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On November 18, scientists from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) National Solar Observatory (NSO) anticipated the appearance of a large sunspot just in time for Thanksgiving. Scientists used a technique called heliosismology to measure the change in acoustic signals on the opposite side of the sun.
Scientists listened to the change in sound waves from within the Sun, which predicted the arrival of a large sunspot.
Dr Alexei Pevtsov, associate director of the NSO Integrated Synoptic Program, said: “The technique we used is able to identify what is happening on the side of the Sun that looks away from the Earth days before we can glimpse from here. Having up to five days in advance of the presence of active sunspots is extremely valuable to our high-tech society. “
NSO provides “Eyes on the Sun” 24/7 through the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG). The network consists of six monitoring stations located around the world, observing the Sun’s magnetic field and other features all day, every day.
Dr Carrie Black, program director at NSF, said: “The GONG’s ability to identify and track emerging active regions on the opposite side of the Sun has important implications for future space time predicting capabilities. GONG continues to be a valuable tool for both fundamental scientific research and operations. “
Dr Kiran Jain, the scientist who is leading the far side prediction at NSO, describes the sunspot evolution as “the strongest far side signal we have had in this solar cycle.
He further added, “We first noticed the signal in our opposite side images on November 14, 2020. It was inconspicuous at first but grew rapidly, exceeding detection thresholds only a day later. As we are in the very early stage of the new solar cycle, the signal from this great point stands out clearly. “
Dr Valentin Martinez Pillet, director of the National Solar Observatory, said: “The GONG network is providing an essential service in preparing for US space weather. But it’s nearly thirty and in need of an update. The original system was not created with space weather in mind, so we are exploring options for the next-generation GONG network, with modern instrumentation specifically tuned to space weather as a priority. “
“GONG measurements suggest that the new sunspot has grown since its first detection on the opposite side of the Sun at the end of last week and is now finally visible from Earth where it will continue to be monitored by the GONG network and other solar observation resources. The sunspot will likely be visible using binoculars or small telescopes with appropriate sunscreens * later this week as it crosses the face of the sun. “
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