SOMETHING IS COMING: None of the sunspots on the Earthside of the sun are actively flaring. A sunspot just around the bend, however, could break the quiet. Earth-orbiting satellites are detecting flare activity behind the suns northeastern limb. NASAs Solar Dynamics Observaory recorded this flash of extreme UV radiation on Nov. 3rd at 11:56 UT: Although the eruption was partially eclipsed by the edge of the sun, it registered M2.2 on the Richter Scale of Solar Flares. M-class flares These are what we call the medium large flares. They cause small (R1) to moderate (R2) radio blackouts on the daylight side of the Earth. Some M-class solar flares can also cause radiation storms. Only the stronger M-class flares which are long in duration and accompanied by an Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) could cause a geomagnetic storm strong enough for aurora on the middle latitudes. This means the actual flare was much stronger, possibly even an X-flare. The same hidden active region produced a C9-class flare and CME on Nov. 2nd: movie. Again, because the flare was eclipsed, the actual eruption was probably much stronger than its nominal classification. In summary, something is coming. Soon, the suns rotation will carry this active region into view and it will be possible to assess its potential for more flares. Stay tuned for updates
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 22:43:47 +0000
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