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
Severe weather in southern Europe. Thunderstorms & heavy rain. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 9 September 2026
On the left, dark storm clouds over a coastline. On the right, a weather map shows thunderstorms over the western Mediterranean, with warning symbols for tornadoes, storms and hail.
Weather VideosWednesday 9 September 2026

Thunderstorms & heavy rain

Severe weather in southern Europe
Huge low-pressure system off Iceland. Impacting the UK & Ireland. . . Wednesday 16 September 2026
WeatherRadar showing a large low-pressure system over the North Atlantic between Greenland and Iceland.
Wednesday 16 September 2026

Impacting the UK & Ireland

Huge low-pressure system off Iceland
Severe weather in the Mediterranean. Is a medicane on the way?. . . Monday 14 September 2026
A weather map shows a powerful low-pressure system over the Mediterranean, with warning symbols for storms and heavy rain.
Monday 14 September 2026

Is a medicane on the way?

Severe weather in the Mediterranean
All weather news
This might also interest you
Bright and warm conditions take hold. Spring-like outlook. . . Thursday 23 April 2026
Split UK map showing warm temperatures up to 21 degrees in orange on the left and clear sunny conditions with temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees on the right, with sun icons across the country.
Thursday 23 April 2026

Spring-like outlook

Bright and warm conditions take hold
Long-term trends need a pinch of salt. 40 °C in July?. . . Tuesday 30 June 2026
Temperature radar of 2022 heatwave where the all-time temperature record in the UK was set. Warning symbol overlain.
Tuesday 30 June 2026

40 °C in July?

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt
Historic Storm Éowyn arrives. On this day.... . . Saturday 24 January 2026
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
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