Boulder, Colorado – A growing sunspot on the Earth-facing side of the sun is drawing attention from U.S. space weather officials, but the chances of major solar flare activity remain limited for now.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, sunspot region RGN 4079 has shown slight growth and a minor uptick in magnetic complexity over the past two days. While this could potentially generate M-class solar flares, the region still lacks the magnetic shear and polarity mixing typically required for stronger, more disruptive space weather events.
Forecasters are using high-resolution animations from JHelioviewer to track the evolution of the region’s magnetic fields. Though the flare risk remains low, even moderate activity can temporarily affect high-frequency radio communications and satellite systems, particularly at higher latitudes.
There are currently no active geomagnetic warnings or alerts, but NOAA says this sunspot will remain under observation as it rotates across the solar disk. If conditions shift, new advisories could be issued in the coming days.
