SOLAR STORM SPARKS GLOBAL AURORA, DOUBLES RADIATION LEVELS ON MARS
Sun INCREASES activity as it reaches solar minimum
Spaceflightinsider.com - OCTOBER 4, 2017
An unexpectedly strong solar storm proved once again that the Sun, our closest star, is a remarkably powerful orb that exerts a huge influence over the bodies within the Solar System.
Last month’s increased solar activity came as a surprise to scientists as it occurred during the period of minimal activity in the Sun’s 11-year sunspot and solar-storm cycle.
By all accounts, the Sun should be reaching its minimum activity level, instead the solar storm which peaked on September 11, 2017, produced a huge coronal mass ejection (CME), the likes of which haven’t been seen in more than 12 years, and the eighth largest since modern solar activity records began in 1996.