Calm Sun,Vigorous Sun,Side-by-Side,The Discovery,June 25th,2013
平静的太阳与热烈的太阳共存，探索频道，2013年6月25日
Since bottoming out in 2009 as part of an 11-year cycle, activity on the sun has been heading for a peak.
自2009年年底以来，作为11年为一个周期的一部分，太阳活动已经达到了一个巅峰。
The side-by-side photos fom NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory show just what a difference a couple of years can make.
这张并列的相片是由美国宇航局的太阳动态观测卫星拍摄下来的，显示几年内所发生的不同变化。
This is a screenshot, so please find out and watch the related videos, which run simultaneously in the same frame.
这只是一个截图，所以请找出并观看相关的视频，那些播放与这相同帧数的视频。
The photo on the left is from October, 2010, when activity was very low; the one on the right is from just last month.
左图为2010年10月的，那时活动还算很平静，而右图为上个月的。

Both are seen in extreme ultraviolet light, and both show solar activity for one month.
都是出现在极端的紫外线，并且都显示的是一个月内太阳的活动情况。
Last month, the sun's surface was animated by many bright areas, with loops arcing above them.
上个月，太阳的表面由许多明亮的动态区域构成，上面有许多循环的弧线。
By comparison, not much was going on back in 2010.
相反，2010年则平静多了。
The SDO Facebook page features regular updates on solar activity, sometimes before they appear on the regular NASA SDO website.
Facebook网站上的太阳动态观测卫星页面定期更新太阳活动特征，有时比在美国宇航局的太阳动态观测卫星的官网页面出现的还要早。
Lastly, here's a graph tracking the progress of the sun's 11-year cycle from the Space Weather Prediction Center：
最后，这里是一张来自太空气象预报中心追踪太阳1年周期进程的图表。
As the graph shows, we're getting close to the time predicted for the peak in solar activity.
上面的图表显示，我们距离预测的太阳活动巅峰期的时间越来越近了。
It should come by the end of this year, or early next.
这一时间应该是在今年年底或明年年初。