Planet-Sized Sunspot Facing Towards Earth Grows 10 Times Its Size; Should We Worry?

Over the previous several days, a massive sunspot on the sun's surface is said to have grown in size.

The sunspot has released several weak solar flares, designated as AR3085. Still, Newsweek clarified that none have been strong enough to cause disruption on Earth.

Sunspots are spots on the sun's surface where the magnetic fields are so strong that some heat cannot escape. Sunspots may thus appear as black areas.

Sunspot AR3085 Grows 10x Bigger

To forecast the potential for space weather, astronomers look for sunspots. Solar flares are mostly hazardous at lower intensity. Higher intensities, however, can damage electrical infrastructures and impair satellite-based radio communication and navigation systems.

They are all focused on sunspot AR3085 at the moment. According to SpaceWeather.com, it has grown ten times bigger and changed into two sunspots almost as huge as the Earth. This little GIF depicts the spot's development over two days.

Interesting Engineering noted that the sunspot, which began as a little blip, has expanded to a magnitude far greater than a planet in the Solar System and has intermittently been generating solar flares. These flares, which are categorized as C-class flares, are still relatively low-intensity flares, but as the sunspot becomes bigger, their strength may rise as well.

High-intensity solar flares can also bring down satellites with no advance notice or opportunity for satellite firms to take preventative measures. In order to anticipate solar flares up to 48 hours in advance, scientists are now developing an algorithm.

(Photo : NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory via Getty Images)
In a screen grab taken from a handout timelapse sequence provided by NASA / SDO, a solar spot in the center of the Sun is captured from which the first X-class flare was emitted in four years on February 14, 2011.

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Sunspot AR3085 does not currently provide a serious threat to spacecraft. Fortunately, the atmosphere protects us and other creatures from the energetic particles and radiation coming from the sun. In its place, the lower southern and eastern regions of the United States occasionally experience stunning auroras that illuminate the night sky.

About Sunspots

Big, dark areas with powerful magnetic fields are known as sunspots on the sun's surface. According to Space.com, these zones, which are frequently as broad as planets, look darker because they are colder than their surroundings.

Sunspots develop where magnetic field bands of the sun become entangled and tight, preventing the outpouring of hot gas from the sun's core and creating colder, darker regions on the surface.

These magnetic energy buildups often result in solar flares, Live Science wrote. Solar flares are more likely to occur when there are more sunspots on the sun at one moment.

Sunspots and solar flares both occur often due to the sun's 11-year cycle of activity, which alternates between periods of high and low sunspot density roughly every ten years.

The next solar maximum, when sunspot activity is at its height, is expected to occur in 2025. During this time, as many as 115 sunspots may be seen on the sun's surface.

Over the past several years, solar activity has increased. Since spring 2022, several X-class flares have swooped over our planet, sometimes days apart. As we get closer to the next solar maximum, there will probably be more sunspots and solar flares.

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