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Giant Sunspot Has Doubled in Size in 24 Hours and It's Pointed at Earth
newsweek ^ | 6/20/22 AT 8:55 AM EDT | Ed Browne

Posted on 06/21/2022 6:58:53 AM PDT by BenLurkin

The sunspot that has been growing in size recently is known as AR3038. Footage from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on Sunday shows how the sunspot has evolved over the past day or so, twisting and contorting.

"Yesterday, sunspot AR3038 was big. Today, it's enormous," reads the SpaceWeather.com website. "The fast-growing sunspot has doubled in size in only 24 hours."

The magnetic field associated with the sunspot means it could potentially send an M-class solar flare at Earth—the second-strongest type. However, it is not known whether this will be the case.

As of Monday morning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) hadn't issued any solar flare warnings.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; carringtonevent; cme; coronalmassejection; science; sida; solarflare; sunspot; sunspots
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To: zeugma

Thanks for posting that link!
I had not seen this website before!🙂🔭


61 posted on 06/21/2022 12:54:01 PM PDT by telescope115 (Proud member of the ANTIFAuci movement. )
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To: Seruzawa

“since the sun rotates about once every 27-31 days depending on latitude I doubt that it’s still pointing at us. If it ever did.” [Seruzawa, post 44]

Great to see someone else picked up on this.

Because the sun is a big ball of hot gas, not every bit of it rotates at the same exact rate. Polar regions go slower; at its equator, the sun turns at the rate of a bit less than 12 degrees of arc per day.

Our earth completes one orbit about the sun in 365 days. Every day, it moves through a little less than one degree of arc. (Earth’s orbit is elliptical, no circular, but assuming circularity is good enough for this approximation)

Therefore, even if the sunspot were to point at earth, it would only do so for a couple hours.

Doesn’t mean the earth will avoid being hit by solar particle storms, as any ejected material can spread out over many thousands of miles in width. The particles move much slower than the speed of light and can take days to arrive.

Electromagnetic radiation (including visible light) will reach earth in a bit over eight minutes.

Will it cause chaos? Not sure yet.


62 posted on 06/21/2022 1:08:14 PM PDT by schurmann
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To: oldasrocks

Sorry this is off-topic.

But speaking of 1859 (the year they had a solar flare)

2-27-1859

United States congressman Daniel Sickles shoots Phillips Barton Key,
a US District Attorny,
for having an affair with his wife.

The good old days! LOL


63 posted on 06/21/2022 1:20:12 PM PDT by missthethunder
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To: BenLurkin
"Giant Sunspot Has Doubled in Size in 24 Hours and It's Pointed at Earth"

Well then it's a good thing that the earth is moving sideways 1.5 million miles a day, isn't it?

64 posted on 06/21/2022 2:09:06 PM PDT by Paal Gulli
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To: missthethunder
"...United States congressman Daniel Sickles shoots Phillips Barton Key, a US District Attorny, for having an affair with his wife....

Would that be Peach Orchard Dan Sickles?

65 posted on 06/21/2022 2:33:34 PM PDT by Paal Gulli
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