September 2017 brought a spate of solar activity, with the Sun emitting 27 M-class and four X-class flares and releasing several powerful coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. While the Sun produced high levels of extreme ultraviolet light, SORCE TIM actually detected a dip in total irradiance between Sept. 1-10, 2017. A possible explanation for this observation is that over the active regions, where solar flares originate, the dimming effect of dark sunspots is greater compared to the brightening effect of the extreme ultraviolet emissions.  As a result of this contrast, the total amount of solar irradiance, integrated over the whole solar spectrum is suddenly lowered during the flare event. Scientists gather long-term solar irradiance data in order to understand not only our dynamic star, but also its relationship to Earth’s climate (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=12769&button=recent).

Data Source: https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/sorce/data/