Late on the evening of October 21, a massive explosion was recorded on the far side of the Sun, sending clouds of magnetized plasma into space.
The explosion occurred in Active Zone-4246, which is now beyond the western edge of the Sun, out of sight. Although it was not visible from Earth, the explosion was recorded thanks to the CCOR-1 instrument on NOAA’s GOES-19 weather satellite.
Such explosions are among the most powerful phenomena in the Solar System; they can travel at speeds of millions of kilometers per hour and affect the solar wind, reaching as far as Mars or Venus.
This time, the explosion was not directed towards Earth, so it did not cause any auroras or satellite disruptions. However, scientists note that if it had happened a few days earlier, a strong geomagnetic storm could have occurred.
