A sunspot that is pointing directly at Earth could launch an assault on solar energy in the coming days, according to scientists.
Several days ago, the sunspot, named AR3085 for the active region of the sun in which it appeared, was barely a blip. It has grown 10 times bigger and is now a pair of sunspots that measure nearly the diameter of Earth. The spot evolved over the course of two days.
According to SpaceWeather, a number of solar flares are cracking around the spot. A-, B- and C-class flares are not strong enough to have a big impact. According to NASA, M-class flares are more powerful than X-class flares and can cause widespread radio blackouts at high latitudes.
Satellites and communication systems could be in danger if the spots continue to grow. There is no threat for now.
Sunspots are regions on the sun's surface that are strong. According to Space.com, these regions are darker because they are cooler than their surroundings. There are bands of the sun's magnetic field that become tangled and taut, preventing the flow of hot gas from the sun's interior and forming cooler, darker regions on the sun's surface.
There are pile-ups of magnetic energy. The more sunspots appear on the sun, the more likely they are to erupt.
The sun's 11-year cycle of activity has a correlation with the prevalence of both sunspots and solar flares. The next solar maximum, or the period of highest sunspot activity, is predicted to hit in 2025, with as many as 115 sun spots likely to appear on the sun's surface.
Over the last few years, solar activity has been increasing, with many X-class flares swooping over our planet. As time goes on, the number of sunspots and solar flares will increase.
It was originally published on Live Science
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