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Solar Region AR 13364 expanded to a size of almost 15 times the breadth of Earth and emitted close to 1,000 individual solar eruptions during its 3-month duration, encompassing this X-class burst on May 15, 2024, not long before it shifted to the sun’s hidden face away from our world for the initial time.(Image credit: Main: NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams/helioviewer.org; Inset: NASA/SDO/SpaceWeatherLive.com; with annotations by Harry Baker)ShareShare by:
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An unprecedented analysis of a massive sunspot, which initiated Earth’s most notable geomagnetic turbulence in over twenty years, has unveiled astonishing fresh insights concerning the volatile dark zone. The gigantic sunspot unleashed nearly a thousand solar flares within a little over ninety days and might have secretly given rise to the most potent outburst of the present solar period.
In April of 2024, astronomers identified an increasing cluster of sunspots across the solar landscape. This newly emergent region (AR), designated AR 13664, rapidly grew in dimension, ultimately achieving a breadth equivalent to 15 times Earth’s width by early May. Subsequently, it promptly discharged a series of X-class solar flares — the most energetic form of solar event — which propelled multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth, continually impacting our planet’s magnetosphere.
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However, the colossal sunspot’s chronicle didn’t conclude there. Akin to other considerable sunspots, AR 13664 possessed the capacity to endure several circuits around the sun, granting investigators the prospect to observe it for a more extended duration than is typical — and it presented a striking spectacle. (Sunspots are solely visible on the sun’s Earth-directed hemisphere for a maximum period of two weeks at any instant prior to rotating out of view, yet they reappear on condition that they survive the transit across our parent star’s further aspect.)
Within a recent report issued on December 5 within the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers scrutinized observations of AR 13664 encompassing 94 successive days from April 16 to July 18, 2024, roughly representing 3.3 rotations around the sun. Utilizing images gathered by NASA’s Solar Orbiter, which orbits the sun, scientists managed to oversee the sunspot as it rotated away.
The geomagnetic storm in May 2024 stood as the most forceful in 21 years and set off widespread auroras throughout the globe, notably these radiant lights captured above the Italian Alps.
“It signifies a watershed moment within solar science,” declared study principal writer Ioannis Kontogiannis, a solar expert stationed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), through a media release. “This stands as the lengthiest uninterrupted sequence of images ever assembled for any singular active zone.”
Inside the document, the team disclosed that AR 13664 initiated a cumulative 969 solar flares. This count encompassed 38 X-class flares alongside 146 M-class flares, equally proficient in impacting Earth’s magnetosphere. The balance consisted of lower intensities, including C-class and B-class flares, posing minimal risk to our planet. Most prominent flares were aimed outward from Earth, which explains the absence of further geomagnetic disturbances.
The paramount flare remained a suspected X16.5 magnitude emission, transpiring on the sun’s distant aspect from Earth on May 20, 2024. That surpasses an X9 burst registered on Oct. 3, 2024, now recognized as the most substantial flare in the last 8 years. Nonetheless, given that AR 13664’s burst was partially obscured due to its solar position, experts cannot formally affirm a fresh benchmark.
No less than five consecutive CMEs emerged from the sun during early May 2024 prior to colliding with Earth and triggering a G5-level (“extreme”) geomagnetic storm.
AR 13664’s extraordinary transit around the sun serves as a reminder of our home star’s formidable energy, most notably amidst solar maximum — the sun’s most vigorous phase across its approximate 11-year cycle, when the frequency of sunspots and solar disruptions dramatically intensifies.
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We have seemingly concluded the latest solar maximum, commencing ahead of schedule in early 2024, contrary to initial scientific forecasts. This maximum phase exhibited elevated activity compared to prior instances, including a 23-year summit concerning observable sunspots alongside an unmatched count of X-class flares throughout 2024.
The investigators responsible for the novel research indicate that analyzing such instances may aid scientists in enhanced prediction of analogous events down the line, holding paramount significance as these events may influence Earth-orbiting spacecraft and selected infrastructure across the ground.
“We share our existence with this celestial body, thus continuous observation and attempted comprehension of its operation, coupled with how it interacts with our vicinity, hold critical significance,” stated Kontogiannis.
TOPICSsolar maximum
Harry BakerSocial Links NavigationSenior Staff Writer
Harry serves as a senior writer situated in the U.K. for Live Science. He majored in marine science at the University of Exeter prior to receiving journalism training. He reports on a broad range of subjects encompassing space research, planetary physics, space conditions, climate shifts, animal conduct, and paleontology. His recent exploration of the solar maximum secured the “top space contribution” accolade at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards with a shortlisting within the “top scoop” tier at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence during 2023. He produces Live Science’s ongoing Earth from space series on a weekly basis.
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