9.27.2011

A Sunspot visible without telescope

The sun on Sept. 24, 2011 as seen by SDO/HMI, zoomed in on active region 1302.
Sunspot 1302 has already produced two X-flares (X1.4 on Sept. 22nd and X1.9 on Sept. 24th). Each of the dark cores in this image from SDO is larger than Earth, and the entire active region stretches more than 100,000 km from end to end. The sunspot's magnetic field is currently crackling with sub-X-class flares that could grow into larger eruptions as the sunspot continues to turn toward Earth. Credit: NASA/SDO/HMI

Behemoth sunspot 1302 unleashed  strong flare on Saturday morning--an X1.9-category blast . NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash.

Since the X1.9-flare, active region (AR) 1302 has unleashed M8.6 and M7.4 flares on Sept. 24 and an M8.8 flare early on Sept. 25. None of the blasts have been squarely Earth-directed, but this could change as the sunspot turns toward our planet in the days ahead. AR1302 is growing and shows no immediate signs of quieting down.

Measuring more than 150,000 km from end to end, the sprawling active region is visible even without a solar telescope.

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source: Nasa

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