A sunspot has been opening up recently, reports claim. Experts say it will begin to expand on the surface of our Sun. Sunspots, induced by intrinsic magnetism under the surface, are areas of darkness on the Sun. Despite that, Solar Orbiter is on its way to the far side of the Sun to witness everything.
Sun's Southern Hemisphere Experiencing Solar Flare
According to the astronomy website Space Weather, scientists announced the spot is rising on the Sun's southern hemisphere and could expand to a point where it produces a solar flare.
It is tiny and quiet so far, presenting no danger to powerful flares.
If the area continues to expand, The Daily Star claimed that an official number (AR2802) would be allocated later on.
Right next to a dark gravitational filament, the sunspot is bursting into the crust of the Sun.
Rapid sunspot evolution may de-stabilize the field, allowing the filament to erupt.
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Afterparty Blues
The solar flare originating from a sunspot actually struck Earth and causing a solar storm of the G1 scale.
A solar storm of the G1 class will contribute to "weak variability in the power grid" and can have a "minor effect on satellite operations."
This is how it induces expansion when ions reach the magnetosphere of the Planet - the outer layer of the atmosphere.
This eventually allows it impossible for satellite transmissions to reach and may create satellite-based technology issues such as cell phones and Sky TV.
However, on this day, in the northern hemisphere of Earth, it ignited an aurora that has been described as one of the most strong they have ever seen.
Norwegian photographer Markus Varik took a shot of the aurora that appeared like moving green waves in the atmosphere.
Mr. Varik said he has never seen auroras with such incredible shapes before, even after more than 1000 nights of observing. It rocked our socks off.
Auroras, like northern lights, aurora borealis, and aurora australis, southern lights, are caused when solar particles strike the earth.
When solar winds bombard the earth's magnetosphere in the northern and southernmost areas, spectacular lights in various hues will emerge.
Will Solar Orbiter Reach the Far Side of the Sun Despite Threat of Solar Flare?
The Solar Orbiter is on its way to the Sun, facing the possibility of a solar flare. The space probe is 222 million kilometers from Earth and is about to make the first voyage of a kid behind the Sun.
It's finally conjunction season for the plucky little spaceship, launched on February 10, 2020, pointing to the obvious similarity of the probe to the Sun as seen by eyes on Earth.
Built like a cosmic water skipper and charged with observing the Sun in incredible detail, the Solar Orbiter inspects everything from our star's solar wind to its solar cycles.
The probe, now around 25,000 Great Wall of China off Earth, would be able to report back on the star's never-before-seen characteristics.
In an email to Gizmodo Australia, ESA's Solar Orbiter project director Daniel Müller announced that they would be at the perihelion on February 10 as the Solar Orbiter would have the nearest approach of the current orbit to the Earth.
The Solar Orbiter is built with many separate imagers that can peek from a record near the Sun. (The sensors are now paying dividends, recently catching in one field of view three of the planets of the solar system). At every given moment, various instruments are gazing at our Sun, but the unique suite of tools of the Solar Orbiter provides a whole new viewpoint.
The orbiter has no direct challenge from the heat on the other side of the Sun. It contains a black calcium phosphate lined heat shield, making the stargazer survive temperatures of approximately 540 degrees Celsius.
Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.
