By: Shane Sullivan
Sunspots are magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun which are sometimes visible from Earth as black dots on the surface of the Sun. Recently scientists observed the largest group of sunspots seen since 2005 which collectively are “approximately 17 times the width of our planet”. This group of spots has been named active region (AR) 1339 and is of particular interest to scientists because of its current orientation in relation to the Earth.
“A picture of the sunspot cluster known as AR 1339 taken with a backyard telescope”
AR 1339 is now located in the center of the Sun directly pointing towards Earth which has the potential to cause damages to satellites and humans if solar flares become active. Although, the last solar flare activity recorded from AR 1339 was on the 3rd of November flares can become active anytime and are at most detectable within minutes of the occurrence. These flares have a high potential to disrupt satellites and due to radiation exposure pose health risks to airline pilots and scientists aboard the space station.
While AR 1339 is visible to the naked eye Philip H. Scherrer, a Stanford professor, warns, like Tiho, that “people should never look directly at the sun”.
What is most striking about this article appears near its conclusion: Even though we tend to think of solar activity as cyclical, and even though we are currently approaching the solar maximum for activity, “‘there’s always some level of activity'” on the Sun. While we have developed techniques to more or less determine when solar activity will occur, I wouldn’t be surprised if, at some point in the future, a “surprise” event causes significant problems with communication satellites, for instance. In short, the article reveals how much we don’t know about those natural factors most important to our daily lives, and how much more we have yet to discover.
Should we be worried? The largest group of sunspots and it’s 17x the width of our planet? Sounds like a simple discovery with large implications. Glad to see someone else listens to Tiho and doesn’t look into the sun as well. And to whomever owns the backyard telescope that took this picture you posted, wow! That picture might just be what pulled me in.