The sun seems to be taking an unexpected nap right now — just in time for the April 8 total solar eclipse on Monday.
However, if you can get an unobstructed view of our home star from somewhere along the path of totality, it should still look much more impressive than during most other eclipses, experts say. Over the last two months, solar activity has been exceptionally high. We have seen gigantic sunspots, frequent X-class solar flares and towering plasma plumes. On March 23, Earth also experienced its biggest geomagnetic storm in more than six years after a giant cloud of plasma and radiation, known as a coronal mass ejection , smashed into the planet.Right now, however, the sun is surprisingly quiet.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.But just because solar storms are unlikely doesn't mean the eclipse will be any less spectacular. Due to the sun's currently weakened magnetic field, the corona — the outer part of the sun's atmosphere, which looks like a ghostly halo when viewed during a total eclipse — will still be much more prominent than it is during other periods of the solar cycle.