According to Bum-Suk Yeom, an astronomer from South Korea, amateur astronomers are advised to use solar glasses with lenses that block 100% of UV and infrared rays from the Sun to protect their eyes.
“A massive sunspot is crossing the solar disk, and I can clearly see it with solar-viewing glasses,” Yeom stated on spaceweather.com, adding, “Be cautious! You must use solar glasses or solar filters to protect your eyes.”
Observers in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska were able to capture images of the sunspots on Monday without the need for glasses, as smoke from nearby wildfires provided a natural filter for the setting Sun, according to spaceweather.com. The Sun is preparing for peak activity.
Image of the Sun on May 23. A sunspot is traversing the surface of the Sun, large enough to be visible to the naked eye, provided you have the appropriate equipment. (SDO/NASA)
Experts closely monitored this particular sunspot, known as AR3310, as it faced Earth.
Sunspots are areas where the Sun’s magnetic field becomes exceptionally active. As the star rotates to one side of the Sun, it has produced a significant solar flare, a massive explosion that sends out high-energy particles, light, and high-speed streams into space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center stated that there is a 20% chance this region could produce an extremely powerful X-class flare when facing Earth, according to spaceweather.com.
An eruption of this magnitude could cause radio blackouts, impact aviation, and induce prolonged radiation storms.
These radiation storms can produce stunning auroras, but they can also affect power grids and pipelines if the eruption is directed towards us.
This is the latest phenomenon in a series of notable occurrences observed on the Sun in recent months. The Sun is currently gearing up for its 11-year solar cycle peak, during which sunspots, like this one, are more likely to appear.
In recent months, we have witnessed visible auroras throughout New Mexico, solar plasma flares, solar tornadoes, intense coronal mass ejections, and terrestrial weather disturbances. More activity may be expected in the coming months.
Source: Sciencealert