A massive sunspot, called AR1339 which measure 50,000 miles long has been spotted by NASA's solar observatory and its turning to face Earth in five days time.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite spotted the sunspot some of which are wider than the planet Earth on Thursday afternoon. Scientists observed the sunspot in a region they have dubbed the "benevolent monster". The region is one of the most active parts in the sun with solar flares and dozens of sunspots.

Sunspots appear in regions of intense magnetic activity. They often cause solar flares. In fact SDO has already observed a solar flare from the AR1339 on November 2. Solar flares are massive releases of energy that are accompanied coronal mass ejections or charged particles. Fortunately the large solar flare wasn't pointed at the Earth but this situation could change in a few days when the sunspot turns to face the Earth.

The damage that a solar flare can inflict on our planet is quite considerable especially to our technology driven world. Flares can disrupt communications and electrical systems. They can cause massive blackouts and disrupt satellite communications. To give you an idea of what could happen when one of those solar flares hit Earth, remember the 1859 solar flare eruption. On September 1, 1859 a massive solar flare hit Earth. It caused telegraph wires to go haywire; fires broke out in telegraph offices. The damage was restricted because the 19th century world wasn't as reliant on technology as we are now.

A solar flare eruption does have an upside. It creates beautiful aurora displays. Expect more aurora displays over the night sky in the next few weeks.

The sunspot AR1339 will be facing the Earth for about two weeks as the Sun rotates.