A sunspot so huge that it’s affecting the Sun: How will it impact Earth

As reported by Newsweek, a sunspot has been detected which is so huge that it is changing the way in which the Sun vibrates. While the sunspot is on the far side of the Sun, it would soon be facing Earth and has raised concerns. The sunspot in question is named AR3088.

As per Space Weather’s report

There is a sunspot on the farside of the sun so large it is affecting the way the whole sun vibrates. Take a look at this helioseismic map. The large dark region is AR3088, last seen exiting the solar disk about a week ago. It is probably responsible for the major radiation storm.

Coronal mass ejections

Earlier on 5 September, Space Weather reported that something had exploded on the far side of the Sun. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft had recorded a full halo CME which emerged in the late hours that day.

A CME Refers to coronal mass ejections, which as per Space, are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's atmosphere.

An earlier CME was also recorded on 1 September, conjectured to be due to the same sunspot.

According to George Ho of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab,

This is no run of the mill event. Many science papers will be studying this for years to come.

Sunspot AR3088

Sunspot AR3088 has been on scientists' radar for a while after it was found to be growing at an alarming rate, causing severe solar flares and CMEs.

The solar flares and CMEs due to sunspots can affect life on Earth by disrupting electric grids and radio communications. As per Space Weather, the sun’s rotation would put Sunspot AR3088 towards Earth soon and could affect our planet.

Read more:

⋙ A once-tiny sunspot has fast grown tenfold: This is how it could affect us

⋙ Earth to be disrupted by major explosions on the sun: This is how it could affect us

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