A sunspot is said to be a kind of phenomenon that lasts for a temporary time frame. It appears as a dark spot, more concentrated on one spot than the other. The temperatures of these regions are generally lower than the surrounding areas. It happens due to the magnetic field flux. The visible surface of the sun or the “photosphere” is covered up by the magnetic field. These sunspots are also often responsible for causing solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
As if 2020, was not going in the wrong direction already, the scientists have come up with another disheartening news. Recently, a huge sunspot was spotted on the surface of the sun. Moreover, the sunspot will be turning itself towards our planet. It can cause major strong flares for us. The sunspot has been named AR2770 and scientists have predicted that it will continue to grow in size over the period of time. Previously, AR2770 had caused small space solar flares which did not cause major harms other than “minor waves of ionization to ripple through Earth’s upper atmosphere”.
AR2770 is expected to extend up to 50,000 kilometers in diameter. This huge space of a sunspot can cause the release of a massive amount of energy that can cause solar storms or solar flares. This environment of CME can affect GPS or the Global Positioning System, radio transmissions, satellites, and power grids. The scientists have been working hard to develop a model that can predict such solar flares beforehand. It has already successfully predicted seven of Sun’s biggest solar flares since the last solar cycle. During the period the sunspots are mostly active, Earth sees a large number of Northern and Southern Lights in the poles. However, the good news for all of us right now is, a sunspot is temporary and can disappear as the magnetic fields become weak.
