NASA scientists studying the Sun have discovered a group of giant dark spots in the center of the star. It can be seen from 92 million miles away on Earth.
spots, known as sunspot, which may look like just a dot on the sun’s surface from here, is actually the size of an entire planet and may have a strong magnetic field thousands of times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field. . The spots appear darker because they are much cooler than the surrounding parts of the sun.
“If you have eclipse glasses and good eyesight, you may be able to see it without magnification,” the US space agency said on X (formerly known as Twitter). NASA soon after warned people to never look directly at the sun without a proper solar filter.
A solar eclipse can make your eyes hot. The timing to wear glasses is as follows:
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Many followers commented that they were able to see new sunspot clusters, which can typically last from a few days to a few weeks before disappearing. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is tracking this cluster. real time image of the sun.
Similar to Earth’s storm seasons, the Sun has weather patterns that repeat every 11 years. Its activity is at its calmest at the beginning and end of the cycle. However, solar activity increases, reaching a peak in the middle of the cycle and disrupting the Sun with a huge eruption.
The cycle is now reaching its peak, approaching its high point in mid-2025. That’s why reports about solar flares and coronal mass ejections (the eruption of plasma from the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona) are more prevalent in the news. Millions of Americans will have the rare opportunity to see this more virulent coronavirus with their naked eyes for a few minutes during the total solar eclipse on April 8th.
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Sunspots form in areas on the Sun where the magnetic field is particularly strong.
Credit: NASA / SDO / AIA / HMI / Goddard Space Flight Center
“It’s hurricane season in space, and it’s another hurricane season,” Mark Miesch, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, previously told Mashable.
sunspot They form in areas on the Sun where the magnetic field is particularly strong. Magnetic field lines near sunspots often become entangled. It could cause a sudden explosion in the form of a solar flare, releasing a torrent of radiation into space and hurtling toward Earth.
Solar scientists have limited predictive ability “Space Weather” event But they study the Sun to better understand violent solar explosions and how they affect Earth. Earth’s strong and vast magnetic field and atmosphere work to protect humans from harm caused by their effects. According to NASA, this field is created by stirring electrically charged molten iron within the planet’s core and keeps most of the electrically charged solar gas flowing away from the Sun away. “It’s just like an umbrella works in a rainstorm.”
The specks known as sunspots may look like just specks on the sun’s surface from here, but they can actually be the size of an entire planet.
Credit: NSF / AURA / NSO
But space weather events can affect life on Earth in other ways, such as disrupting power grids, telecommunications, and GPS systems. Such events are rare, but March 1989 solar flare A 12-hour power outage occurred across the Canadian province of Quebec. Radio Free Europe’s radio signal was also disrupted.
If you want to see sunspots, make sure you’re wearing reputable eclipse glasses.
“That’s the equivalent of hurricane season space.”
Without special safety glasses, the retina begins to absorb incoming light from the sun.
Credit: MARK RALSTON / AFP, Getty Images
Without special safety glasses, the retina begins to absorb incoming light from the sun. When these photoreceptors are flooded with light, the overrun light passes through the retina and is instead absorbed by the dark pigment that lines the inside of the eyeball. That’s when the cells begin to undergo chemical attack, says Dr. Ralph Chow, a retired optometrist and one of the world’s leading experts on eclipse filters.
“The big danger with this is that when the pigment absorbs too much radiation, it turns into heat and the temperature inside the cells increases to the point where it actually starts to heat the tissue,” he said. “At that point, you’re left with a permanent scar that can’t be repaired.”
