On November 18, scientists from the National Solar Observatory of the US National Science Foundation forecasted the arrival of a large sunspot in time for Thanksgiving.
Through the use of a special technique also known as helioseismology, the team of scientists has been listening to changing sound waves from the interior of the Sun, signaling the large sunspot's arrival.
Current changes in the said sound waves reportedly pointed to the forthcoming appearance of new sunspots, which can now be seen from Earth near the "eastern solar limb."
According to Associate Director for NSO's Integrated Synoptic Program, Dr. Alexei Pevtsov, the program responsible for this particular forecast, they measured a "change in acoustic signal" on the Sun's far side.
Pevtsov explained, they could use the said technique to determine "what is happening on the side of the sun" that's faced away from Earth, just a few days before "we can catch a glimpse from here."
Having a lead time of up to five days on the active sunspots' presence, he continued, is extremely valuable to the tech-heavy society.
The GONG Network
Science reports have it that solar storms frequently originate in sunspot regions, specifically if the sunspot "is large and complicated."
Meaning, the more intertwined the magnetic field, the more possible it will lead to huge solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which, in turn, can lead to space weather impacts on Earth.
Such effects include those on communications, GPS, and, if possible, electrical grid systems. NSO, according to reports, provides 24/7 "'eyes on the Sun' through the NSF-Funded GONG network."
The GONG network comprises six monitoring stations positioned across the world, observing the magnetic field of the Sun, as well as other features the whole day every day.
GONG's ability to determine the track active regions developing on the Sun's far side, Dr. Carrie Black, NSF Program Director said, has essential consequences for future space weather predictive capabilities."
The Strongest Far-Side Signal This Solar Cycle
The scientist who leads this so-called far-side prediction at NSO, Dr. Kiran Jain, described the sunspot's evolution as the "strongest far-side signal we have had this solar cycle."
She also said they initially noticed the signal in their far-side images on November 14 this year. As such, she continued, it was "inconspicuous, initially at first," although it grew fast, "breaking detection thresholds" only one day after.
And because we are in the very early stage of the new solar cycle, Jain explained, the signal coming from the large sot clearly stands out.
Essentially, the far-side maps are using "helioseismology," a method developed by the scientists at NSO in the 1990s, to identify how sound waves are interacting with the interior structure of the sun, particularly the magnetic fields.
Seismology on Earth measures sound waves traveling through the interior of Earth to uncover the unseen beneath the surface of the Earth.
In a similar way, helio-seismology can underscore structures on the Sun that cannot be seen yet from Earth. Millions of sound frequencies bounce liberally throughout the interior of the Sun, like a bell.
Lastly, the GONG network, according to NSO's director, Dr. Valentin Martinez Pillet, "is providing an essential service to the United States space weather preparedness."
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