Residents of Moscow and other regions of Russia will be able to see an unusual sight in the sky in the coming days — huge sunspots resembling Santa Claus in a sleigh. This was reported by Evgenia Kravchenko, a senior researcher at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Dark areas can be noticed if you point your smartphone camera at the Sun or look at it through a special filter. Through a light haze of clouds, a complex of active regions is visible on the solar disk — 4294, 4296 and 4298. The size of the largest spots exceeds the diameter of the Earth several times.
The phenomenon is best observed at dawn or dusk, when the Sun is low on the horizon and light passes through dense layers of the atmosphere. This creates the effect of a natural filter, allowing you to see the details of the solar surface.
Sunspots are areas with reduced temperature, where the activity of the magnetic field is especially high. Such phenomena indicate an increase in solar activity, which affects space weather, radio communications and the operation of satellite systems.
Looking at the Sun with the naked eye is dangerous. Even in cloudy weather, radiation can damage eyesight. Observations are allowed only through certified solar filters, and the use of binoculars and telescopes without protection is strictly prohibited.
