- 4465
- SUNSPOTS - we
had a big one this week? - The behemoth dark patch on the sun's
surface has ballooned in recent days, May 10,2024, becoming one of the largest
and most active sunspots seen this solar cycle.
“AR3664” caused the Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a warning
of increased solar flare risk from the solar giant on Tuesday, May 7.
-
--------------------------------- 4465 - SUNSPOTS - we had a big one this week?
- The giant sunspot has more than lived up
to expectations. Firing out countless powerful solar flares in recent days,
including a colossal X-class solar flare this morning May 9.
-
- Solar flares are eruptions from the sun's
surface that emit intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. They are
categorized by size into lettered groups, with X-class being the most powerful.
Then there are M-class flares that are 10 times less powerful than X-class
flares, followed by C-class flares which are 10 times weaker than M-class
flares, B-class are 10 times weaker than C-class flares and finally, A-class
flares, which are 10 times weaker than B-class flares and have no noticeable
consequences on Earth. Within each class, numbers from 1-10 and beyond for
X-class flares describe a flare's relative strength.
-
- The X-flare this morning clocked in at X
2.25 according to spaceweatherlive.com, measured by NASA's GOES-16
satellite. Radio blackouts across the
sunlit portion of Earth occurred at the time of the eruption. Large parts of Europe and Africa were
affected by the radio blackouts.
-
- Powerful solar flares like the one observed
this morning can cause shortwave radio blackouts on the sunlit side of Earth at
the time of the eruption. The radio
blackouts are due to the strong pulse of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet
radiation emitted during the eruption.
-
- The radiation travels toward Earth at the
speed of light and ionizes (gives electrical charge to) the top of Earth's
atmosphere. These ionizing X-rays are
not to be confused with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) by which plasma and
magnetic fields erupt from the sun, traveling at slower speeds, often taking
several days to reach Earth.
-
- This ionization causes a higher-density
environment for the high-frequency shortwave radio signals to navigate through
in order to support communication over long distances. The radio waves that
interact with electrons in the ionized layers lose energy due to more frequent
collisions, and this can lead to radio signals becoming degraded or completely
absorbed.
-
- Sprawling out at almost 124,000 miles from
end to end, the sunspot AR3664 is currently 15 times wider than our home
planet. It is so big that it can be
seen from Earth without the need for magnification. If you still have a pair of
solar eclipse glasses lying around after April 8's total solar eclipse, you can
use them to safely observe the sun and see the mammoth sunspot cross the solar
disk.
-
- But remember NEVER look at the sun without
appropriate solar protection.
-
- The vast size of Sunspot AR3664 rivals Carrington's
sunspot of 1859. Carrington's sunspot is known for its explosive rampage
between August and September 1859, during which it fired off a series of
powerful solar flares and CMEs, resulting in major geomagnetic storms that
ignited telegraph offices and triggered auroras as close to the equator as Cuba
and Hawaii.
-
- Although studies suggest Carrington-class
solar storms occur every 40 to 60 years or so (and we are long overdue), there
is no evidence that any CMEs currently en route from previous solar eruptions
this week could cause a new Carrington Event.
-
- Scientists are keeping a close eye on this
ever-growing sunspot while it continues to face Earth.
-
May 11, 2024 SUNSPOTS - we had a big one this week? 4465
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--------------------- --- Saturday, May 11, 2024
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