A remarkable new image captured in time-lapse shows two groups of sunspots changing shape as they move across the sun's surface, which is located at the center of our solar system. The picture was taken when the number of sunspots was at its highest in eight years, indicating that activity on the sun is likely to increase further.
The new image of the sunspots was created by an amateur astrophotographer named Şenol Şanlı from Bursa, Turkey, using data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. He shared the composite image on his Instagram account on January 3, which was made up of multiple images taken between December 2nd and December 27th, 2022.
The two rounds of evolving clusters in the image belong to two large sunspot groups: A3176, located north of the sun's equator, and A3153, in the sun's southern hemisphere, which moved from east to west in the image. Şanlı digitally cleared other observable sunspots on the sun's surface from this duration, permitting the viewer to track the minute differences in the sunspot classes over time.
Spotting the Sunspots
Space.com reports sunspots are areas on the sun's visible surface, known as the photosphere, with stronger magnetic fields than the surrounding areas. They appear darker than the rest of the photosphere because they are cooler than their surroundings. Scientists closely monitor these regions of strong magnetism because they have the potential to release solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can disrupt technology on Earth.
During December 2022, over 113 sunspots were observed on the sun's surface, the most since December 2014, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA-SWPC). This number is significantly more than the average monthly number of 73.3 sunspots observed on the sun's surface for the rest of 2022 before December.
The recent increase in sunspot activity results from the sun entering the more active phase of its 11-year solar cycle, which is expected to reach its peak in 2025. Scientists have observed an increase in the frequency and strength of solar storms in 2022, and this activity is expected to increase further in 2023 if the number of sunspots remains high or increases.
A time-lapse image of two major sunspot groups moving across the sun's surface between Dec. 2 and Dec. 27, 2022, captured by Şenol Şanlı.
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Solar Storm and Solar Flare
Several significant solar storms have occurred this year. On January 3rd, a suspected X-class solar flare, the most powerful type of flare the sun can produce, erupted on the far side of the sun. Just three days later, the sun released a confirmed X-class flare from the same sunspot. On January 4th, Earth's magnetic field was affected by a potentially disruptive coronal mass ejection (CME) as the planet reached its closest point to the sun, called perihelion.
Sunspots are areas on the sun's surface with a magnetic field much stronger than anywhere else, around 2,500 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. The strong magnetic field creates a higher magnetic pressure and lower atmospheric pressure in these areas, which in turn lowers the temperature compared to its surroundings. The strong magnetic field also prevents hot gas from flowing from the sun's interior to the surface.
According to NWS, sunspots tend to occur in pairs, with magnetic fields pointing in opposite directions, and typically consist of a dark region called the umbra, surrounded by a lighter region called the penumbra. They appear darkcomparedn to the photosphere, which is about 10,000 degrees F, while the umbra is about 6,300 degrees F. Sunspots are large, with an average size of about the same size as the Earth.
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