Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Astronomical Halloween: The Jack-o-lantern sun

10:00
31 October 2024

Astronomical Halloween
The Jack-o-lantern sun

Jack o lanterns
We all love carving a pumpkin at Halloween, even the sun is getting involved!

The sun looks to have pulled out its Halloween costume for the season, dressing as a classic jack-o'-lantern!

In actual fact, this picture was taken on October 8th 2014, but is perfect for today. The most active regions of the sun show up brighter and make the sun appear as our favourite carved pumpkin.

The shot was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory which launched on February 11th 2010, with the mission to study how the sun creates solar activity which drives space weather.

This is no easy task and the SDO is not just a camera looking at the sun. It takes measurements of our solar system’s biggest star from the interior to the atmosphere, the magnetic field, and energy output.

Solar activity such as solar flares can have a huge impact on Earth’s communications systems. Where there is a strong solar storm, it impacts GPS systems, radios, and other ways of communicating on our very own planet.

Make sure the sun, and clouds, are going to behave for Halloween tonight by keeping check on the WeatherRadar through the day.

Check back for our trick-or-treat forecast out later today!

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Violent thunderstorms mark summer's end. Hail and gusts of wind. . Weather Videos. Thursday 27 August 2026
Severe thunderstorm warning map showing a level 3 red zone from eastern France toward Belgium, surrounded by orange and yellow alerts extending into western Germany.
Weather VideosThursday 27 August 2026

Hail and gusts of wind

Violent thunderstorms mark summer's end
Rain and blustery winds spread. Frontal influence. . . Wednesday 2 September 2026
Split weather graphic showing widespread rain across the UK and Ireland alongside winds of 25-35 mph, strongest around Cardiff and the south of the UK.
Wednesday 2 September 2026

Frontal influence

Rain and blustery winds spread
2026/27 storm names released. Names to look out for. . . Tuesday 1 September 2026
Lightning strikes beneath dark storm clouds over fields, with warning signs for thunderstorms and strong winds shown in foreground.
Tuesday 1 September 2026

Names to look out for

2026/27 storm names released
All weather news
This might also interest you
A stormy week in the skies above. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 30 August 2026
Split image showing lightning branching beneath dark storm clouds above rooftops on the left and an orange-pink sunset over a calm sea on the right.
Sunday 30 August 2026

Your weather - Your shots

A stormy week in the skies above
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Weather VideosWednesday 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList