need some help, can anyone identify or explain

a small dark spot just outside of corona at about a 4 o'clock position, seems to be getting larger each week


sorry, here I must claim ignorance

In the 2nd link that spot is really jumping around. not sure what it is but if its really there its moving strangely

It appears to be a massive sun spot, eventually that thing will release its energy and hopefully its not pointed in our direction at the time! no telling when it will burst though, that thing is huge!!!

reply to post by loneranger26


I've been watching it maybe 3 weeks, a dark spot outside of corona

S&F. I have no idea what that is. My first thought it was debris on the camera. The way its movement is erratic yet the sun's position stays fairly steady says to me that the object is closer to the camera. Added to the fact a piece of space junk wouldn't last that long before being burned up or pulled in by gravity.

It's and interesting oddity for sure.

Edit. After watching it a few times the object mimics the bottom right corner of the second link (the slideshow). When the corner tucks in.. .the object moves accordingly.

Also the fact that the dancing black spot would be much larger than Earth... if it was close to the sun

reply to post by donlashway


How did you come across this? I have no idea what it could be if its not Mercury or Venus, i dont know alot about the position and science of planetary orbits but you`ve got my interest.

Originally posted by litterbaux

Edit. After watching it a few times the object mimics the bottom right corner of the second link (the slideshow). When the corner tucks in.. .the object moves accordingly.

edit on 19-7-2011 by litterbaux because: Added text after Edit

Good eye. It doe seem to have a fixed distance from the edges of the video. When the video goes up, the dot goes up, and when the video goes left/right, the dot goes left/right. So, is it something on the lens?

reply to post by StratosFear


I check space weather page everyday,www.swpc.noaa.gov...

i need to ask this sincerely, why is this posted in aliens and ufo?

its the sun and stuff has been flying off into on and around it all the time.

reply to post by AlphaBetaGammaX


I'll keep an eye, if it does indeed keep getting bigger something on lens doesn't seem right?

I am pretty sure its the aliens waiting for shtf and **lazer noises** the heroes are coming in to save the day... but awesome find. if I was qualified in any way to help I would as I am interested enough to follow whats going on in the thread. thanks op/ community.

reply to post by promomag


not id ed, sorry, looking for help

This is another reason I love ATS. Forces me to research and learn more about important topics.

I read months back that we were coming to the max of our Sun's 11-year cycle - Random Article on Sun Cycle
Which seems to means we will then be going into a drop in activity (see Maunder minimum).

Currently, the sun is in the midst of the period designated as Cycle 24 and is ramping up toward the cycle’s period of maximum activity. However, the recent findings indicate that the activity in the next 11-year solar cycle, Cycle 25, could be greatly reduced. In fact, some scientists are questioning whether this drop in activity could lead to a second Maunder Minimum, which was a 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when the sun showed virtually no sunspots. …

Now due to your thread I did some more reading and found another good site - NOAA Weather Alerts I can't get the chart in guys (I need help figuring that out still) An alert was posted for a Geomagnetic K-4 Index.

Check here for a site that gives explanation in what I believe to be layman's terms - Space Weather Monitoring

From how I am interpreting it, the sun's been like this for months and it is causing reactions like heavy solar winds, geomagnetic storms, possibly increased earthquakes, etc. Not doom and gloom stuff. So far seems like normal parts of the sun's cycle. At least that's how I am reading it.

Question - Is this the largest anyone has seen thus far?

Thought I'd add the links for those that haven't seen them yet. So thanks to the OP. I've had a bad day at work and you've got me interested enough to keep me distraction for a bit.

reply to post by harlot7


I use the space weather sites to see external energy coming to ionosphere and energy already there trying to get some understanding. Great, I sparked some interest, but it is a dark spot outside of the suns corona that dances around at about a 4 o'clock position. been watching it for a few weeks, thinking it's getting bigger, but prob just over active imagination. thanks
www.swpc.noaa.gov... watching for spikes in x ray monitor blue line always seems to match some dramatic weather changes; appearance of sudden high pressure zones that influance everything around them.

Originally posted by donlashway
a small dark spot just outside of corona at about a 4 o'clock position, seems to be getting larger each week

That image shows the sun, surrounded by the corona, then outside the corona, it's completely black.

So a dark spot won't show up against the black background outside the corona.

You must mean outside the surface of the sun but INSIDE the corona?

I see a dark spot there. In the animation it doesn't move like a physical object.

Therefore it's apparently some type of imaging anomaly, and not a physical object near the sun. However it's rather unusual the way it jumps around. If it is a physical object at all it might be something like a speck of dust in front of the imager but if that's the case I don't know what would make it dance around like that, except possibly varying electrostatic charges from the solar wind or something? Just a wild guess.

reply to post by donlashway
I get it, point noted. I looked back at it today. I'm interested to hear more.
Can you tell me more what you think it is. Seriously, I'm interested...