--- title: "Gigantic Spot on Surface of Sun Turns to Face the Earth" description: "Last fall, NASA's Mars rover spotted a massive spot on the surface of the Sun — and now, that ginormous maw is looking directly at the Earth." date: "2024-02-09" modified: "2024-02-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sunspot-faces-earth" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "CME" - "solar flares" - "sunspots" - "the digest" --- # Gigantic Spot on Surface of Sun Turns to Face the Earth ![Last fall, NASA's Mars rover spotted a massive spot on the surface of the Sun — and now, that ginormous maw is looking directly at the Earth.]() *\Image: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau via SpaceWeather\* ## Sun Gazing Last fall, NASA's Mars rover spotted a massive spot on the surface of the Sun — and now, that ginormous maw is looking directly at the Earth. First [reported by *SpaceWeather.com*](), the sunspot is expected to blast a coronal mass ejection (CME) out towards Earth and will be "not just a near miss, but an actual glancing blow." CMEs occur when storms on the surface of the Sun [blast plasma out into the solar system](), leaving planets in its path — including our own Earth — to handle the geomagnetic consequences. While sunspots are nothing new, this one is a big deal because, well, it's so big. Back in August, [*SpaceWeather* pointed out]() something odd that had been imaged by the Mars rover Perseverance: a sunspot large enough to be seen from Mars, which indicated that it was absolutely massive. As [*Space.com* notes]() in its own reporting on the XL ejection, the spot in question, named AR3576, seems to have at least four dark cores that are each the size of Earth itself. ## Energizer Bunny Beyond just being an enchantingly gigantic anomaly — which, as *Space* reports, can be viewed from Earth without much more than a pair of eclipse glasses to protect one's eyes — this fascinating flare unfortunately has the potential to seriously screw with our electronics, too. In a [press release]() from earlier in the week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that AR3576 could eject X-class flares, which are the most powerful type of solar activity and emit tons of electromagnetic radiation. As [NASA explains](), this type of flare has the "potential to create global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts," which is not at all good news for, well, everything that keeps our world running. Indeed, solar flares and their often-accompanying blasts of energy caused temporary radio blackouts [in the United States]() in December and [in the South Pacific]() earlier this week — indicating that the coming era of increased geomagnetic activity, which [wasn't supposed to peak]() until 2025, is really starting to heat up. "This solar maximum is the space weather equivalent of hurricane season," NOAA research scientist Mark Miesch [told *CNN*]() of the space storm era last year. "This solar maximum is the space weather equivalent of hurricane season. It’s when we see the biggest storms." "But unlike hurricane season, which lasts a few months, solar maximum lasts a few years," Miesch continued. If this recent solar activity is any indication, the Sun is waking up in a big way — and our only option, really, is to marvel and deal with the consequences here on Earth. **More on the Sun:** [*Scientists Working on Plan to Cool Earth by Blocking Sun*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()