Two sunspots have emitted several strong flares, and a geomagnetic storm will arrive this Saturday after a coronal mass ejection
A solar activity increased and the explosions became difficult to follow. Since May 3, the active region AR3663 alone has triggered five Class X (strong) eruptions and more than 20 Category M (medium) eruptions. What does this imply for Earth?
- Perhaps the Sun is already at maximum activity. What does it mean?
- What are the dangers of a solar storm?
Current solar activity
There are currently two large active regions – AR3663 and AR3664 – with their respective sunspot groups. The first is already the most active of this cycle, which began in 2019, with several X-class eruptions under its belt.
Meanwhile, AR3664 more than doubled in size in just 48 hours, also becoming one of the largest of the cycle. Notice how the Solar Dynamics Orbiter appears to wobble during an X1.0 eruption at this location at the end of the video below.
Coronal mass ejections, i.e. gigantic clouds of plasma ejected from the upper part of the Sun’s atomosphere into space, have also been recorded. When one of them hits the Earth, a geomagnetic storm occurs, causing the Northern Lights.
Solar flares
Among the strongest explosions recorded in the last 24 hours, there were two of class X1.0 (the weakest of the “strong” category), with peaks at 10.41pm (7 May) and 02.09am (8 May). . Later, around 6pm on the 8th, another X1.0 explosion began, which has not yet finished as of this writing (video above).
During the eruptions, both AR3663 and AR3664 had the beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration. This means that they have a high probability of emitting intense eruptions at any time.
During the same period they also produced several M-class explosions, including:
- The M7.1 class explosion peaks at 03:53
- The M8.6 class explosion peaks at 09:04
- The M7.9 class explosion peaks at 2:53 p.m.
The other active regions currently present on the Sun have remained inactive and stable.
Coronal mass ejections
Some of these events have resulted in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), with the possibility of reaching Earth and causing class G2 (medium) or G3 (strong) geomagnetic storms.
This CME was launched into space this Wednesday (8) by the explosions of the AR3664 spot and is expected to reach Earth on May 11th. The geomagnetic storm is expected to be G2, but could intensify to G3 if a second CME approaches, but there is no certainty on this.
Solar storms are natural and occur approximately halfway through each 11-year cycle and generally pose no risks. However, if a solar storm with the same intensity as the one that caused the Carrington Event were to arrive, we can expect catastrophic effects.
Phenomena like these generate induced currents, which flow through components connected to electrical networks, such as transformers. This could cause internal damage to components of orbiting satellites, for example, and large-scale electrical failures.
So far, there has been no solar flare capable of producing a CME as powerful as the one on Earth. Carrington Eventbut astronomers around the world monitor solar activity to prevent any dangerous storms from taking us by surprise.
Although the AR3664 spot is 15 times larger than Earth and about the same size as the spot that caused the Carrington Event, it is not expected to produce more powerful CMEs than those recorded so far during the current cycle.
The huge sunspot region 3664 grows and becomes more complex over the past two days in this footage courtesy of https://t.co/LZr8ncHIgv See our follow-up post on what this means for solar flare chances in the coming days and visit https://t.co/9n7phHb5ok for the latest! pic.twitter.com/lcW621YqX1
—NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 7, 2024
AR3664, in fact, is so large that it can be visible to the naked eye (with glasses suitable for observing solar eclipses), i.e. without any magnification.
Source: Spacewheather.comRoyal Observatory of Belgium
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Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
