Photo: NASA
A new sunspot group, AR 4294-4296, has appeared on the Sun, with a total size comparable to the spot that triggered the most powerful geomagnetic storm in history, the Carrington Event of 1859, reports Live Science. This group is currently directed toward Earth, though scientists say no strong storms are expected yet, as the spots remain relatively calm.
The AR 4294-4296 complex consists of two connected sunspot groups, AR 4294 and AR 4296, linked by magnetic fields. It was first observed on November 28, when the complex faced Earth. However, the dark spots were initially detected a week earlier by NASA's Perseverance rover, which was monitoring the Sun's far side.
AR 4294-4296 is roughly the size of the massive sunspot observed by British astronomer Richard Carrington in September 1859, which later caused the Carrington Event — the strongest solar storm ever recorded. The sunspot cluster covers about 90% of the area of the original Carrington spot.
Experts note that this is one of the largest sunspot groups in the last decade, capable of producing X-class solar flares. If an eruption occurs, it could trigger a geoeffective solar storm.
For reference, the Carrington Event involved an X45-class flare, still the historical record. It was five times stronger than the most powerful flare of the last decade, an X7-class flare in October 2024.
Recent studies suggest that a similar event today would disable all satellites in orbit and potentially cause widespread power grid failures on Earth, with total damages exceeding one trillion dollars.
