The first sunspot of the new 11-year solar cycle can be seen on the surface of the sun over the past month.
The sun appears to have begun a new 11-year cycle of activity with the early appearance of a new sunspot causing concern that some of the most powerful solar storms in decades could arrive in the next few years.
“This sunspot is like the first robin of spring,” said solar physicist Douglas Biesecker of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “In this case, it’s an early omen of solar storms that will gradually increase over the next few years.”
A sunspot is an area of intense magnetic activity on the surface of the sun.
The new 11-year cycle, called Solar Cycle 24, is expected to build gradually, with the number of sunspots and solar storms reaching a maximum by 2011 or 2012.
During a solar storm, highly charged particles ejected from the sun may head toward Earth, where they can bring down power grids, disrupt communications and threaten astronauts with harmful radiation.
Solar Movie: U.S. Office of Naval Research Digg This 