AN ASSAULT OF SOLAR ENERGY ON ITS WAY TO DAMAGE EARTH

A few days ago, scientists detected a rapidly growing sunspot that’s pointed directly at earth and could launch an assault of solar energy our way in the coming days. It was barely a blip several days ago. Now, it has grown 10 times bigger, morphing into a pair of sunspots that each measure nearly the diameter of earth.

Several solar flares, large explosions of electromagnetic radiation that snap off from the sun's surface and launch outwards into space, have been detected "crackling" around the spot. Fortunately, they are all currently C-class flares, which fit into the weakest of the three tiers of solar flares. If the spots continue to grow over the coming days, they could produce stronger flares that could barrel towards earth, potentially endangering satellites and communication systems. For now, however, there is no imminent danger.

The prevalence of both sunspots and solar flares is linked to the sun's 11-year cycle of activity, which transitions between periods of high and low sunspot density every decade or so. The next solar maximum is predicted to hit in 2025, with as many as 115 sunspots likely to appear on the sun's surface during its days of peak activity.

Solar activity has been ramping up over the last few years, with numerous X-class flares swooping over our planet since spring 2022, sometimes within days of one another. The number of sunspots and solar flares will likely increase as time ticks toward the next solar maximum.