Two huge sunspots have been spotted on the sun, and they could be targeting Earth

The sun is a yellow dwarf star that is constantly active. Indeed, many events occur on its surface, some of which can be extremely violent. This was recently the case, with two huge sunspots appearing on its surface and pointing towards Earth. But that's not all, as it may also be reminiscent of the Carrington Event.

Thus, two sunspots were recently discovered and named AR 4294-4296. As a reminder, these structures are the coldest areas of the Sun, with a temperature of around 3,700°C, whereas the surface of the Sun is around 6,000°C, and where the magnetic field is 2,500 times stronger than that of the Earth. If we combine these two sunspots, which are very close to each other, they are among the largest of the last 10 years. Indeed, their size is estimated at 2,080 millionths of a solar hemisphere, which is almost similar to the Carrington Event.

As a reminder, this event took place on September 1, 1859, and caused an X45-class solar flare, which was one of the most significant geomagnetic storms ever observed. Moreover, it is also possible to compare the size of these two sunspots to the Earth, which allows us to realize their diameter. 

However, although the risk of a solar flare is quite high in the coming days and could affect Earth, it is possible to put this into perspective. Indeed, in 1947, a huge sunspot was observed on the Sun, measuring more than 6,100 millionths of a solar hemisphere. In other words, more powerful events have occurred in the past.