NOAA Satellite Reveals Two Potentially Hazardous Sunspots on the Sun’s Surface
Astronomers had predicted that the Earth was safe from any further threats from existing sunspots, which were decaying and losing their unstable delta magnetic field responsible for solar flare eruptions. However, a recent discovery by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite has revealed two new sunspots on the Earth-facing side of the Sun. One of these sunspots is large enough to produce X-class solar flares, which could pose fresh geomagnetic threats to the Earth. This discovery comes just two days after a coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud narrowly missed the planet.
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A pair of new sunspot groups are emerging near the sun’s southeast. One of them is potentially large and could pose a threat to the flare as it turns toward Earth later this week. These sunspots, named AR3333 and AR 3334, are full of unstable delta-class magnetic fields that can produce powerful solar flares.
Geomagnetic storms could hit Earth later this week
If you’ve been wondering why solar activity has been so high lately, it’s because the sun is reaching the peak of its solar cycle. The solar maximum of Solar Cycle 25 is expected to arrive by mid-2024, and less than a year later solar activity has increased.
For this reason, each month the total number of sunspots and the frequency of geomagnetic storms and solar flares have been well ahead of the monthly average. Interestingly, June has been quiet so far, but with the arrival of two new sunspots, that may soon change.
If solar activity continues to intensify, a G5-class geomagnetic storm may soon strike Earth. A strong storm can damage GPS, affect mobile phone networks and Internet connections, and cause a power outage. It can also cause malfunctions in our electronic devices.
For now, Earth is just playing the waiting game, but the Sun will surely catch up soon enough.
NOAA’s Solar Monitoring System
NOAA monitors solar storms and the Sun’s behavior with its DSCOVR satellite, launched in 2016. The returned data is then run through the Space Weather Prediction Center and a final analysis is prepared. Various measurements are made of the temperature, speed, density, degree of orientation and frequency of solar particles.
