Sunspot AR 14100 reappeared over the sun's western edge on Monday (May 26) after a two-week journey across the far side of the star. This is its third return to the Earth-facing side of the sun. (Credit: NASA/SDO)
A huge, “grown-up” sunspot is currently making its third trip across the Sun's visible surface from Earth, about two months after it first appeared. This “elderly” object has lasted considerably longer than most other sunspots and appears to have the potential to persist for some time, potentially setting a record for the longest-lived sunspot.
The massive dark spot, now called AR 14100, is located in the sun’s northern hemisphere, just above the solar equator. It first appeared on April 5, when it was dubbed AR 14055, and then disappeared, moving to the far side of the star. It reappeared on April 28, when it was dubbed AR 14079, before disappearing again and reappearing on Monday (May 26) with a new name. (Sunspots are given a new name each time they appear on the visible side of the sun to help scientists better track their impact on space weather.)
This huge spot has changed size as it orbited our star. It reached its largest size in early May (at the time it was called AR 14079), spanning 87,000 miles (140,000 kilometers) in diameter — about 11 times the diameter of Earth. That made it the largest spot of 2025, but it is now about half that size.
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