Giant Sunspot Doubles In Size In 24 Hours Threatening Earth With ‘Solar Storm Catastrophe’

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A giant sunspot that has doubled in size in the last 24 hours is now directly facing Earth — meaning it could send a hugely disruptive solar flare our way, resulting in a solar storm catastrophe, according to experts.

A disruptive X-class flare of this kind would result in a complete high frequency radio blackout on the daylight side of Earth for several hours, meaning boats and planes would not be able to use navigation signals during this time, causing havoc around the world.

Sunspots are dark areas on the sun’s surface that are associated with intense bursts of light and radiation. They appear dark because they are cooler than other parts of the sun’s surface.

These tangled magnetic fields can sometimes suddenly reorganize themselves. When that happens, a sudden explosion of light and radiation is propelled away from the sun in the form of a solar flare.

Sunspot AR3038 seen in the center of this screenshotted image of the sun via NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory footage. Sunspots can be a source of solar flares.

Newsweek report: The sunspot that has been growing in size recently is known as AR3038. Footage from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Sunday shows how the sunspot has evolved over the past day or so, twisting and contorting.

Yesterday, sunspot AR3038 was big. Today, it’s enormous,” reads the SpaceWeather.com website. “The fast-growing sunspot has doubled in size in only 24 hours.”

The magnetic field associated with the sunspot means it could potentially send an M-class solar flare at Earth—the second-strongest type. However, it is not known whether this will be the case.

As of Monday morning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) hadn’t issued any solar flare warn

If strong enough, solar flares can cause disruption on Earth, interfering with radio communication networks and navigation systems. This can cause problems for people who work in the marine or aviation industries, among others.

That said, it’s worth noting that an M-class flare would probably not be particularly disruptive in any case. Although M-class flares are the second-strongest type of solar flares, they only tend to cause moderate radio blackout events. An M9 flare, the strongest of the M-class, might cause loss of radio contact for tens of minutes in affected areas of Earth and degradation of low-frequency navigation signals. M-class flares are also common.

It’s the less common X-class flares that can cause more serious trouble. X-class flares are the strongest type of flare. An X20 flare, for instance, would cause complete high frequency radio blackout on the daylight side of Earth for several hours, and boats and planes would not be able to use navigation signals during this time.

Thankfully such flares are very rare, estimated to occur less than once every 11 years—the length of an average solar cycle.

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry is a writer at The People's Voice. He covers politics, business and entertainment. Speaking truth to power since he learned to talk, Baxter has travelled in over 80 countries and won arguments in every single one. Live without fear.
Email: baxter@thepeoplesvoice.tv
Baxter Dmitry

16 Comments

  1. “a solar storm catastrophe”.

    Pardon my ignorance but have we ever had such an event where a solar flare caused mass disruption of comms, electrical grids and the like?

      • The “end times” predictions are a very popular topic on YT. I ignore them flat out.
        We are doomed anyway so why would we concern ourselves with the obvious.

    • Northern LIGHTs are holes in the Ozone near the earths poles SO if the northern lights show more holes in the O-zone something NASA and the goverment has been studying forever than than possibly more radioactives&cancers so on.USEING UV blocking SUN glasses in UV whiteout is a MUST! more people wiil go blind and get eye cancer

      • We frequently find dead birds, especially pigeons in our area. Some people speculate on the possibility of 5G radiation.

    • MICROWAVE satellite worldwide network with zero FCC regulations means we can`t control how many satelite there are or how much microwave and radioactives are broadcast.China is buying up cheap russian gas and food and china is buying up america-homes and farms and everything they can so soon we wil just be a china getto anyway

    • All airlines limiting fights and UV levels at WHITEOUT means HOLD on to your HAT bad weather will be a reaction and we have damaged the O-zone just as newspunch predicted in 2015

  2. NASA and other observatories observe Solar Flares and then report on any effects here on earth. They do not predict any impacts on earth or humans. A quick search for any such useful or timely predictions gave little results.

    • Side walks and streets buckling&cracking and wildlife&live stock stress levels that have not be seen this high&UV WHITEOUT means more tower relayers and under ground comm cables and less satellites fast or back to the 1960`s BLINDED BY THE LIGHT kill off but this time nation wide? back to the dust bowl and we already have the faux depression

    • Just look at the streets and sidewalks and live stock and wildlife reports.NASA studys for like 9 million years and than dissys off any report so don`t hold your breath for a NASA report

  3. DOG DAYs of SUMMER streets cracking sidewalks cracking and buckling EVEY YEAR but this huge THERMAL DOME covering most of the country is even delaying air traffic and making the weather more violent.satellites outside of the O-zone take they most UV and we are in a UV WHITE OUT and UV whiteouts seem to be more normal all the time now

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