Biggest Sunspots In Years Turn Toward Earth — Expect Northern Lights

InnovationScienceBiggest Sunspots In Years Turn Toward Earth — Expect Northern LightsByJamie Carter,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow AuthorMay 19, 2026, 04:20am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The sunspot region on the far side of the sun seen by Solar Orbiter’s X-ray instruments on May 18. ESADespite a few forecasts of minor geomagnetic storms in recent days, the sun has remained relatively quiet over the past few months. That could all change in days with the discovery of one of the biggest sunspot regions in years on the far side of the sun.It was spotted by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which can image the side of the sun facing away from Earth. That’s critical because the sun rotates roughly every 27 days, so whatever is seen on the far side will shortly face Earth.An alert published by NOAA on May 18. NOAAWhat Are Sunspots? Sunspots are regions of intense, complex magnetic fields that produce solar eruptions, according to NASA. That means solar flares, several of which have already been recorded coming from the far-side sunspot, which was imaged by Solar Orbiter’s X-ray instruments on May 18. According to Spaceweather.com, two X1-class flares and a dozen M-class flares were detected from May 15-16, though none have been detected since. Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation that travel at the speed of light.In their wake, coronal mass ejections — vast clouds of charged particles — have also been detected being hurled into the solar system. CMEs travel more slowly than solar flares, but as they interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause geomagnetic storms on Earth, which often spark displays of the northern and southern lights.MORE FOR YOUNASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its...