Solar Flare Causes "Ground Level Event"

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 12, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

GROUND LEVEL RADIATION EVENT: Sunday's powerful X8-class solar flare from departing sunspot AR2673 accelerated a swarm of protons toward Earth, producing a strong solar radiation storm and a "ground level event" (GLE). High-energy particles normally held at bay by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field penetrated all the way to the ground on Sept. 10th. A leading analyst of GLEs says that radiation dose rates onboard commercial jets flying at high latitudes may have briefly doubled during the episode.

Learn more about GLEs and what caused this solar flare to be so effective on today's edition of Spaceweather.com

Above: The 'snow' in this Sept. 10th image from a coronagraph onboard the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is caused by a blizzard of energetic particles striking the spacecraft's digital camera. The solar radiation storm was so strong, some of these particles reached the surface of Earth. 

Another Major Solar Flare on Sept. 10th

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 10, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

ANOTHER X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Departing sunspot AR2673 erupted again on Sept.10th (1606 UT), producing a major X8-class solar flare. A moderately strong solar radiation storm is underway as protons accelerated by the blast swarm around our planet. Shortwave radio blackouts over the Americas and around Earth's poles have also been observed in the aftermath of the explosion.

Visit Spaceweather.com for updates and more information.

Above: The extreme ultraviolet flash from today's X8-class flare as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. More snapshots of the flare may be found in the Space Weather Photo Gallery.

Major X-class Solar Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 6, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: On Sept. 6, 2017, at 12:02UT, active sunspot AR2673 unleashed an X9.3-class solar flare--the strongest solar flare in more than a decade. The explosion also hurled a CME into space, and possibly toward Earth. Analysis of the event is still underway.

Visit Spaceweather.com for updates and more information about the historical context of today's remarkable flare.

Above: The extreme UV flash from today's X9-class flare. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory

Solar Activity Intensifies as Huge Sunspot Grows

Source - Space Weather News for July 9, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ACTIVITY INTENSIFIES: Sunspot AR2665, which emerged just as few days ago, has mushroomed into a behemoth nearly as wide as the planet Jupiter. On July 9th the fast-growing sunspot produced an M-class solar flare and a short-lived shortwave radio blackout over east Asia and Australia. Stronger flares and Earth-directed CMEs may be in the offing as AR2665 turns toward our planet in the days ahead.

Visit Spaceweather.com for images, movies and updates.

Massive Explosion on the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for April 19, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

OLD SUNSPOT RETURNS, EXPLODES: Old sunspot AR2644 has returned following a 2-week trip around the backside of the sun--and it is still active. During the late hours of April 18th, the sunspot's magnetic canopy exploded, producing a C5-class solar flare and hurling a spectacularly bright coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. The massive cloud of hot plasma will almost certainly miss Earth, but future explosions could be geoeffective as the sunspot turns toward our planet. Visit  Spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on April 19th and 20th when a high-speed stream of solar wind is due to reach our planet. This could spark bright Northern Lights in the waxing spring twilight around the Arctic Circle. Monitor the aurora gallery for sightings.

Quiet Sunspot Wakes Up, Explodes

 
Source - Space Weather News for April 18, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

BIG SUNSPOT ERUPTS: Surprise! Quiet sunspot AR2529 isn't so quiet, after all. The heart-shaped active region erupted on April 18th (00:39 UT), producing a strong M6.7-class solar flare and shortwave radio blackouts around the Pacific. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

Solar flare and Earth-directed CME

Source - Space Weather News for Dec. 28, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FLARE AND CME: Big sunspot AR2473 erupted on Dec. 28th, producing an M1.9-class solar flare, a minor radio blackout in the southern hemisphere, and a coronal mass ejection (CME) that appears to be heading directly for Earth.  This explosion sets the stage for possible geomagnetic storms later this week when the CME reaches our planet.  Visit Spaceweather.com for more information.

POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS: For the second time this month, Arctic sky watchers are reporting a rare outbreak of super-colorful polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs).  Photos and observing tips are featured on today's edition of Spaceweather.com

The Solar Flare That Wouldn't End

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 23, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

THE SOLAR FLARE THAT WOULDN'T END:  Typical solar flares are finished in a matter of minutes. On Oct. 22nd, a solar flare in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2434 lasted for more than 3 hours. The slow explosion produced a CME, which is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 25th. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

X2-flare and Radio Blackout on March 11, 2015

Source - Space Weather News for March 11, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

EARTH DIRECTED X-FLARE: On March 11th at approximately 16:22 UT (09:22 PDT) sunspot AR2297 unleashed a strong X2-class solar flare. Extreme UV radiation from the blast is causing HF radio fade-outs and other propagation effects on the dayside of Earth, primarily over the Americas. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

X-flare and Martian Meteor Shower

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 7, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

MARTIAN METEOR SHOWER: NASA and European spacecraft have detected evidence of a "spectacular" meteor shower on Mars caused by the close approach of Comet Siding Spring last month.  If a human had been standing on the Red Planet at the time, they might have seen thousands of meteors per hour followed by a widespread yellow afterglow that lasted for days.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

X-FLARE!  Active sunspot AR2205 produced a potent X1-class solar flare on Nov. 7th, causing a strong HF radio blackout on the dayside of our planet. More X-flares are in the offing as the sunspot turns toward Earth this weekend.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.

Big Sunspot Produces X-Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Oct. 19, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

X-FLARE: Solar activity increased sharply on Oct. 19th when huge sunspot AR2192 unleashed an X1-class solar flare.  The blast produced an HF radio blackout on the dayside of Earth and it likely hurled a CME into space.

Check http://spaceweather.com for pictures of the flare and more information about possible Earth-effects.

Earth-Directed X-flare

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 10, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

X-FLARE:  Active sunspot AR2158 erupted on Sept. 10th, producing a strong X1.6-class solar flare.  Because the sunspot is directly facing Earth, this is a geoeffective event.  HF radio blackouts and other communications disturbances have already been observed on the day-lit side of Earth. 

Stay tuned to http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates about the possibility of an Earth-directed CME and geomagnetic storms in the days ahead.

Long-duration Solar Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Sept. 9, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

This morning (Sept. 9th at 00:30 UT) the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2158 erupted, producing a long-duration solar flare and a bright CME.  The CME, which billowed away from the sun at nearly 1,000 km/s,  has an Earth-directed component.  A glancing blow is possible during the late hours of Sept. 11/early hours of Sept. 12.  High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the storm cloud arrives. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Magnificent M-class Eruption on Aug. 24th

Source - Space Weather News for August 24, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

MAGNIFICENT SOLAR FLARE: A visually beautiful solar flare erupted from the east limb of the sun today.  Extreme UV radiation briefly ionized the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere; otherwise, our planet was not in the line of fire.  The responsible sunspot will turn toward Earth in the days ahead, boosting chances for geoeffective solar activity as the week unfolds. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and more information.

Solar Activity Picks Up

Source - Space Weather News for August 22, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Solar activity has been low for weeks. A new sunspot turning toward Earth could change that. AR2149 announced itself on August 21st with a M3-class solar flare that sent waves of ionization coursing through Earth's upper atmosphere.  The active region appears capable of more eruptions in the days ahead.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.

MORNING SKY SHOW:  Set your alarm for dawn--again.  The crescent Moon is joining Jupiter and Venus to form a bright triangle in the early morning sky. The best time to look is August 23rd about 30 to 45 minutes before local sunrise. Photos of the encounter may be found at http://spaceweathergallery.com

Solar flare erupts from unexpected source

Source - Space Weather News for July 8, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

M6-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: On July 8th, Earth-orbiting satellites detected a strong M6-class solar flare.  The flare itself came as little surprise because there is a phalanx of large sunspots crossing the solar disk.  However, the source of the flare was unexpected.  

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information about the blast site and prospects for additional eruptions in the days ahead.

CME Impact and Geomagnetic Storm

Souce - Space Weather News for Feb. 27, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

CME IMPACT: As expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field today (Feb. 27th @ 1645 UT), and the impact has triggered geomagnetic storms around Earth's poles.  The CME is an after-effect of the X4.9 class solar flare reported on Feb. 25th.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates about this developing space weather event.

X-class Solar Flare

Source - Space Weather News for Feb. 25, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

X-FLARE:  Long-lived sunspot AR1967 returned to the Earthside of the sun on Feb. 25th and promptly erupted, producing an X4.9-class solar flare.  This is the strongest flare of the year so far and one of the strongest of the current solar cycle. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for updates about this eruption and the possibility of more to come.

New Year's Day Solar Flares

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 2, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ACTIVITY: The New Year began with a burst of solar activity.  Active sunspot AR1936 is crackling with strong M-class solar flares, including an M9.9 event on Jan. 1st that stopped just short of becoming a powerful X-flare. Also on New Year's Day, another large sunspot emerged over the sun's eastern limb: AR1944 appears set to add its own contribution to the fusillade of explosions.

Check http://spaceweather.com for updates and more information.

Chinese Space Station Crosses the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for June 21, 2013: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE STATION TRANSIT: China's Tiangong-1 space station, now crewed by three taikonauts, passed in front of the sun over the south of France this week.  Astrophotographer Thierry Legault captured must-see images of the transit, featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

SOLSTICE SOLAR FLARE:  The first day of summer in the northern hemisphere began with a long-duration M2-class solar flare.  The source was active sunspot AR1777.  The blast was not Earth-directed, but future flares from AR1777 could be as the active region turns toward our planet this weekend.  Check http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.