The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space
Environment Center has issued an Official Space Weather
Advisory stating that two very intense centers of activity
have emerged on the sun. One of them, Sunspot 484, has
grown into one of the biggest sunspots in years, and it's now
about the size of the planet Jupiter. It may eventually
become bigger than the
largest one
ever recorded, which took place on April 2, 2001.
Region 484 has developed with unusual speed. The region
produced an X-Class solar flare on October 19, but earthly
effects were minimal because the eruption was not pointing in
our direction. However, any eruption occurring during the
next week will be pointing directly or nearly directly toward
Earth and will affect us.
In addition, the LASCO instrument aboard the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) indicates another active
region rotating toward us behind Region 484. This new region
has already produced two violent eruptions. According to the
Space Environment Center, "these eruptions may herald the
arrival of a volatile active center with the potential to impact
various Earth systems."
If strong eruptions impact the Earth in sequence, they will
cause a thinning of the planet's magnetosphere which will
result in disruptions to electrical systems, as well as weather
effects. This period of solar activity, while intense, is not the
most intense period ever recorded, which peaked in 1959.
Does what's going on in space really determine what happens
to us? A noted scientist says
yes, it does.
To see a 4-day video image of Sunspot 484,
click here.
