Major solar flare reaching X1.1 peaked at 23:08 UTC

As we got used to M-class and waited a day to pass to report an overview of July 6, 2012 a major solar flare peaked. At 23:08 a major solar flare reaching X1.1 peaked. The flare was centered around Sunspot 1515.

Strong R3 radio blackout was reported.

Potential Impacts: Area of impact consists of large portions of the sunlit side of Earth, strongest at the sub-solar point. Radio – Wide area blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication for about an hour.

A 10cm Radio Burst was reported. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.

There is 80% chance for an M-class event and 25% chance for X-class.

Earth is well-connected to the blast site by solar magnetic fields, a fusillade of protons accelerated by the explosion might soon reach our planet.

SUMMARY: X-Ray Event exceeded X1 (R3)
Space Weather Message Code: SUMX01
Serial Number: 80
Issue Time: 2012 Jul 06 2325 UTC

SUMMARY: X-ray Event exceeded X1
Begin Time: 2012 Jul 06 2301 UTC
Maximum Time: 2012 Jul 06 2308 UTC
End Time: 2012 Jul 06 2314 UTC
X-ray Class: X1.1
Location: S18W50
NOAA Scale: R3 – Strong

SUMMARY: 10cm Radio Burst
Begin Time: 2012 Jul 06 2304 UTC
Maximum Time: 2012 Jul 06 2306 UTC
End Time: 2012 Jul 06 2306 UTC
Duration: 2 minutes
Peak Flux: 520 sfu
Latest Penticton Noon Flux: 158 sfu

 

Meanwhile on the Sun, a new sunspot is emerging over the  southeastern limb, and it appears to be a big one. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a first glimpse of the spot’s dark cores during the early hours of July 6th…