A ‘mixed up’ sunspot just fired off a huge solar flare
According to SpaceWeather.com, scientists are tracking sunspots that fire off class X flares while “having an identity crisis”.
The aurora could occur if a ring-mass ejection of charged particles emerges from the “mixed” sunspot AR3006, directing its dazzling burst toward Earth on Tuesday (June 10). May) at 9:55 a.m. EDT (1355 GMT).
The flare was captured in-camera by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and prompted a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radio emission warning, amid a report on shortwave radio blackout in the Atlantic region.
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The AR3006’s poles are the reverse of what scientists were expecting, which makes sunspots “interesting and dangerous,” claims SpaceWeather.com. (Sunspot poles are adjusted by the current solar cycle.) “If AR3006 flared up today, it would be geographically impacted. The sunspot is directly facing Earth. “, the website adds.
According to NOAA’s Center for Space Weather Prediction, which tracks solar flares and other outbursts, a solar mass ejection (CME) could follow today’s outburst. CMEs are large outbursts of solar matter emitted by the sun, and scientists can predict whether one will track a flare based on radio signatures. At around 12pm EDT (1700 GMT), the agency said that a CME was “probable”, pending further observations.
Generally, auroras can occur if a CME happens to intersect with our planet’s magnetic field lines. Usually, the result is a harmless sky show as gas molecules in the atmosphere glow.
Flares today are classified as an X1.5 level event, making it on the weak side of the strongest flare class. The sun has fired several outbursts of equal magnitude in the past month, along with a series of medium-sized flares. The sun’s peak activity is expected to happen in 2025, but there are plenty of sunspots on its surface right now.
More rarely, the CME can create trouble in efficient infrastructure such as power lines and satellites, which is why scientists keep a close eye on space weather through multiple observational missions. staring at our sun.
Both NASA and NOAA monitor the sun at all times; Additionally, NASA operates the Parker Solar Probe mission, which is periodically orbiting very close to our sun to understand how its superheated outer atmosphere affects solar flares. and other phenomena.
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https://www.space.com/huge-solar-flare-mixed-up-sunspot-may-2022 A ‘mixed up’ sunspot just fired off a huge solar flare
