A GIANT RING OF ELLERMAN BOMBS

OH MY GOD

GEOMAGNETIC STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY: NOAA forecasters say that minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible today, May 2nd, as a fast-moving stream of solar wind buffets Earth's magnetic field. There is a slight chance the storm could escalate to category G2. If so, auroras would be visible after nightfall in northern-tier US states.

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. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text

Bonus: Something else is happening to this large sunspot. Its primary dark cores are slowly revolving like they're in mutual orbit. This 3-day movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the phenomenon:

We don't know if they will complete a full revolution. However, these motions may be twisting the magnetic underpinnings of the sunspot group, creating a tension that makes solar flares more likely.

more images: from Chris Schur of Payson, Arizona; from Alessandro Gambaro of Castano Primo (MI) - Italy; from Mariano Ribas of Buenos Aires, Argentina; from Efrain Morales of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico;