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On November 18, scientists from the US National Science Foundation’s National Solar Observatory predicted the arrival of a large sunspot just in time for Thanksgiving. Using a special technique called heliosismology, the team ‘listened to’ the change in sound waves from within the Sun that invite the arrival of a large sunspot. Recent changes in these sound waves have indicated the imminent appearance of new sunspots that we can now see from Earth near the eastern solar limb.
“We measured a change in the acoustic signals on the opposite side of the Sun,” explains Dr. Alexei Pevtsov, associate director for the integrated synoptic program at NSO, the program responsible for forecasting. “We can use this technique to identify what is happening on the side of the Sun that faces away from Earth days before we can glimpse from here. Having up to five days ahead of the presence of active sunspots is extremely valuable to our high society. technological content. “
Solar storms often originate in sunspot regions, especially if the sunspots are large and complicated. The more tangled the magnetic field is, the more likely it is for large solar flares and coronal mass ejections to occur which in turn can cause space weather effects on Earth. These include impacts on communications, GPS and possibly power grid systems. NSO provides “eyes on the sun” 24/7 through the NSF funded GONG network. The network consists of six monitoring stations located around the world, which observe the Sun’s magnetic field and other features around the clock every day.
“The GONG’s ability to identify and track emerging active regions on the opposite side of the Sun has important implications for future space weather predictive capabilities,” said Dr Carrie Black, program director at NSF. “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 the NSO, describes the evolution of the sunspot as “the strongest far side signal we have had in this solar cycle. We first noticed the signal. in our far side images on November 14, 2020, “he continues. “It was inconspicuous at first, but it grew rapidly, breaking detection thresholds just a day later. As we are in the very early stage of the new solar cycle, the signal from this big point stands out clearly.”
Opposite maps use “heliosismology,” a technique developed by NSO scientists in the 1990s, to detect how sound waves interact with the Sun’s internal structure, particularly magnetic fields.
Seismology here on Earth measures sound waves traveling through the interior of the Earth to reveal what we cannot see below the Earth’s surface. Similarly, helium-seismology can highlight structures on the Sun that cannot yet be seen from Earth. Millions of sound frequencies bounce freely inside the Sun, like a bell. Regions of strong magnetic fields perturb with these sound waves, so a change in wave signal measurements indicates that sunspots may be present.
“The GONG network is providing an essential service for preparing for US space weather conditions,” explains Dr. Valentin Martinez Pillet, director of the National Solar Observatory. “but it’s nearly thirty years old and in need of an update. The original system wasn’t built with space weather in mind, so we’re exploring options for the next-generation GONG network, with modern instrumentation specially 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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