

The European Space Agency has put together a time-lapse video of images of the sun on every day of 2018, taken by its Proba-2 satellite.





The year 2018 has mostly been uneventful, as it coincided with the lull of the sun’s 11-year cycle. The sun usually takes about 5.5 years to move from its quieter solar minimum period to solar maximum, and the next peak of activity is predicted to happen in 2024.



According to the ESA statement, one way to assess the level of activity is by counting sunspots (dark spots in the images) or recording the strength of solar flares. "The most energetic flare of 2018 was recorded on 7 February, from a small region located at central latitudes in the eastern hemisphere of the sun."



The Proba-2 satellite monitors space weather, orbiting at 725 kilometres above Earth. It has observed solar eclipses in the past, taking astonishing images.



