Tag Archives: solar flares

Solar activity has gone into overdrive.

Some members of the club invested infilters for their telescopes and cameras. And I think all of us have eclipse glasses. Needless to say, the weather is not co-operative, but if there’s a break in the clouds, get out and enjoy the show.

Space Weather News for May 6, 2024
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ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER X-FLARE: Solar activity has gone into overdrive. Since May 3rd, Earth-orbiting satellites have detected four X-class solar flares and an even greater number of almost X-class events. The responsible sunspot, AR3663, is still very active, and NOAA forecasters say more X-flares are possible this week. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.

Above: The extreme ultraviolet flash from an X4.5-class solar flare on May 6, 2024. Credit: NASA/SDO
Above: The extreme ultraviolet flash from an X4.5-class solar flare on May 6, 2024. Credit: NASA/SDO

X-FLARE CHAMPION OF SOLAR CYCLE 25: Active sunspot AR3663 produced two more X-flares today, a pair of X1’s on May 8th at 0145 UT and 0509 UT. This makes it the most active sunspot of Solar Cycle 25 so far. Since May 3rd, the active region has tallied six X-flares, more than any other sunspot in the past 7 years. It may continue to run up the score as it approaches the sun’s western limb later this week. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text

THE CHANCE OF FLARES JUST DOUBLED: There are now two dangerous sunspots facing Earth. In the past 48 hours, AR3664 has more than doubled in size, becoming one of the largest sunspots of the current solar cycle. It is inset in this magnetic map of the sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Among the sunspot’s dark cores, magnetic poles of opposite polarity are bumping together in explosive proximity. As a result, AR3664 now poses a threat for X-flares like its more active cousin AR3663 in the northern hemisphere.

Do you have eclipse glasses left over from April 8th? Use them to look at the sun today. AR3663 is ten times wider than Earth and can be seen with no magnification. Solar photographers, submit your images here! Solar flare alerts: SMS Text

TWO MAJOR SOLAR FLARES

TWO MAJOR SOLAR FLARES
Space Weather News for Feb. 22, 2024
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Giant sunspot AR3590 just unleashed two major X-class solar flares. The double blast approximately coincided with a widely-reported outage of cell phone service; however, experts agree that the flares were probably not responsible. More flares are in the offing. The sunspot has an unstable ‘delta-class’ magnetic field, and it is turning toward Earth. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.
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Above: An X1.8-class solar flare on Feb. 21st (2307 UT) observed at multiple wavelengths by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

ANOTHER X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE

Space Weather News for Jan. 9, 2023
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ANOTHER X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earth-orbiting satellites detected another X-class solar flare today–the second in less than a week and a possible harbinger of more to come. There are now two large, unstable sunspots capable of producing these strong explosions, and both are turning toward Earth. Full story and forecasts @ Spaceweather.com

Instant X-flare alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive instant text messages when strong solar flares are underway.
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Above: An X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 9, 2023, recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Solar explosion now a dangerous sunspot

On the 4th of January there was a Class X explosion on the farside of the sun. Now it is turning toward Earth, and has already caused shortwave radio blackouts. We might see some Aurora activity. CPL
Space Weather News for Jan 6, 2023
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X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: A large and potentially dangerous sunspot is turning toward Earth. This morning (Jan. 6th at 0057 UT) it unleashed an X-class solar flare and caused a shortwave radio blackout over the South Pacific Ocean. Given the size and apparent complexity of the active region, there’s a good chance the explosions will continue in the days ahead.  Full story @ Spaceweather.com

Instant solar flare alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive instant text messages when strong solar flares are underway.

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Above: An X1.2-class solar flare on Jan. 6, 2023, recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Space Weather News for Jan 4, 2023
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SIGNIFICANT FARSIDE EXPLOSION: A powerful explosion rocked the farside of the sun yesterday, hurling a bright CME over the edge of the solar disk. It may have been an X-class event. Helioseismic echoes suggest that the source of the blast is just behind the sun’s southeastern limb and could turn to face Earth later this week. Full story @ Spaceweather.com

Instant solar flare alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive instant text messages when strong solar flares are underway.

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Above: A bright CME emerges from the farside of the sun on Jan. 3rd. Credit: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)

Possible Auroras on Wednesday

Daytime astronomy: sunspots are easily visible, but care must be taken to protect your eyesight. Click here to learn how to view the sun safely.  –Cathypl

From Space Weather.com:

SOLAR FLARE FRENZY (UPDATED): On May 22nd, sunspot AR2824 unleashed a sequence of solar flares unlike anything we’ve seen in years. In only 24 hours, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded 10 C-flares and 2 M-flares: movie. The rapidfire explosions hurled multiple overlapping CMEs into space. According to NOAA models, a combined CME will hit Earth’s magnetic field during the late hours of May 25th, potentially sparking G2-class geomagnetic storms. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

HUGE SOLAR RADIO BURST: During the frenzy on May 22nd, the sun emitted a shortwave radio burst so loud that “it drowned out lightning static from a severe local thunderstorm,” reports Thomas Ashcraft, who recorded the noisy signal using a radio telescope in rural New Mexico. Click to listen to a 100 second sample of the sounds emerging from his loudspeaker.


View the dynamic spectrum or listen to the audio

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The radio burst coincided with an M1.4-class solar flare at 21:30 UT. “This was a very hot and dynamic flare for sure,” says Ashcraft. “I was recording audio at 22 MHz and 21 MHz, and my radio spectrograph was operating from 30 MHz down to 15 MHz. Strong solar radio emissions were present at all frequencies.”

This event was so intense, radio operators in the Arctic heard it at midnight. Rob Stammes chart-recorded the outburst from the Polarlightcenter in Lofoten, Norway:

“Normally, solar radio bursts can only be received during daylight hours,” says Stammes. “This one was different. The sun was just below the horizon at local midnight when the outburst occured, and my instruments picked it up.”

Astronomers classify solar radio bursts into 5 types. Using his radio spectrograph, Ashcraft was able to determine which ones were present on May 22nd. “It was a mixture of Type II and Type V,” he says. These are caused, respectively, by shock waves and electron beams moving through the sun’s atmosphere in the aftermath of strong flares.

DARK PLASMA FLYING INTO SPACE: When the sun is flaring almost non-stop, it’s easy to catch a sunspot in mid-eruption. That’s what happened on May 22nd when Jozef Cukas photographed AR2824 from his backyard observatory in Frauenfeld, Switzerland:

“This wasn’t even a particularly strong flare,” says Cukas. “It was a C2-class eruption at approximately 15:34 UT.” Cukas recorded the event using a homemade solar telescope and a Solar Spectrum brand H-alpha filter.