****One Giant Sunspot: 6 Substantial Flares In A Week**** A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.Coronal mass ejections are often associated with other forms of solar activity, most notably solar flares, but a causal relationship has not been established. Most ejections originate from active regions on the Suns surface, such as groupings of sunspots associated with frequent flares.The largest sunspot seen over the course of the last 24 years is currently rumbling about on the surface of our star. In the last week, this has resulted in the release of 6 massive solar flares. Indeed, many of these flares were X-class (the most extreme type of solar flare).We’ve had another massive flare from our Sun. A giant active region on the Sun erupted today (Oct. 26, 2014). This marks the sixth substantial flare in a week—the activity started Oct. 19. Today’s flare was classified as an X2-class flare, and it peaked at 6:56 a.m. EDT. This is the third X-class flare in 48 hours, and it was seen erupting from the largest active region seen on the sun in 24 years.The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star comprising about 99.86% of the total mass of the Solar System. The Sun also greatly contributes to Earth’s climate and weather patterns.Sunspots are a good demonstration of the power of our star. These spots are regions of the Sun that come into being a a result of shifting magnetic fields that are cooler than their surrounding solar material. Because these areas are cooler, this creates a dark, blemish-like appearance on the Sun.When the buildup of this magnetism is released, there is an enormous explosion, which we call a “solar flare.” Although X-class flares are the most extreme class of solar flares, there is nothing to be concerned about. Space is amazingly big, and the distance between the Earth and the Sun is quite vast. As such, much of the material sprays off in other directions, and the high energy particles largely dissipate by the time that they reach our planet.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:23:38 +0000
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