Two giant sunspots spotted from UAE skies during heightened solar activity

Dubai: Two giant sunspots, each estimated to be about 10 times wider than Earth, were observed from the UAE on Friday morning during a period of heightened solar activity.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, said the two sunspots, identified as 4478 and 4479, were photographed from UAE skies by astrophotographer Tamim Al Tamimi, a member of the society.

Al Jarwan said the two regions had produced powerful solar flares that led to ionisation in the upper atmosphere. 

He added that residents in the UAE and around the world may be able to observe the sunspots over the coming days under suitable conditions, particularly around sunrise or sunset.

But he warned against looking directly at the sun, saying unsafe solar observation can cause permanent damage to the retina, especially for those without experience or proper equipment.

Astronomers said anyone attempting to observe the phenomenon should use approved solar filters or indirect projection methods, such as projecting the sun’s image on to a white sheet of paper, rather than viewing it directly.

Sunspots are dark patches on the sun’s visible surface, known as the photosphere. When seen through a safe filter, they appear darker than the surrounding solar surface, with a very dark centre called the umbra and a lighter outer region known as the penumbra.

Al Jarwan said the number of sunspots rises and falls in a roughly 11-year cycle, and the sun is now passing through a period of heightened activity. That is why unusually large sunspots such as 4478 and 4479 are being observed.

He said sunspots are caused by the sun’s powerful magnetic field. Inside the sun, plasma moves violently, twisting and tangling magnetic field lines. When those magnetic lines push strongly towards the surface, they can block heat from rising from the solar interior, cooling the affected area by about 1,500°C compared with its surroundings.

That temperature difference makes the spots appear dark from Earth, although they remain intensely hot. Sunspots usually appear in pairs, representing positive and negative magnetic poles.

Their movement and lifespan depend on their size and the sun’s rotation. Because the sun does not rotate like a solid object, areas near the solar equator move faster than regions closer to the poles. This causes sunspots to appear to drift slowly from the eastern side of the solar disc towards the western side.

A sunspot typically takes about two weeks to cross the visible face of the sun before disappearing around the edge to the far side. Smaller sunspots may last only a few days, while giant, complex ones can survive for several solar rotations, lasting two to three months.