Sunspot that let loose strongest auroras and solar storms might make a comeback this month

The major sunspot AR3664, which created powerful solar explosions resulting in widespread auroras recently, has now rotated back on the surface of the sun and already unleashed an X-class flare early Monday.

The X-flares are the strongest classification of flares. As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, the flare that they observed on Monday was X2.8. It was found off the southeast limb of the sun.

The higher the number of these flares, the stronger the intensity of the flare will be, which can cause radio and other communication blackouts on Earth.

The source of theMay 10 solar superstorm that generated historic aurorain all fifty US states for the first time in decades was also generated from sunspotAR3664. It was more directly aimed at Earth in early May.

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As we are aware the sun rotates on its axis like Earth does, therefore, the sunspot AR3664 has spent the past few weeks on the far side of the sun that faces away from ourplanet, but it is just now rotating back into view from our viewpoint.

However, the strength of a flare is just one of the many factors that influence how solar unrest impacts systems on our planet.

Aurora and disruptions to electrical systems areactually more closely related to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are eruptions of charged particles that can take a few days to reach Earth. CMEs are also directional, so when one is aimed from a sunspot that is more directly aimed at Earth, it is more likely to result in stronger impacts.

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It looks like AR3664 still has some energy left after its travels, and another sunspot, AR3691, is also growing and developing X-flare potential as its firing line approaches Earth.

All these factors could result in the same phenomenon as the one we saw on May 10.

Though no official forecasts have been made yet, the sun changes very quickly. We can simply observe it closely and can learn a lot about what's about to come.

Also, as this is the year of the solar cycle, the sun is at its peak activity, and Monday's X-flare can turn into a reality.

(With inputs from agencies)