Cluster of dark spots 15 times wider than Earth spotted on Sun, scientists issue warning

A newly captured image by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows seven Earth-sized dark spots on the Sun that could soon bombard our home planet with solar flares. The cluster of these dark spots have created what scientists are calling a 'solar archipelago'. 

The cluster spans 200,000 kilometres which is more than 15 times wider than Earth and affecting the way the whole Sun vibrates, according to Spaceweather.com. Sunspots are dark in appearance because they are cooler than other parts relatively (they are still extremely hot at around 6,500 F). 

The sunspots are able to emit powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can slam into Earth and trigger potentially dangerous geomagnetic storms, regardless of whether we can see the dark patches. This means we can be caught off guard by extreme space weather events. 

The huge clouds of electrified gas travel at speeds of hundreds of miles per second and can affect power grids, communications, GPS navigation, air travel and satellites. The only upside is the beautiful auroras that form at the poles of Earth.  

Earth-orbiting satellites have already registered three M-class flares and nearly a dozen C-class flares since first spotting the sunspot group, numbered AR3490 and its cracking flares. 

Solar activity follows a regular pattern with peaks and lows occurring every 11 years. These cycles, known as solar maximum and solar minimum, are driven by the Sun's magnetic field. 

We are currently in Solar Cycle 25 and expected to reach a solar maximum around July 2025. However, this cycle has shown greater activity than anticipated by NASA and the NOAA, with the official prediction of around 115 sunspots at the peak. 

Scientists are unsure why the Sun has been more active than expected, and further observation is necessary to improve future predictions and deepen our understanding of the Sun's internal processes.

Apart from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, using its Mastcam-Z camera system also captures images of the Sun daily. While the main aim is to gauge the amount of dust present in the Martian atmosphere, the camera is also able to capture the sunspots. The rover manages to spot these sunspots early because Mars is orbiting the far side of the Sun and thus has a week headstart over Earth.