Giant Sunspot Doubled in Size in Only 24 Hours
AR3038 increased in size sharply at night of June 19 to 20. The sunspot was located slightly north of the solar equator and was facing the Earth. It disappeared from view in a few days.
The biggest spot on the Sun – AR3038 – doubled in size in just a day, exceeding 30 thousand kilometers across and becoming 2.5 times larger than the Earth.
AR3038 increased in size sharply at night of June 19 to 20. The sunspot was located slightly north of the solar equator and was facing the Earth. It disappeared from view in a few days.
According to scientists, however, this sunspot can do no harm. The flares it produces are likely to be M-class flares, which are not particularly strong and may only cause temporary problems with radio communication in the circumpolar regions of the Earth.
Sunspots are dark patches on the surface of our star where magnetic fields created by the flow of electric charges from solar plasma knot before suddenly snapping. The resulting release of energy triggers bursts of radiation, called solar flares, and generates explosive jets of solar material, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).