Solar Flares Possible as Major Sunspot Regions Rotate Into View

Overview

• After roughly two weeks of quiet, the IKI RAS Solar Astronomy Laboratory reports signs of renewed flaring activity on the Sun.
• Bright magnetic loops on the eastern limb indicate two large active regions are emerging, with their sunspots expected to appear within one to three days.
• The year’s largest sunspot complex, numbered 4294/4296/4298, could reappear on the southern hemisphere within a day and may cover a smaller area than before.
• A region near the northern hemisphere identified with AR 4274 could return, though scientists doubt such long persistence even as they note its history of long-duration flares and strong plasma ejections.
• The laboratory estimates only about one in ten flares produces a geomagnetic storm, suggesting limited likelihood of significant effects on Earth during the holiday period.