Sunspots are dark regions of the Sun where it is cooler than other parts of the surface. Solar flares originate near these dark areas of the star. A dark sunspot facing Earth has doubled in size in just 24 hours and could possibly send out mid-class flares in the near future, experts say. The sunspot has gone from being large to being huge.
It is three times the size of the Earth
The magnetic field surrounding this gigantic sunspot named AR3038 has the potential to launch M-class solar flares towards our planet. If the sunspot were to launch a coronal mass ejection, or CME, of charged particles towards our planet, the particles would interact with our magnetic field and cause, among other things, spectacular auroras or colored lights in the atmosphere, as well as representing a danger to power grids and satellites.
At the moment, the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors solar flares, has not issued any alert for our planet despite the fact that the sun has been particularly active during the last months. . However, coronal mass ejections are usually harmless.
The Sun’s recent increase in activity is a result of it approaching the most active phase of its 11-year solar cycle , reaching peak activity in 2024. Studies have shown that the level of solar activity currently occurring it is about the same as it was 11 years ago, during the same point in the last cycle.
As the solar cycle heads toward its maximum , increasingly complex sunspot regions will become visible, which can produce solar flares.
Referencia: SpaceWeather
