The colossal sunspot group AR3664 , responsible for May's epic solar flares and extensive auroras, is returning.
See also: The Sun emits the strongest flare in its current cycle
Yesterday, a powerful X-class solar flare erupted from the sun's southeastern edge, peaking around 3:08 a.m. EDT.
Solar flares are energetic bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the surface of the sun that occur when magnetic energy stored in the solar atmosphere and can create auroras. They are categorized by size into lettered groups, with X-class being the most powerful. Within each category, numbers from 1-10 describe the relative strength of a flare. The recent X-flare reached X-2.9 according to Spaceweatherlive.com.
See also: The sun released 8 powerful solar flares!
Although sunspot group 3664 remains invisible to NASA 's Solar Dynamics Observatory — scientists can track the sunspot's progress on the far side of the sun by observing how it affects the sun's vibrations, or seismic echoes, using helioseismology data. A complete rotation of the sun takes 27 days .
A map from spaceweather.com tracking the current position of AR3664 places it just beyond the southeastern edge of the sun, where the solar flare that caused the auroras on Earth.
Considering AR3664's propensity for solar X-ray flares and that it was observed near yesterday's solar flare, it seems reasonable to conclude that AR3664 is the "culprit.".
See also: Something strange is happening with Earth's magnetotail
This is exciting news for space weather enthusiasts and aurora hunters as solar flares will turn towards Earth later this week. The group of hyperactive sunspots is the most active of the sun , and the recent X-flare could prove that it is still as responsive as it was at its beginning.
Source: space.com
