Scientists Can Now Spot Hidden Sunspots on the Solar Far Side

Researchers have found a way to map hidden sunspots on the Sun's far side, a blind spot for space weather forecasters. A team led by Bibhuti Kumar Jha of the Southwest Research Institute used probability to infer activity there, which matters because the Sun takes 27 days to rotate and coronal mass ejections can hit satellites and power grids. Earlier warning of what is rotating toward us helps aurora chasers who watch space weather forecasts.