"Monster" sunspots may give way to massive solar flares

An enormous sunspot group known as AR-1476 has become visible on the sun, and may give rise to powerful solar storms.  Spaceweather.com adds:

One of the largest sunspot groups in years rotated over the sun's northeastern limb on May 6th. With a least four dark cores larger than Earth, AR1476 sprawls more than 100,000 km from end to end, and makes an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. Amateur astronomer Alan Friedman sends this picture of the behemoth from his backyard in Buffalo, NY:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The website says that the sun is crackling with impulsive M class solar flares. NOAA forecasters are estimating a 75% chance of more flares in the next 24 hours, and a ten percent chance of X class flares which are bigger than M class flares.

 

Dakota O'Leary

Dakota O'Leary is a freethinker, and often sassy, scholar of theology and literature. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and her Master of Arts degree in Theology and Literature from Antioch University-Midwest. She is a contributing writer focusing on eschatology, biblical prophecy, and general religious news. Dakota is a co-host of the God Discussion radio show, offering insight to the news stories of the week. We like to call her "our in-house Biblical prophecy expert" as her articles on eschatology have received over 200,000 views on God Discussion.

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