Powerful X4.9 solar flare erupted from Sunspot 1990

Newly numbered Active Region 1990 produced powerful X4.9 solar flare at 00:49 UTC on February 25, 2014, making it the third largest X-flare event of the current solar cycle. This decaying sunspot is in fact old returning region previously numbered as AR 1967. This is its third rotation on the Earth side of the Sun.

The flare produced a bright Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) with estimated velocity of 1972 km/s. A fast-moving, asymmetric halo CME was first seen in Lasco C3 imagery at 01:30 UTC. This CME appeared to be mostly directed east and south away from the Sun-Earth line.

SDO's AIA 131 and EVE SAM data (Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams)

GOES 1 minute and 5 minute data X-ray flux (Credit: NOAA/SWPC)

SOHO's LASCO coronographs show the plasma cloud caused by X4.9 solar flare (Credit: SOHO/ESA/NASA)

This event is associated with slight rise in proton level.

GOES 13 proton flux (Credit: NOAA/SWPC)

Strong R3 Radio Blackout level was measured. R3 level can cause wide area blackout of HF radio communication, loss of radio contact for about an hour on sunlit side of Earth and low-frequency navigation signals degraded for about an hour.

ALERT: Type II Radio Emission
Begin Time: 2014 Feb 25 0045 UTC
Estimated Velocity: 1972 km/s

SUMMARY: 10cm Radio Burst
Begin Time: 2014 Feb 25 0042 UTC
Maximum Time: 2014 Feb 25 0045 UTC
End Time: 2014 Feb 25 0107 UTC
Duration: 85 minutes
Peak Flux: 3700 sfu 

The following image shows first moments of this solar flare in different wavelengths of light. 

Image credit: SDO

Featured image: SDO