The Sun has multiple dark patches. However, according to a report, one of its sunspots is so big that it can be seen from the Earth without any telescope.
Giant Sunspot AR3310 Visible in the Naked Eye
One of the Sun's sunspots has gotten big enough to be visible from Earth without a telescope, but only with the right eye protection.
It is no longer necessary to use a telescope to see Sunspot AR3310, a dark spot on the Sun that is facing Earth. Astronomer Bum-Suk Yeom of South Korea released a visualization of the sunspot that contrasted its size with that of the little planet Earth.
He shared a photo of the sunspot he called the "Naked-Eye Sunspot" using solar glasses or solar filters on Instagram. According to Yeom, the Sun's disk is being crossed by a huge sunspot that can be seen with the naked eye. To the left of the solar disk's center, a [sunspot] can be seen.
Sunspots are usually huge that they can be seen with the naked eye. However, eye protection is required to protect you from the Sun's intense glare.
The surface of the Earth only makes up around 169 millionths of the solar disk. Sunspot AR3310 is around four times the size of the Earth, according to Bum-Suk's estimation in his essay, Newsweek reported.
Sunspots are frequently the areas of the Sun from which solar flares or coronal mass ejections originate due to their powerful magnetic fields. Solar flares emit X-rays into space and are the muzzle flash of a solar eruption. The bullet is a CME, which consists of solar plasma plumes and magnetic fields moving very quickly. Both solar flares have the potential to produce auroras if they strike the Earth. They can also trigger geomagnetic storms that occasionally result in radio blackouts.
What Are Sunspots?
The dark spots on the Sun's surface are called sunspots. They seem dark since they are cooler than other areas of the Sun's surface. Even yet, a sunspot is still quite hot-it's over 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA.
Sunspots have a chilly temperature because they develop in locations with extremely potent magnetic fields. Because of these magnetic fields' power, part of the Sun's heat is prevented from reaching the Earth.
The tangling, crossing, or reorganization of magnetic field lines close to sunspots brings on a quick explosion of energy known as a solar flare.
Sunspot counts fluctuate as the Sun moves through its 11-year solar cycle. Solar activity peaks at the solar maximum, and the Sun has many more sunspots than it does six to eight years later during the solar minimum. Since they were initially noted in 1755, these activity cycles have occurred 25 times. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the most recent solar minimum occurred in 2019, and the following solar maximum is anticipated to occur in 2025.
The present solar cycle, however, seems to be performing better than expected. Solar Cycle 25 has surpassed the official projection for more than 24 months, with sunspot levels already approaching those recorded at the previous cycle's maximum.
RELATED ARTICLE: Solar Storms Mystery Finally Solved: Simulation Model to Predict Space Weather, Geomagnetic Storms Developed
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