From Charles, M0OXO.
The Largest Sunspot of 2025 (So Far)
A giant ring of 'Ellerman Bombs';
Astronomers are monitoring the largest sunspot of 2025. Sunspot 4079 stretches more than 140,000 km from end to end and has two dark cores each large enough to swallow Earth. These dimensions make it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. French amateur astronomer Philippe Tosi took a look and found a giant ring of Ellerman Bombs.
A handful of Ellerman bombs are circled for reference. The complete ring contains more than 100.
Ellerman bombs are magnetic explosions about one-millionth as powerful as a true solar flare. They look like pinpoints of light, flickering on and off in the sun's atmosphere. Named after physicist Ferdinand Ellerman who studied them in the early 20th century, a single Ellerman bomb releases about 1026 ergs of energy--equal to ~100,000 World War II atomic bombs. Tosi's photo captured about 100 of these bombs going off all at once.
Ellerman bombs are a sign of magnetic complexity in a sunspot. Opposite polarities bump together, reconnect, and--boom! A full-fledged flare may not be far behind.
The Largest Sunspot of 2025 (So Far)
A giant ring of 'Ellerman Bombs';
Astronomers are monitoring the largest sunspot of 2025. Sunspot 4079 stretches more than 140,000 km from end to end and has two dark cores each large enough to swallow Earth. These dimensions make it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. French amateur astronomer Philippe Tosi took a look and found a giant ring of Ellerman Bombs.
A handful of Ellerman bombs are circled for reference. The complete ring contains more than 100.
Ellerman bombs are magnetic explosions about one-millionth as powerful as a true solar flare. They look like pinpoints of light, flickering on and off in the sun's atmosphere. Named after physicist Ferdinand Ellerman who studied them in the early 20th century, a single Ellerman bomb releases about 1026 ergs of energy--equal to ~100,000 World War II atomic bombs. Tosi's photo captured about 100 of these bombs going off all at once.
Ellerman bombs are a sign of magnetic complexity in a sunspot. Opposite polarities bump together, reconnect, and--boom! A full-fledged flare may not be far behind.
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