Giant sunspot AR3664 is no longer facing Earth. That makes it extra dangerous. Right now, the Carrington-class sunspot is passing over the sun's western limb--a region of the sun that is magnetically connected to our planet. Indeed, we are feeling the effects of that connection; take a look at this map of ongoing radio blackouts:
Red zones in the map show where shortwave radio signals are being absorbed. Frequencies below 20 MHz are almost completely blacked out, a nuisance for long-distance aviators and ham radio operators.
What's causing this? Protons accelerated by solar flares in the magnetic canopy of AR3664 are following the Parker Spiral back to Earth. Think of it as a magnetic superhighway. Arriving particles are funneled by our planet's magnetic field toward the poles where they ionize the atmosphere and interfere with the transmission of shortwave radio signals.
This polar cap absorption event could last for days, especially if it is boosted by more flares from AR3664. You can can monitor its progress here.
https://spaceweather.com/
What's causing this? Protons accelerated by solar flares in the magnetic canopy of AR3664 are following the Parker Spiral back to Earth. Think of it as a magnetic superhighway. Arriving particles are funneled by our planet's magnetic field toward the poles where they ionize the atmosphere and interfere with the transmission of shortwave radio signals.
This polar cap absorption event could last for days, especially if it is boosted by more flares from AR3664. You can can monitor its progress here.
https://spaceweather.com/
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