Powerful solar flares recently erupted "almost simultaneously" from two different sunspots on opposite hemispheres of our star. The extremely rare event known as a sympatric solar flare is another reminder that we are approaching the explosive peak of the Sun's 11-year cycle, known as solar maximum.
At 10:30 p.m. ET on January 22, two solar flares erupted almost simultaneously from sunspots AR3559 and AR3561, which were about 310,000 miles (500,000 kilometers) away at the time, about 310,000 meters (310.0 feet) away. away from each other. kilometers). Average distance between the Moon and Earth, according to Spaceweather.com .
The flares have a combined energy equivalent to an M5.1 flare, the second most powerful flare produced by the Sun. According to Spaceweather.com, the twin explosions also sent a wave of high-energy particles toward Earth that caused the outage. 30 minutes on the radio in parts of Indonesia and Australia when they collided with our planet's magnetic field.
Solar flares can also release clouds of fast-moving magnetic plasma into space, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can spiral toward Earth and cause geomagnetic storms that cause colorful auroras. However, in this case, there does not appear to have been any explosion that caused the CME.
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Solar flares can sometimes occur in rapid succession from the same sunspot . This can cause a "cannibalistic CME" if the flare triggers a solar flare that then merges into a larger solar storm . But charming solar flares are another matter entirely.
Previously, researchers assumed that the wave of empathy was a strange coincidence. But a 2002 study found that the twin flares are actually connected, or rather, their sunspots are connected by an invisible rotating magnetic field that surrounds the Sun. Therefore, the flame can be considered as two parts of a single explosion.
According to research, the paired components of the sympathetic attack can be separated by up to 30 minutes. It's unclear exactly how much time passed between the two most recent flares, but according to images taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, they are likely minutes or even seconds apart.
Sympathetic flares are extremely rare, but they may be more common during solar maximum, when the sun's magnetic field begins to collapse and become more entangled with itself, according to a 2022 study that analyzed 40 years of flare data solar.
Solar activity has increased rapidly over the past 12 months. During this period, we saw an increase in the number and size of sunspots, as well as more frequent and powerful solar flares .
Most recently, the Sun released a CME on January 20 that will cause a geomagnetic storm that is expected to bring auroras to parts of the United States on January 23 .
Scientists originally predicted that the solar maximum would occur in 2025 and would be weaker than the previous maximum. But mounting evidence to the contrary has changed their minds. they now believe that peak solar chaos could begin in the coming months , if it hasn't already.
