformed Venus, around 800 million years; and a Terraformed mars around 1.5 billion years. Then 3 billion after that, it's a red giant on the end of its life, right?
>>17773212
still going to be around for a long time once it goes red giant anyway
>>17770671
>>17770626
It's not fun when it's some impossible, anime-like scenario.
From time to time there's an increased sunspot activity. It's part of the normal sun life.
We know that Sun is currently in the middle of its life on the main sequence and will continue to burn for around 5 billion years. Then, it will start burning helium and become a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus and possibly Earth, putting the life supporting range in the Mars orbit.
>>17770626
YO, the latest cycle ended around 2013 february-may, don't be a dumbass, the next cycle will end around 2024
>>17773495
Mars does not have the powerful magnetosphehe of Earth to fend off solar winds. You'd get cancer within a year of living there.
>>17773679
How much fusion electricity will we need to charge one of the poles?
>>17773679
I know. What scientists mean by life supporting range, is that the temperatures and conditions would matches those of Earth right now. That Mars has a weak, low-oxygen atmosphere and no magnetosphere are another issues which would have to be dealt with if Mars was to be a new home for humans.
Of course, even in current form, Mars could be habitable, but as it is, it would require water (we know there's some water ice on the surface, perhaps there's much more underground?) to support life. If we found large quantities of ice, then it could be used as an oxygen source (water electrolysis). Nuclear reactors would serve as power source, since Mars certainly has fissile material (maybe we would be able to employ cold fusion as an energy source by then).
Large-scale radiation shielding would have to be built above the city-bases (until we have terraforming technology... one day).
Mars is pretty much the most suitable object for colonization currently.
No m8 the sun goes through cycles like everything else in the universe.
i like how the human race is slowly becoming more aggressive, perfectly suitable to live on the planet we've name mars.
>>17773835
> The human race has become more aggressive
Or, you know, the exact opposite of that
>>17770626
Oh come on! That cant happen! You're the king. And look at me, I'm big! How could guys like us worry about a tiny little thing like the sun?
>>17773848
maybe, but murder has not only become more common, which could be because the population has increased, but it also has become more violent. like films like saw and hostel wouldn't exist a century ago. yeah they're just films but films either affect or reflect the mindset of a culture. not to mention things like feminism and the new trend of women being sexually aggressive. the drugs keep us peaceful, without them there would be anarchy. but i for one welcome revolution.
>>17770626
ayys use them like gas stations.. there's only so much gas
>>17770626
It's crazy to think how those "tiny" flashes could easily wipe earth out, if one of them were to happen on earth. Probably bigger than earth, too.
>>17771275
>As an astronomer
Is that what shills are called these days?
>>17773934
you dont even know what "shill" means
The dark areas are still thousand of degrees celcius hot (compared to 5.5k C normally).
>>17773911
Come on, man. There are over 7 billion people on this planet, of course the violence and idiocy has increased in quantity, doesn't mean it has percentage-wise.
Your talking about movies like Saw and Hostel while in fact throughout history most of these torturings depicted in those movies were actually regularly practiced, some even publicly (and still are in North Korea most likely) and they were only held back by technology. Have you actually seen the complex and elegant mechanics invented just to fuck someone's life up during times where any sort of science was seen as evil?
In the end, it mostly comes down to who and how someone leads a crowd and how an individual reacts to it. Focus your attention on the shit and all you see is shit.
>>17772219
kek
>>17770671
go fuck urself
>>17770626
you dont need to worry, even if scientist were wrong and sun is indeed dieing, it will need hundreds of years to effect earth in any meaningful way, meaning you will be long dead.
>These strange holes in the sun
Coronal Holes have been observed since the 70's, they're not strange.
>Sunspot activity appears to be slowing down with each new cycle
In the Maunder Minimum there were periods of almost 30 years with 50 sunspots in total. It lasted 70 years. The Sun did not die. It probably isn't dying now either.
What would the sun feel like if you could touch it?
>>17774559
Pure light envelopes you and consumes you.
Imagine 0% darkness...what will you see?
>>17774573
Only the world without disparity.
Only the cleansing glow of Atom.
>>17773911
>has become more violent. like films like >saw and hostel wouldn't exist a century >ago
Nah, but you could go to a real live execution.
>>17770626
>Traditionally, scientists have taught that the sun won’t die until billions of years from now, but in recent years astronomers have observed stars similar to our own sun suddenly begin to behave very erratically and then rapidly die.
>>17771275
>GUISE WE HAVE ANALYZED STARS THAT LIVE FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS IT WON'T EXPLODE SOONB I PROMISE
>>17770626
it's not dieing they just turned it down a notch so we don't die from global warming
last hurrah befor solar minimum.
>>17773679
By the time that happens humans will either be extinct or so advanced that it wouldn't even be a crisis.
>>17770626
I know the guy that can fix this!
>>17774632
because that's not how it works you fucking retard. if it is going to explode, we would know it by now
>>17770626
Father sun beats strong you stupid faggot
