A massive sunspot has developed on the sun.. One that, if a flare would hurl from our star, could have massive ramifications for the planet Earth.
NASA itself dubbed 1476 a "monster" in a Twitter announcement about the sunspot. The term caught on quickly.. news organizations picked up the term and are using it constantly.
SpaceWeather.com reports that the sunspot is so large and intense that backyard telescopes are easily able to get a glimpse of it.
Geomagnetic storms have hit earth in the past with severe consequences. A century ago, telegraph machines were hit during one famous solar storm. In 1989, Quebec saw disruptions from the effects of a flare. And in our modern day world of just in time and less hands on and more keys on, a more frightening scenario could develop. The reliance on modern day technology is a blessing when all is well but a detriment if something goes awry.. and staring at AR 1476, you can easily ponder the possibilities of something going quite awry indeed.
Cue Dr. Doom Ed Dames. Somewhere on some mountain, he must be ready, right?...