11/15/2011

Giant Sunspot aimed at Earth!!



Dubbed Active Region 1339, the cluster of magnetic activity  is currently the  largest active region (a sunspot i.e regions on sun that appear relatively dark because of temperature difference) on sun  and which is now faced towards the Earth exactly! This means any activity/ any eruptions it produces shall be aimed directly at us.

Large enough to be viewed by naked eye , the region was previously seen on Sun's northwest edge but came into view on Earth bound telescopes last week.

According to Jason Mayor, of National Geographic, "Sunspots are where solar flares are most likely to occur, since the magnetic fields in these active regions can build up enough energy to break, releasing bursts of intense radiation into the solar system....If aimed toward Earth, this outpouring of energy can interact with our magnetosphere, infusing molecules in the atmosphere with extra energy that then gets released as light, producing Aurorae".

It also poses a lot of health concerns especially for commercial pilots and astronauts.

More on NatGeo

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