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EarthSky’s personal Raúl Cortés captured this shut have a look at the enormous sunspot area AR3664 on the sun on Could 8, 2024. Thanks, Raúl! Get out your eclipse glasses, as a result of you should use them to see this monster.
Big sunspot area seen in eclipse glasses
Did you save your eclipse glasses from the April 8 total solar eclipse? In that case, it’s time to get them out once more! Check to make sure they’re still safe and haven’t cracked or gotten holes whereas in storage. Do that by placing them on and looking out anyplace however on the sun. If all you see is blackness, then they’re protected. Then, look towards the sun to see the monster sunspot area AR3664, at present crossing the Earth-facing facet of the sun. This sunspot area has already burst forth X flares, and extra could also be within the works! Actually, a number of the sun-stuff that erupted from this area is making its manner towards Earth and will set off auroras.
Right this moment’s big sunspot area and the 1859 Carrington Occasion
Spaceweather.com studies the dimensions of AR3664 is similar to the lively area that launched an infinite flare in 1859, ensuing within the Carrington Event. However scientists mentioned the Carrington Occasion might have been an X80 flare, and to date the largest flare AR3664 has launched was an X2.3 on Could 9, 2024.
So what occurred throughout the Carrington Occasion? As Andy Briggs wrote for EarthSky:
On September 2, 1859, all over the world, compasses at sea didn’t work, inflicting some ships to turn out to be misplaced. Telegraph networks skilled disruption, with some telegraph strains catching fireplace. Tellingly, folks as far south because the Caribbean and Mexico noticed auroras. Scientists now imagine that what occurred on that day was an extreme geomagnetic storm.
And what if a Carrington-type occasion occurred in the present day? Andy wrote:
There would virtually actually be widespread burnout of digital circuits and the failure of energy grids … In space, satellites would additionally fail as their electronics fried.
Are your eclipse glasses able to go? Right here’s what you’ll see. These pictures of the enormous sunspot area are from the final two days.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hawkes in Sheffield, UK, caught the huge sunspot area AR3664 on Could 8, 2024. David wrote: “Megaspot AR3664 dominates the sun’s disk.” Thanks, David!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Meiying Lee in Taipei, Taiwan, captured the evolution of sunspot area AR3664 from Could 6 to Could 9, 2024. Thanks, Meiying!AR3664 bursts forth with an X flare on Could 9, 2024. Picture by way of GOES-R spacecraft.
Extra pictures of AR3664
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Patricio León in Santiago, Chile, captured this filtered picture of the sun on Could 8, 2024. Patricio wrote: “Big sunspot AR3664 has grown to epic proportions, about 10 Earths lengthy by 5 Earths huge; as if that weren’t sufficient, it additionally emits X flares!” Thanks, Patricio!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this hydrogen-alpha filtered picture on Could 8, 2024. Mario wrote: “This picture reveals lively area AR3664 together with an superior prominence on the limb!” Thanks, Mario!This picture reveals sun exercise – with essentially the most lively areas labeled – as of 0:00 UTC on Could 9, 2024. Authentic picture, with out labels, by way of NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science groups, with labeling by EarthSky. Right this moment’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?
Backside line: Did you save your eclipse glasses from the April 8 total solar eclipse? In that case, get them out and take a look at this big sunspot area – AR3664 – now dealing with Earth!
Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science author specializing in astronomy for greater than 20 years. She started her profession at Astronomy Journal, and she or he has made common contributions to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Membership, amongst different retailers. Her youngsters’s image ebook, Photo voltaic System Forecast, was revealed in 2012. She has additionally written a younger grownup dystopian novel titled A Totally different Sky. When she just isn’t studying or writing about astronomy and staring up on the stars, she enjoys touring to the nationwide parks, creating crossword puzzles, working, tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives in Wisconsin.
