The sun is a hot mess right now. The solar maximum is fast approaching, and a giant dark spot on the surface of the sun keeps growing while spewing radiation out into space in the process.
The sunspot is now around 15 times larger than Earth, increasingly becoming one of the most active regions on the Sun during this solar cycle.
The sunspot is so large that it can be viewed with eclipse glasses if you’ve still got those lying around. If you do so, be sure to follow the strict safety guidelines used with the eclipse to avoid damaging your eyes.
The sunspot is currently located in the Sun’s bottom right quadrant or in the top left quadrant for those observing in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Cente R3664 has grown considerably and has become much more magnetically complex.
Sunspots are regions on the Sun where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s, and much higher than anywhere else on the Sun. They typically occur in pairs and consist of a dark region, called the umbra, surrounded by a lighter region, the penumbra.
So if you and your friends are looking for something fun to do, we recommend grabbing your eclipse glasses and heading out with a friend to spot these sun spots!