Latest news with #sunspot
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Colossal solar flare erupts from Earth-facing sunspot, sparking strong radio blackouts over Pacific Ocean (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's at it again! Sunspot region 4114 has fired off its strongest blast yet — an X1.2-class solar flare that erupted on June 17, triggering radio blackouts across the Pacific Ocean region, including Hawaii. The flare peaked at 5:54 p.m. EDT (2154 GMT), marking the first X-class flare from this active sunspot region, which has already been responsible for multiple M-class eruptions over the past few days. Unlike previous eruptions from 4114, this powerful flare was not accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a cloud of solar plasma and magnetic field that can travel through space and strike Earth's magnetic field, sparking auroras. Instead, this was a rapid, intense flash of electromagnetic energy, strong enough to ionize Earth's upper atmosphere and disrupt radio signals on the sunlit side of the planet. The flare caused a shortwave radio blackout centered over the Pacific Ocean, with the strongest impact over Hawaii, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. Ham radio operators and aviators may have noticed signal loss at frequencies below 25 MHz shortly after the flare struck, according to X-class flares are the most powerful type of solar flare. Tuesday's event ranked as an X1.2, placing it at the lower end of the X-scale, but still strong enough to cause disruptions. For comparison, an X1 flare is 10 times more powerful than an M1, and 100 times stronger than a C1-class flare. Forecasters are closely watching sunspot region 4114, which remains Earth-facing and shows signs of magnetic instability. This means it could still produce more high-level flares in the coming hours or days, and potentially with CMEs. If future flares do launch CMEs toward Earth, they could trigger geomagnetic storms and even auroras. For now, space weather forecasters are keeping a close eye on this prolific flare factory. Stay up to date with the latest space weather news and forecasts on our aurora forecast live blog and NOAA's 3-day geomagnetic outlook.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
This ‘Large and Unstable' Sunspot Just Slammed Earth With Its Strongest Flare Yet
Scientists predict another solar eruption may take place today. An Earth-facing sunspot region has been raging with massive eruptions of hot gas that have caused disruptions to our communications systems—and there's still more to come. On Tuesday at 5:49 p.m. ET, sunspot region 4114 released an X.12 class solar flare that caused a radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center. This was the strongest flare released by this specific sunspot thus far. That said, this magnetically active region resulted in multiple eruptions over the past few days and is predicted to fling another one our way today. A sunspot is a dark, cooler area that appears like a smudged dot on the Sun. It forms when strong magnetic activity slows down the flow of hot gas from the star's interior to its surface. A byproduct of the Sun's complex magnetic field, sunspots occur more often during the solar maximum. The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle, marked by an ebb and flow of solar activity. During solar maximum, which officially kicked off in October 2024, the Sun erupts with more flares, coronal mass ejections, and magnetic storms. When all that activity is on the side of the Sun that's facing Earth, it's bad news for us. Sunspot region 4114 is a feisty one. Earlier this week, the sunspot released multiple M-class solar flares in less than 24 hours, according to 'Sunspot 4114 is large and unstable, with a 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions,' the solar tracking website wrote. The strongest flare erupted on June 15 as an M8.46 class, causing a shortwave radio blackout over North America with loss of signal at frequencies below 20 Megahertz. Solar flares are categorized by their strength, starting at B-class, which are the weakest, all the way up to the strongest, the X-class. An M-class solar flare comes right before the X-class. The solar flare responsible for the geomagnetic storm that took place between May 10 to 12,2024 was classified as X1.1, just a tiny bit stronger than the latest flare produced by sunspot region 4114. The sunspot's previous flares also unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME), eruptions of solar material ejected from the Sun that can cause geomagnetic disturbances on Earth. Tuesday's flare, however, was not accompanied by a CME. Instead, it was an intense flash of electromagnetic energy that caused ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere, resulting in the radio blackout. The active sunspot region, which is still facing Earth, is predicted to release another solar flare on Wednesday, according to As the Sun rotates on its axis, the sunspot will become hidden from our view and Earth will be in the clear. There is a chance, however, that the sunspot remains active until it reappears in view again, unleashing more solar rage our way.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Powerful solar flare erupts from sun triggering radio blackouts across North America (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An Earth-facing sunspot has turned into a prolific flare factory, firing off multiple powerful M-class solar flares in less than 24 hours, along with several minor C-class eruptions. The most intense of these solar flares erupted on June 15, peaking at 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT) and registering as an M8.46-class — just shy of the X-class category, the most powerful type of solar flare. This eruption also unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a massive plume of solar plasma and magnetic field — now partially headed toward Earth. Forecasts suggest the CME's flank could strike on June 18, according to If the CME does reach Earth, space weather forecasters say we could see minor (G1-class) geomagnetic storm conditions, potentially sparking northern lights as far south as northern Michigan and Maine. Solar flares are caused when magnetic energy builds up in the sun's atmosphere and is released in an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation. They are categorized by size into lettered groups according to strength: X-class: The strongest M-class: 10 times weaker than X C, B and A-class: Progressively weaker, with A-class flares typically having no noticeable effect on Earth. Within each class, a numerical value indicates the flare's relative strength. The June 15 flare came in at M8.46, making it a near X-class event. Because flare radiation travels at light speed, it hits Earth in just over eight minutes. When it arrives, it ionizes the upper atmosphere (specifically the thermosphere), which can disrupt shortwave radio communication on the sunlit side of the planet. During the M8.46 event, North America was directly facing the sun, making it the prime target for the resulting shortwave radio blackouts. The sunspot region behind this activity isn't slowing down. It unleashed another M6.4 flare early on June 16 at 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT) and remains in an Earth-facing position. More solar flares — and possibly more CMEs — could erupt in the coming days. If they do, we may be treated to more northern lights displays as our planet remains in the strike zone of this highly active region. Keep up to date with the latest aurora forecasts with our aurora forecast live blog and for the latest geomagnetic activity breakdown, check out NOAA's 3-day forecast.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Giant 'senior citizen' sunspot on 3rd trip around the sun could break a century-old record
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A massive, "geriatric" sunspot is currently making its third trip across the sun's Earth-facing surface, around two months after it first appeared. The senior citizen has lasted far longer than most other solar blemishes and looks like it might persist for a while longer, potentially breaking a centuries-old sunspot longevity record. The giant dark patch, currently named AR 14100, is located on the sun's northern hemisphere, just above the solar equator. It first emerged on April 5, when it was dubbed AR 14055, before disappearing from view as it rotated onto the sun's far side. It then reappeared on April 28, and was renamed AR 14079, before disappearing from view once again and reemerging on Monday (May 26) with a new name. (Sunspots get a new name every time they reappear on the sun's near-side to help researchers better track their space weather potential.) The hefty spot has fluctuated in size as it's spun around our home star. It reached its maximum size in early May (when it was labeled AR 14079), spanning 87,000 miles (140,000 kilometers) across — roughly the equivalent of 11 times Earth's diameter. This made it the largest sunspot of 2025 so far, but it is now around half the size. Most sunspots last only around a week, while some of the larger ones can sometimes survive long enough to reappear after transiting the sun's far side, which takes approximately two weeks. But it is rare for the dark patches to live any longer, even when they are this large. To compare it to human lifespans, AR 14100 is most definitely a "senior citizen," according to "Contact the AARP [formerly the American Association of Retired Persons]," representatives wrote. "Sunspot 14100 wants to join." Related: 10 supercharged solar storms that blew us away in 2024 It is hard to tell what the record for the longest-lived sunspot is because historical data is far less accurate than what researchers currently collect using advanced spacecraft. For example, astronomers previously believed that a sunspot had persisted for 18 months between 1840 and 1841. However, a century later, scientists showed that this was actually multiple different sunspots appearing in the same place. Instead, the longest lasting sunspot on record is most likely a dark patch from 1919, which lasted for 134 days (or more than four months), according to Although AR 14100 is smaller than it was two weeks ago, it shows no signs of disappearing completely, and has unleashed several solar flares since reemerging. But it would need to survive for another two or three months to break the longevity record. "It might," representatives wrote. "The sunspot is remarkably stable." "I'm curious to see how long the sunspot will be with us," amateur astronomer Harald Paleske, who has photographed the sunspot multiple times from near his home in Germany, told "This is its third run across the sun." Sunspots appear when parts of the sun's magnetic field break through the solar surface. This makes them cooler than their surroundings, making them appear very dark via an optical illusion, even though they are only slightly dimmer than the rest of the sun. We are currently in the midst of the most active phase of the sun's roughly 11-year cycle of activity, known as solar maximum, which began in early 2024 and is likely now coming toward an end. During this period, the number of sunspots also peaks as the sun's magnetic field becomes increasingly chaotic and disorganized before eventually flipping entirely. The current cycle has been much more active than initially expected, and in August 2024, the average number of daily sunspots reached its highest monthly value in 23 years, peaking at 337 individual spots in a single day. Scientists have seen several other massive sunspots during the current cycle, including one that was up to 15 times wider than Earth and a "sunspot archipelago" that was about the same size. These giant spots tend to emerge very quickly, swelling up to their full width in just a couple of days. But while giant sunspots can spit out powerful solar storms capable of disrupting , such as the great Halloween solar storms of 2003, their size is no guarantee that they will be dangerous. Instead, it is their magnetic configuration that determines how likely they are to impact our planet. RELATED STORIES —We are fast approaching the sun's 'battle zone' — and it could be even worse than solar maximum, experts warn —X-class solar flares hit a new record in 2024 and could spike further this year —A mysterious, 100-year solar cycle may have just restarted — and it could mean decades of dangerous space weather Luckily, new technologies, such as the recently completed Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, which recently captured the clearest-ever image of a sunspot, are helping researchers predict which spots will be most dangerous. Scientists are also using NASA's Mars rovers to spy on giant sunspots when they are pointed away from Earth. Though we have seen some sizable dark patches sweeping across the sun in recent years, they pale in comparison to historic giants, including a whopping spot that covered up to 14% of the solar disk and spat out the Carrington Event — the most powerful solar storm ever witnessed by humans — in 1859.
Times of Oman
11-05-2025
- Science
- Times of Oman
Largest sunspot of 2025 observed from Oman
Muscat: Members of the Oman Society for Astronomy and Space (OSAS) observed one of the largest sunspots to appear on the sun's surface during the 25th solar cycle, known as Sunspot 4079. The sunspot's size exceeded 11 times the size of planet Earth. Observers were able to clearly photograph this spot from the skies over Muscat Governorate using specialised astronomical equipment, in a rare scene that reflects the peak of solar activity currently being experienced by the sun. Wesal bint Salem Al Hinai, Vice Chair of the Community Engagement Committee at the OSAS, said: "Sunspot 4079 is one of the largest phenomena we have observed during the current solar cycle. Photographing it from the Sultanate of Oman is a scientific and astronomical achievement that highlights the OSAS's efforts to monitor cosmic phenomena that directly impact Earth. This requires community awareness of the risks of space weather and its potential impact on communications, navigation, and energy systems." She added: "Sunspots are one of the most prominent phenomena associated with the Sun's magnetic activity. They represent a crucial indicator in understanding the behavior of our solar system's star and its multiple effects on Earth. The Sun undergoes regular cycles of magnetic activity known as "solar cycles," each lasting an average of about 11 years. During these cycles, the Sun's surface undergoes significant changes in the number of sunspots, the intensity of flares, and coronal mass ejections, which directly impact space weather and the geomagnetic environment surrounding Earth." Sunspots are the most visible manifestation of this cycle, increasing in frequency as solar activity increases and decreasing toward the end of the cycle. Currently, the Sun is experiencing the peak of the 25th solar cycle, which began in December 2019. This is a phase of intense magnetic disturbance during which the number of sunspots is markedly increased. A daily average of about 215.5 sunspots was recorded in August 2024, the highest in more than two decades, indicating that the 25th solar cycle may have peaked earlier than expected. In late February In 2025, the sun erupted a powerful solar flare, detected by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. These flares are classified as Class X flares, the most intense. This event was followed by a coronal mass ejection, which triggered a geomagnetic storm that reached Earth in April 2025, causing auroras across large areas of mid-latitudes and partially impacting high-frequency radio communications systems. In May 2025, the sun showed another unprecedented surge of activity, with the number of sunspots exceeding previous predictions, indicating a peak that may be the strongest in decades. This activity is accompanied by powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections, potentially leading to geomagnetic storms that could impact Earth. This cycle is expected to continue until 2030, with solar activity gradually declining after the peak. One of the most prominent historical phenomena associated with extreme solar activity is the Carrington Effect, the most powerful solar storm documented in modern times. It occurred in 1859. On September 1 of that year, British astronomer Richard Carrington observed a powerful solar flare emanating from a massive sunspot. Within 24 hours, high-energy solar particles reached Earth, causing a widespread magnetic storm. Auroras were observed in unusual locations, such as the Caribbean, and its effects were even felt in Hong Kong and Rome. The storm also disrupted telegraph networks and caused fires due to electrical sparks. This event serves as an early warning of the potential dangers of solar storms in an age of heavy reliance on technology, such as satellites, electricity grids, and communications.
