A huge spot appeared on the Sun, directed towards the Earth
Miscellaneous / / July 14, 2022
Scientists have noticed a massive sunspot directed towards the Earth. It was named AR3055. The patch, about 100,000 kilometers wide, looks like a pair of strangely shaped dark moles on the surface of the Sun.
Researchers don't know how AR3055 grew to such a size. It could develop gradually, appear suddenly in a couple of days, or arise when several smaller spots come together.
Regardless of the reasons for its appearance, the spot can create problems for the Earth. Its sheer size could lead to dangerous M-class solar flares. These bursts of high-energy radiation can last for hours and wreak havoc on the Earth's magnetic field.
As a result - geomagnetic storms, interference in the operation of radars, GPS navigation systems and even electrical networks. In addition, a powerful outbreak can disrupt natural processes such as animal migration.
When a sunspot is directed towards the Earth and erupts, most often solar flares hit the Earth's atmosphere within a few minutes. However, the spot may move away from us even before the outbreak. In this case, the solar energy released during the eruption will simply go into space.
Interestingly, the spot is still growing and changing. Astrojournalist Jan Hattenbach showed on his Twitter, as it looked on July 11 (left) and July 12 (right):
The Sun is now approaching the peak of its 11-year cycle. We should expect that there will be more sunspots and flares, given the increasing activity on the outer layer of the star.
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