Category Archives: Sun

The Sun is definitely waking up

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After a prolonged “solar minimum,”  with record long periods without sunspots, the Sun has become extremely active again.  These periods of solar maximum alternating with solar minimum are a normal part of solar activity but the last solar minimum was particularly long: 12.4 years rather than the usual 11 years.

A positive effect of the delay in the return of sunspot activity is that the maximum period will not coincide with December 2012 as previously feared.  This was one of the explanations for the fearmongering surrounding the December 2012 date, but it’s now behind schedule and the maximum of the maximum period likely won’t arrive until 2013 or 2014.

In the meantime, Spaceweather reports that “the entire Earth-facing side of the Sun erupted in a tumult of activity” with a C3-class flare, a solar tsunami, radio bursts, coronal mass ejection (CME) and more.  The impact of the CME hit the Earth’s magnetic field today at 1:30 pm EDT.

It’s interesting (but not necessarily significant) that this burst of solar energy comes when there’s a lot of planetary energy anyway with Mars and Saturn facing off against Jupiter and Uranus.

CMEs can sometimes affect communication satellites and power grids, but this C-class flares typically do not create a lot of problems.  But those in northern latitudes may be treated to some nice auroras!

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The Sun is waking up

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solar flare

Recent solar flare

Solar scientists met last week to discuss the higher levels of solar activity that are likely as we move out of the Solar Minimum of the past few years.  The head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division says “our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms.”

Spaceweather reports an M2-class flare on June 12th that hurled a billion-ton coronal mass ejection into space, and a new sunspot has emerged with a series of its own eruptions.   Solar flares have been connected with weather extremes, and there have been some powerful lightning storms over the past few days.

There are proven connections between Jupiter and sunspots, so the fact that the Sun is erupting into flares at the time that Jupiter conjoins Uranus in the fiery sign of Aries is an interesting coincidence.

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Birthday Request: My Solar Return

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I’m going to be off on Monday the 12th for my birthday, and my solar return is at 4:44 pm which if you’ve been following my Facebook updates is pretty hilarious.  For the past few months I’ve been seeing repeating numbers everywhere.

At any rate, if any of my astrologer friends feel like giving me a gift perhaps you might like to take a stab at my solar return chart which I’ve posted here.  My natal chart is here.  With Pluto conjunct my  Mars in the return chart it looks like I’ll be developing my Will (Mars) all year.  Geez, I thought I was done with Pluto!  And Jupiter in the return chart making a square to natal Jupiter should be interesting.
(To my non-professional readers, the solar return is the time when the Sun returns to its place in your birthchart.  The chart for this event can be used to get a sense of the energies that await us in the coming year.)
Take a stab if you like – I’ll be back Tuesday with more exciting astrological news!
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Tsunami on the Sun

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Thanks to Julie for bringing this to my attention:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu2kdDxcfLU&hl=en]

Astronomers have captured the first footage of a solar “tsunami” hurtling through the Sun’s atmosphere at over a million kilometres per hour.

The event was captured by Nasa’s twin Stereo spacecraft designed to make 3D images of our parent star.

Naturally, this type of tsunami does not involve water; instead, it is a wave of pressure that travels across the Sun very fast.

In a solar tsunami, a huge explosion near the Sun, such as a coronal mass ejection or flare, causes a pressure pulse to propagate outwards in a circular pattern. …

“In half an hour, we saw the tsunami cover almost the full disc of the Sun, nearly a million kilometres away from the epicentre.”

Read more here…

New Scientist adds:

“The fact that this region of the Sun spewed out two major flares just a day apart “implies that there must have been some kind of tremendous energy buildup”, Balasubramaniam [of the National Solar Observator in Sunspot New Mexico] told New Scientist.

The buildup of energy is thought to be related to the twisting of the Sun’s magnetic field. Such a large buildup and release of energy on the Sun is a rare occurrence, and especially unusual around solar minimum, when the Sun is normally at its quietest.

Electromagnetic activity on the Sun has been known to cause disruptive effects on earth satellites and other devices, and the energy field surrounding the human body has an electromagnetic component which is tuned in to electrical waves that are all around us. Events like this are a fascinating way to look at the connection between the Sun’s energy and our own electrical fields.

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Happy Birthday Taurus!

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Art by Cameron Anne Mason

The Sun has moved into Taurus, the sign of the Bull, of earthly delights and pleasures. Taurus is an earth sign and ruled by Venus, the goddess of love. Under the rulership of Venus, Taurus seeks peace, harmony, aesthetic pleasures and serenity. However, Taurus is deeply rooted in the physical body in a way that Venus cannot explain, and for this reason I assign a dual rulership of Taurus to Earth, or Gaia.

In Greek mythology, Gaia was named for the land (“ga”). Born from Chaos, she was the wife and mother of Uranus, and with him bore rather monstrous children (the Titans, the Giants, and the Cyclops. To protect her children from her husband (Uranus is the idealist and does not care for imperfections) she hid them, including Kronos or Saturn, within herself. Finally she asked Kronos to castrate Uranus, thereby separating earth from sky. Over time, Gaia has become associated with the planet earth itself: with fertility, agriculture, and the sensitive ecological balance of the planet on which we make our home.

Taurus is primarily concerned with security and stability – it longs to set down roots and resists change. Taurus is acquisitive and enjoys accumulating wealth in tangible form such as coins that can be counted, or antique collections. Taurus is rooted in material reality and often resists the pull of fantasy or imagination, preferring to depend on that which she can see.

Taurus loves the finer things of life, but is not concerned with status. Taurus prefers a lovely old car that is unceasingly reliable to a fancy sportscar that requires lots of maintenance. Delicious food, soft fabrics – substance rather than status is the domain of Taurus. They tend to be rather simplistic and dislike nuance, preferring a world where everything is clear to a confusing picture of half-truths and dualities. This can create a dogmatic nature that is unyielding in its prejudices, and this is the shadow side of Taurus.

In relationships they are steadfast and true, but may lack imagination required to sustain romantic excitement. Like the bull, they can be stubborn and immoveable once they make up their mind and they will always know best what is good for you, having done the research and established that sense of commitment to an idea that is inherent in the Taurus nature.

In mythology, Taurus is associated with the legend of the amorous Zeus who took the form of a magnificent white bull in order to ensnare the lovely Europa in his amorous advances. He was so calm and placid that Europa had no fear and climbed upon his back, immediately after which he plunged into the sea with her and swam to Crete where he became her lover. She bore him three sons, one of whom was Minos who introduced the bull cult to Crete. This story shows the seductive side of Taurus, whose calm and placid demeanor calms the hearts of all that they encounter.

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More about Aries

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Meanwhile, Robert Wilkinson has a great article today with more information about the sign of Aries:

Aries, when freed of the traps of impulsive behavior, egocentric judgments, being too quick to anger and too quick to bail when they lose interest in something, show their world a dynamic self-reliance and pioneering vision that leads the way for others without concern over whether others follow or not. Aries is highly self-sufficient, quick to bring their total focus to situations, and loathes dishonesty and betrayal. Aries’ initiative comes forth naturally, and instinctively embraces whatever is new and fresh. In fact, in our charts Aries shows us the way to be first in the areas of life it influences. When Aries’ tremendous energy learns to slow down, consider other options, and not be so quick to take offense, this sign offers others a refreshing honesty and directness. Aries energies show all how to be themselves, taking the lead in the affairs of life without excessive equivocation or extraneous judgments interfering with their ability to act.

Aries is the unadulterated expression of Mars, which represents the will of the individual self, the Hero archetype. Robert’s article gives examples of historical Ariens that have left their mark on the world they left; it is also fascinating to look to legend and myth for the Aries archetype (courtesy of Liz Greene’s excellent work on the subject). On the positive side we have the story of Robin Hood – he operates outside of the law, just as Aries has to find his/her own way. But he’s not a dark outlaw, he has a band of “merry men” – he finds life exciting and noble and he plays well the role of Hero. He gets to rescue maidens in distress, another favorite pastime of Aries men.

On the other side we have the myth of Jason and the golden fleece (from the Ram, the symbol for Aries). Jason, the classic Aries figure, is fascinated by the fact that the fleece cannot be found (Aries loves a challenge). Exhibiting the courage of Aries, he faces repeated dangers until he is finally able to capture the fleece. At that point, however, he begins to exhibit the more negative traits of Aries: he tries to reject Medea, who has helped him capture the fleece, in favor of a younger princess. His success goes to his head and he becomes arrogant and deceitful.

Both of these stories have one thing in common: the need for a goal, a quest, a role in which to play the Hero without arrogance and conceit. Then we truly do see in Aries that Hero of the old legends.

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