The Sun Just Spewed Material From Opposite Sides in Rare Phenomenon

GIZMODO:  NASA’s SDO captured this rare moment of two solar flares erupting at the same time.

No, you’re not seeing double. The Sun just flung out two massive flares of radiation from opposite hemispheres at nearly the same exact moment, a sign that our host star is fast approaching a period of peak activity.

In a rare moment captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory on Monday, two sunspots can be seen erupting simultaneously from the northern and southern hemispheres, causing a radio blackout on Earth, SpaceWeather.com first reported.

The past four solar cycles have been relatively calm, but solar cycle 25 is likely to be a doozy, according to experts. A solar cycle 25 prediction panel, co-chaired by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, is anticipating a particularly active solar cycle, marked with violent eruptions. Forecasters at NOAA are anticipating minor geomagnetic storms that may have an impact on Earth on January 25-26.