A massive sunspot has more than doubled in size during the past day, and it is now aimed directly toward Earth.

For a few more days, the sunspot will continue to direct its attention on Earth.

 

A massive sunspot has grown to the size of two piles of Earth in just one day, doubling in diameter in that time, and it is currently aimed directly at our planet.

 

According to Spaceweather.com, a website that monitors news about solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and other cosmic weather events, the sunspot known as AR3038 grew to 2.5 times the size of Earth between Sunday (June 19) and Monday night (June 20), making the sunspot approximately 19,800 miles, or 31,900 kilometres, in diameter. This information was obtained from the sunspot's growth from Sunday to Monday night.

 

Sunspots are black patches on the surface of the sun that are caused when enormous magnetic fields, which are formed by the passage of electric charges from the sun's plasma, suddenly snap after becoming knotted. The ensuing release of energy causes explosions of radiation known as solar flares and produces explosive jets of solar material known as coronal mass ejections. Both of these phenomena are named after the sun (CMEs).

 

Yesterday, sunspot AR3038 was large. The size of it now is immense. In just one day, the sunspot's rapid expansion caused it to more than double in size. According to reports from Spaceweather.com, "AR3038 is squarely facing Earth and contains an unstable 'beta-gamma' magnetic field, which houses energy for M-class [medium-sized] solar flares,"

 

A radio blackout occurs whenever a solar flare penetrates the upper atmosphere of Earth because the X-rays and ultraviolet radiation emitted by the flare ionize the atoms in the upper atmosphere, making it difficult for high-frequency radio waves to reflect off of the atoms. During a solar flare, radio blackouts can occur over regions of Earth that are illuminated by the sun. The severity of these blackouts can range from R1 to R5, with R1 being the least severe and R5 being the most severe.

 

According to prior reporting by Live Science, two solar flares occurred in April and May, causing R3 blackouts over the Atlantic Ocean, Australia, and Asia. The typical distance between the sun and Earth is around 93 million miles, but it only takes solar flares roughly 8 minutes to reach us since light travels at the speed of light (150 million kilometres).

 

According to SpaceWeatherLive, it takes just under two weeks for a sunspot to migrate across the surface of the sun so that it is no longer facing Earth if it forms near the sun's equator, which is where AR3038 is located. If a sunspot occurs near the equator, it will be facing Earth. As of right now, AR3038 is located somewhat to the north of the sun's equator and is only a little bit further than the halfway point across; therefore, the Earth will continue to be in its sights for a few more days.

 

The enormous sunspot is not quite as terrifying as it might first appear due to the disturbingly rapid rate at which it has grown. The European Space Agency wrote in a blog post that the flares it will most likely produce are M-class solar flares, which "generally cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions" alongside minor radiation storms. This information was taken from the blog post that the European Space Agency published. Solar flares of the M-class are the most frequent form of a solar flare. Even though the sun does occasionally release enormous X-class flares (the strongest category), which have the potential to cause high-frequency blackouts on the side of the Earth that is exposed to the flare, these flares are observed a great deal less frequently than more minor solar eruptions. These flares have the potential to cause high-frequency blackouts on the side of the Earth that is exposed to the flare.

 

Sunspots are known to expel solar material as well. The bombardment of solar material that is caused by CMEs is absorbed by the magnetic fields of planets that have strong magnetic fields, such as Earth. This results in the onset of violent geomagnetic storms. The waves of highly energetic particles cause a slight compression of the Earth's magnetic field during these storms. These particles then trickle down magnetic-field lines near the poles and agitate molecules in the atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light and creating colourful auroras in the night sky.

 

According to a previous report by Live Science, the movements of these electrically charged particles are capable of disrupting our planet's magnetic field to the degree that is powerful enough to send satellites tumbling to Earth. Furthermore, scientists have warned that extreme geomagnetic storms could even cripple the internet. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it typically takes roughly 15 to 18 hours for debris that erupts from CMEs to reach Earth.

 

Since 1775, astronomers have known that solar activity increases and decreases according to a cycle that lasts approximately 11 years. However, in recent years, the sun has been more active than expected, with over double the number of sunspot appearances projected by NOAA. It is anticipated that the activity of the sun will increase gradually over the next few years, eventually reaching an all-time high in the year 2025 before beginning a downward trend.

 

The Carrington Event of 1859 is thought by scientists to have been the most powerful solar storm ever observed in our modern era. This event is estimated to have unleashed approximately the same amount of energy as 10 billion one-megaton nuclear bombs. The tremendous stream of solar particles caused telegraph systems all over the world to become inoperable. It triggered the appearance of auroras brighter than the light cast by a full moon in regions as far south as the Caribbean. A solar storm in 1989 released a billion-ton plume of gas and caused a blackout across the entire Canadian province of Quebec. Scientists warn that if a similar event were to occur today, it would cause trillions of dollars in damage and trigger widespread blackouts. In 1989, a solar storm also caused a blackout across the entire Canadian province of Quebec.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/doubling-sunspot-pointed-right-at-earth

Image source  : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/pesawat-terbang-penerbangan-513641/

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