Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Researchers recently discovered two giant specks that appear on the surface of the Sun. These spots appear in groups and cover an area of hundreds of millions of square kilometers, which is much larger than the diameter of the Earth.
The appearance of the spots is due to magnetic disturbances in the Sun’s photosphere, the part of which shows the relatively cold layer below. The appearance of this giant spot has the potential to damage solar flares in the next few months.
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Photo: Two large sunspot groups, known as AR 2993 and AR 2994, were seen a few days ago in the northeastern part of the sun after becoming active while still being hidden by the solar disk. (Image credit: Langkawi National Observatory, MYSA/MOSTI) Two large sunspot groups, known as AR 2993 and AR 2994, were spotted a few days ago in the northeastern part of the sun after becoming active while still being hidden by the solar disk. (Image credit: Langkawi National Observatory, MYSA/MOSTI)- – |
“I’m sure we’ll see [wilayah aktif] larger ones in the next few years,” said solar system physicist Dean Pesnell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Pesnell said the solar cycle is expected to reach its maximum activity in late 2024 or early 2025. Energy from the Sun’s active region can be released as radiation (solar flares) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are balls of superheated plasma.
Such solar flares and CMEs can create beautiful aurorae, but they can also pose a hazard to power grids, satellites, communications networks, and could even impact space explorers beyond the protection of Earth’s magnetic field.
So far, a number of countries appear to have been prepared to avoid the worst effects of solar storms. In addition, a number of power grid operators have also strengthened their equipment to avoid these disturbances.
However, history has noted that the worst solar flare incident ever occurred during a “Halloween storm” in 2003 which shut off power in parts of Europe and in South Africa for several hours.
Meanwhile, Jan Janssens, a communications specialist at the Solar-Terrestrial Center of Excellence in Brussels, said that solar activity has been very active over the past few weeks. And it seems that the intensity of the activity will not decrease.
“As the Sun cycles toward its maximum activity, increasingly complex areas of sunspots become visible, which can then produce solar flares.”
(hsy / hsy)
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