NASA captured this huge sunspot group in images


NASA scientists studying the Sun have discovered a giant cluster of dark spots in the center of the star that is visible from Earth 92 million miles away.

The spots, known as sunspots, may look like mere spots on the solar surface from here, but they can actually be the size of entire planets with strong magnetic fields – thousands of times greater than Earth's magnetic field. Strong. The spots appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding areas of the Sun.

“If you have eclipse glasses and good vision, you'll be able to see it without magnification,” the US space agency X, formerly known as NASA, said on Twitter. NASA then immediately reminded people to never look directly at the Sun without the correct solar filter.

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A solar eclipse can cook your eyes. Here's how to know when to wear glasses.

Many followers commented that they were able to see new sunspot clusters, which can typically last for days or weeks before disappearing. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is tracking the cluster with real-time images of the Sun.

Similar to hurricane season on Earth, the Sun experiences a weather pattern that repeats every 11 years. At the beginning and end of the cycle, that activity is the quietest. But solar activity intensifies, reaching a peak in the middle of the cycle, causing the Sun to erupt with huge explosions.

The cycle is at its peak right now, about to reach its peak point in mid-2025. That's why reports of solar flares and coronal mass ejections – plasma ejected from the Sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona – are more abundant in the news. Millions of Americans will get a rare opportunity to see this fierce version of Corona with the naked eye for a few minutes during the total solar eclipse on April 8.

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NASA is studying spots on the Sun

Sunspots form in areas of the Sun where the magnetic field is particularly strong.
Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA/HMI/Goddard Space Flight Center

“This is the space equivalent of hurricane season. We're coming into another season,” Mark Misch, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, previously told Mashable.

Sunspots form in areas of the Sun where the magnetic field is particularly strong. Magnetic field lines near sunspots often become entangled. This can lead to a sudden explosion in the form of a solar flare, which releases a stream of radiation into space, heading toward Earth.

Solar scientists have a limited ability to predict “space weather” events, but they are studying the Sun to get a better understanding of violent solar eruptions and how they affect Earth. Earth's strong, vast magnetic field and atmosphere work to protect humans from harm caused by its effects. According to NASA, the field generated by the churning of charged molten iron in the planet's core keeps most of the charged solar gases flowing away from the Sun – “just like an umbrella works during rainy weather.”

Hawaiian telescope capturing sunspots

The spots, known as sunspots, may look like mere spots on the solar surface from here, but they can actually be the size of entire planets.
Credit: NSF / Aura / NSO

But space weather events can impact life on Earth in other ways, such as disruption of power grids, telecommunications and GPS systems. These events are rare, but in March 1989 a solar flare caused a 12-hour power outage throughout Quebec, Canada. Due to this, the radio signals of Radio Free Europe were also jammed.

If you're planning on viewing sun spots, make sure you have the coveted solar eclipse glasses.

“This is the equivalent of hurricane season.”

Eclipse spectators wearing solar eclipse glasses

Without special protective glasses, the retina begins to absorb light coming from the sun.
Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

Without special protective glasses, the retina begins to absorb light coming from the sun. Once those light receptors are flooded, the excess passes through the retina and is instead absorbed by the dark pigment of the eyeball. That's when the cells begin to be chemically attacked, said Dr. Ralph Chow, a retired optometrist and one of the world's leading experts on solar eclipse filters.

He said, “The big danger about this is that when the pigment absorbs excess radiation, it turns it into heat and raises the temperature inside the cells to the point where you actually start to cook the tissue.” Let's give.” “It leaves you with a permanent scar at a point that can't be healed.”




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