The sunspot patch that caused the early May auroras is again active. Formerly AR 3664, the area generated three X-class flares, including the most powerful of the solar cycle, before spinning out of view in mid-May.
On May 27, AR 3697, the sunspot exploded with another massive X-class flare, an X 2.8. Since then, it has produced five X-class flares, including an X1.45 on May 29, an X1.1 on May 31, and an X1.03 and X1.4 on June 1.
Can We Expect More Light Shows in the Coming Months?
Despite these prominent flares, no coronal mass ejection (CME) has been observed; therefore, solar storms like those in early May are improbable, as reported by Science Alert. Solar plasma and magnetic fields expelled by CMEs can cause auroras when they hit Earth's magnetosphere.
AR 3697 emits fewer flares daily. On June 2, AR 3697 released two M-class flares and 10 C-class flares, 10 times weaker than X-class flares. Spaceweatherlive predicts 30% more X-class flares, even if they are less likely to hit Earth.
AR 3697 directs eruptions toward Earth from its location near the Sun's disk center. This increases the likelihood of a CME, but it does not guarantee it.
Sunspot areas like AR 3697 may appear when the sun reaches the apex of its 11-year activity cycle, creating more spectacular light shows in the following months.
AR 3697 produced another X-class flare. This one peaked at X1.4 at 01/0848 UTC. No CME was detected in coronagraph imagery with this event. pic.twitter.com/DZ5Ne3QOgq
— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) June 1, 2024
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What to Know About Sunspots
Planet-sized sunspots have strong magnetic fields. These locations can cause solar flares and CMEs, generating severe space weather.
According to experts, sunspots are due to the release of magnetic forces deep within the sun. American astronomer Horace Babcock's 1961 theory on sunspot creation has gained widespread acceptance. He believed the sun's magnetic field caused sunspots. The sun's magnetic field resembles rubber bands between the poles. These loops twist and tangle because of differential rotation, in which the equator rotates faster than the poles.
As the sun turns, the magnetic loops wind up and break through the surface. This disruption creates pores that can turn into sunspots. The sunspot groups are active areas. Typically the size of Earth, sunspots can span hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometers, per Space.com.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), active sunspot locations have magnetic fields 2,500 times stronger than Earth's. This powerful magnetic field prevents heated gas from entering the sun's core, making sunspots colder and darker. UCAR estimates that a normal sunspot would glow as brightly as a full moon at night.
Dr. James McAteer, New Mexico State University Astronomy Professor and Sunspot Solar Observatory Director, explained sunspots appear dark due to large magnetic fields in it stopping some energy from reaching the surface.
The umbra, or core black zone, is 6,300 degrees Fahrenheit (3,500 degrees Celsius), while the photosphere is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius), according to the NWS.
One fascinating fact about sunspots is the Maunder Minimum, from 1645 to 1715, when sunspot activity was almost none. During the "Little Ice Age," Earth's temperatures dropped, however, scientists still debate about solar activity's impact on climate.
