Solar activity is set to remain high over the next few weeks as two large active regions of the Sun face the Earth.
Regions designated NOAA 13169 and NOAA 13170 pass through the other side of the Earth and back. Sun Over the next few days, a huge field of activity will appear at the eastern edge of the Sun.
The active region of the Sun is where the star’s magnetic field is disturbed. They are associated with explosive solar storms such as solar flares. coronal mass ejection (CME). These active regions increase as the Sun moves toward its solar maximum. solar cycleand shown in black sunspot.
Related: Massive X-class solar flare occurs as previously hidden sunspot turns toward Earth
According to a statement from National Solar Observatory (NSO), solar measurements show an increased likelihood of intense solar events such as: solar flare CME during this re-emergence. Although this space weather can interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere, magnetic field surrounds our planet to create a beautiful light show called aurora At high latitudes, the unwanted effects can also be much less.
Extreme space weather can disrupt space technology, power grids and communication systems such as GPS navigation and aircraft passing over the North Pole.
Scientists are aware of the sun’s active regions even when they’re invisible or behind the sun, thanks to an acoustic technique called helioholography. The sun “rings like a bell” when sound waves propagate through it, so researchers can use acoustics to determine what’s happening at different depths of the star.
Scientists at NSO’s Global Oscillation Network Group are using this method to study changes in the intensity and frequency of these acoustic waves as they pass through the sun, studying regions of strong magnetic fields otherwise invisible. .
As sound waves bounce inside the Sun, reflecting back and forth, they encode information about the invisible realm. This information is communicated to researchers, who can map the far side of the Sun, effectively “seeing” the strongly active regions on the other side of the star. This information can alert scientists to active regions about to move closer to the Sun, resulting in violence. space weather.
Currently in the star’s southern hemisphere, there are three large active regions of the Sun facing the Sun. earthThese regions have caused several high-energy solar flares over the past few days, but will soon revolve around the western edge of the Sun and pass behind the star.
the sun is now in its fourth year solar cycleIt began in December 2019, when the sunspot number on the star’s surface was about 1.8, known as the solar minimum. The solar cycle describes the changes a star’s magnetic field undergoes over 11 years, which scientists track by recording the activity of sunspots.
So far, solar cycle 25 has been more active than the relatively quiet solar cycle 24. Since December 2019, solar activity has increased, including the number of sunspots and solar flares. The Sun is about to reach its next maximum in 2024, when the polarity of stars will reverse and more active regions will emerge.
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