Super-powerful flares were recorded on the Sun again (4 photos + 1 video)

Record activity for 20 years will lead to a series of strong magnetic storms and cause bright auroras.





Yesterday began and ended with the strongest X-class flares on the Sun, but the main event on our star was the doubling of the sunspot AR3664. Sunspot AR3664 doubled in size, becoming the largest sunspot recorded this solar cycle. Its area has grown by approximately 1800 million km2 and now exceeds 3700 million km2. This was reported in the laboratory of solar astronomy IKI and ISTP.



Sunspot AR3664 has grown so large that it now rivals the enormous Carrington sunspot of 1859 in size and appearance.

From August 28 to September 2 in 1859, numerous spots and flares were observed on the Sun. Just after noon on September 1, British astronomer Richard Carrington observed the largest flare, which caused a large coronal mass ejection. He rushed towards the Earth and reached it after 18 hours. At the same time, the largest geomagnetic storm in the entire history of registration began. Northern lights have been observed all over the world, even over the Caribbean.





To illustrate their similarities, Carrington's famous sketch (to scale) was added to NASA's image of today's Sun.

Over the past two days, several flares of the highest class X have occurred on the Sun at once. Four strong ejections of solar matter headed towards the Earth at tremendous speed.



In addition, last night the Sun “gusted” with more than a dozen flares of a lower class. Moreover, two groups of sunspots have united into a huge active cluster - 15 times wider than the Earth - and are “attacking” with consolidated emissions.