At least 17 solar eruptions from a single sunspot on the sun have blasted into space in recent days and may reach Earth as moderate geomagnetic storms by Thursday.
The sun eruptions originated from an overactive sunspot, called AR2975, which has been firing off flares since Monday (March 28). The stellar event may also cause some moderate sky storms on Earth, Space.com reported.
Sunspots are eruptions on the sun that occur when magnetic lines twist and suddenly realign near the visible surface. At times, these explosions are associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or streams of charged particles that shoot into space. NASA's powerful Solar Dynamics Observatory captured stunning views of the solar eruptions, as did the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
"The eruptions have hurled at least two, possibly three, CMEs toward Earth," wrote SpaceWeather.com of the event.
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the website added, suggest the first CME will arrive on Thursday (March 31), with at least one other expected on Friday (April 1), the report said.
A strong flare aimed toward Earth, along with a large CME, may induce problems such as damaging power lines or disabling satellites. Scientists are debating how strong this current solar cycle will be, although forecasts so far indicate that the average number of sunspots may be lower than usual, the report said.
