Sunspots AR3712 and AR3713 are very large. Separately, each of these sunspots is about half as big as the great Carrington sunspot of 1859. Even half of a Carrington Event would be a historic solar storm. This is why NOAA forecasters carefully monitoring the two active regions.
Impulsive M5.7-class solar flare from a new active region.
Growing sunspot AR3719 exploded on June 20th, producing a brief but intense M5.7-class solar flare. This sunspot was not expected to be very active but now we know it adds to the chance of flares from behemoth sunspots AR3712 and AR3713.
R2 (Moderate) Radio Blackout
Radiation from the flare caused a shortwave radio blackout over the West USA, East Russia, Hawaii, Micronesia and Polynesia.
#largesunspots #solarflare #solarstorm
Images credit: AIA/SDO/HMI, nemesis maturity channel, helioviewer.org
Music credit: KZfaq Audio Library
The Charmer's Call - Hanu Dixit