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Largest Sunspot in a Decade Erupts
By SPACE.com Staff
posted: 08:44 am ET
29 March 2001
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Largest Sunspot In a Decade Has Outburst 
| Sunspot 9393 (highlighted) has released a burst of matter headed for Earth. |
The biggest sunspot in 10 years has released an outburst of solar matter that will likely reach Earth on Friday, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA's Space Environment Center said that sunspot 9393, which has been growing in size for about a week and is currently 13 times the size of Earth, is on the side of the Sun facing Earth. The outburst, called a full coronal mass ejection (CME), could trigger a flurry of dramatic aurorae and other effects.There have been a large number of CMEs in the past few weeks, causing spectacular northern light shows. The high level of activity is also providing researchers with numerous opportunities to study these dramatic events' effects on Earth.The reason for the large numbers of sunspots and solar outburts is that the Sun is at the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle, called the Solar Maximum. Neither NOAA nor NASA's Space Weather Bureau has said whether this outburst will pose a hazard to artificial satellites orbiting Earth. 
| The aurora borealis, or northern lights, are caused when large outpourings of energy from the sun impact the Earth's magnetosphere. |
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