Areas on the Sun’s surface frequently exhibit strong magnetic fields. These fields can form in just a few hours and may dissipate slowly or rapidly, sometimes taking days, weeks, or even months. A recent study on these long-lasting active regions has enhanced our understanding of the areas where these strong magnetic fields take at least a month to fade.

The study utilized data from NASA’s Solar Active Region Spotter citizen science project, which engaged volunteers to respond to a series of questions regarding pairs of images of active regions captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Project leaders Emily Mason (Predictive Science Inc.) and Kara Kniezewski (Air Force Institute of Technology) analyzed the data and volunteer assessments. They discovered that long-lived active regions generate significantly more flares compared to shorter-lived regions and are 3-6 times more likely to produce the most intense solar flares. These findings strongly suggest that long-lived active regions are essential for predicting space weather and may offer vital insights into magnetic fields deeper within the Sun.

Although the Solar Active Region Spotter project has concluded, you can explore the results here: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/eimason/solar-active-region-spotter/about/results

Discover NASA Citizen Science projects you can join today to enhance our understanding of space weather: https://go.nasa.gov/3ZK6nvE.