Giant Sunspot AR3038 has Doubled in Size and is Pointed Right at Earth. Could be Auroras Coming

UT video describing when we should be worried about solar flares.

Solar flares occur when the magnetic fields surrounding a sunspot break and rejoin in complex patterns, some of which cause flairs to be ejected out into the solar system. If these hit the Earth, they could potentially cause damage to some infrastructure, especially those reliant on electricity. However, they are much more likely to create spectacular auroras when their ions hit Earth’s own magnetic field.

They are rated in severity, scaling from B to C, M, and X . X flares have their own grading system, and the most powerful solar flares, X20, happen less than once per 11-year solar cycle and typically do not face Earth. The likelihood of an X20 forming due to AR3038 is minuscule, though there was a 10% chance of it creating a less powerful X flare. More likely are M flares, which AR3038 has a 25% chance of developing before it dies down in size and scale, as sunspots typically do. However, it doesn’t look like any of those flares will be directed at Earth, as AR3038 has rotated back out of view and is no longer facing us. There is another active region, AR3040, which had 6 C-class flares in the last 24 hours.

If not, the whole episode with the rapid growth of AR3038 will prove another example of the public being generally concerned about what appears to be a threatening turn of events, but which is quite common and even innocuous. With all the equipment currently set up to monitor the Sun, the general public can rest assured that we’ll have at least some warning before any potentially damaging flare affects our Earth-bound systems.

AndyTomaswick

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Exploring Earth From Space: Lake Balkhash – The Largest Lake in Central AsiaLake Balkhash, the largest lake in Central Asia, is featured in this false-color satellite image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. The lake, which is situated in east-central Kazakhastan, is around 605 km (376 miles) in length from east to west, with a maximum depth of around 25 m (8
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

Alabama chapel billed as ‘smallest church on Earth’When Gary Smith was a child, he decided that one day he was going to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. He hopes this chapel in Semmes will help him realize his dream. The slightly larger one next to it is where he used to go to church. So small that baby Jesus can't see it. Pathetic. He stuck a cross on an outhouse.
Source: aldotcom - 🏆 82. / 68 Read more »

Urban Sky’s Earth-imaging stratospheric ‘microballoons’ are ready for a close-upUrban Sky’s Earth-imaging stratospheric “microballoons” are ready for a close-up Now, in blue!
Source: verge - 🏆 94. / 67 Read more »

4-Billion-Year-Old Crystals Offer Clues to When Plate Tectonics Began, Setting Stage for Life on EarthZircons (and the Secrets They Hold) Are Forever Scientists have long known that plate tectonics, the movement of distinct, rigid plates that make up the Earth’s crust, formed continents and mountains and was crucial to the evolution of the planet’s surface from one of molten lava and rock to an env
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

Man arrested in Aurora double shooting that left one man deadOfficers with the Aurora Police Department arrested a man in connection with a double shooting Friday night that left one man dead and another wounded.
Source: DenverChannel - 🏆 239. / 63 Read more »

Ask Amy: Young dater worries about 'love bombs'Dear Amy: I am 21 and just getting into the dating game.
Source: TucsonStar - 🏆 339. / 59 Read more »