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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                    2024 May 11   
       The Sun is shown in black and white showing dark sunspots on the far   
        right. The large sunspot group is expanded in an inset image at the   
      bottom left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                           AR 3664: Giant Sunspot Group   
        Image Credit & Copyright: Franco Fantasia & Guiseppe Conzo (Gruppo   
                                Astrofili Palidoro)   
      
      Explanation: Right now, one of the largest sunspot groups in recent   
      history is crossing the Sun. Active Region 3664 is not only big -- it's   
      violent, throwing off clouds of particles into the Solar System. Some   
      of these CMEs are already impacting the Earth, and others might follow.   
      At the extreme, these solar storms could cause some Earth-orbiting   
      satellites to malfunction, the Earth's atmosphere to slightly distort,   
      and electrical power grids to surge. When impacting Earth's upper   
      atmosphere, these particles can produce beautiful auroras, with some   
      auroras already being reported unusually far south. Pictured here,   
      AR3664 and its dark sunspots were captured yesterday in visible light   
      from Rome, Italy. The AR3664 sunspot group is so large that it is   
      visible just with glasses designed to view last month's total solar   
      eclipse. This weekend, skygazing enthusiasts will be keenly watching   
      the night skies all over the globe for bright and unusual auroras.   
      
                      Gallery: Active Region 6443 on the Sun   
                          Tomorrow's picture: active sky   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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