In just one day, the giant sunspot, called AR3038, has doubled in size and is now facing
Andres Muñoz-Jaramillo, a senior researcher at the Southwestern Research Institute in San Antonio, said Earthlings have nothing to worry about.
“I want to emphasize that there is no need to panic,”he said. “They happen all the time, and we are prepared and do everything possible to predict and mitigate their consequences.” Most of us don't need to lose sleep over it."
According to him, there are different types of solar flareslevels. The weakest are A-grades, followed by B, C, M, and X. Within each letter grade there is a more precise scale using numbers, and higher numbers denote greater intensity.
C flares are too weak to have a noticeable effectto Earth, Muñoz-Jaramillo said. More intense M-flares can disrupt radio communications at the Earth's poles. X-class flares can knock out satellites, communications systems and power grids and, in worst-case scenarios, cause power shortages and power outages.
Solar flares of lower intensity are quiteWhile X-flares are common, scientists say there are far fewer. In one solar cycle of about 11 years, there are typically about 2,000 M1 flares, about 175 X1 flares and about eight X10 flares, he said.
According to Rob Steenburgh, who performsduties as director of space weather forecasting for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sunspot AR3038 has previously produced C-class flares. Although there have been no M or X flares in the area, he said there is a possibility of more intense flares in the next week.
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