The 'Monster' Sunspot Behind the Most Devastating Solar Storm in History.
The Carrington Event, the most intense solar storm in recorded history, was caused by a speeding storm of electrically charged particles that slammed into Earth less than 48 hours after the first recorded solar flare ever observed. The dark blobs that British astronomer Richard Carrington was studying, called sunspots, could have provided a big clue that something nasty was on its way. Sunspot activity has increased dramatically in early 2023, with sunspot numbers far exceeding NASA's predictions each month, suggesting that the next solar maximum will arrive sooner and stronger than NASA previously predicted.
