Old region 3664 returns with M9.3 solar flare
Featured image: M9.3 solar flare on June 23, 2024. Image credit: NASA SDO/AIA 131, Helioviewer, The Watchers
Old region 3664/3697 — the source of multiple Earth-directed CMEs and G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storming in May, has returned to Earth-view with a strong M9.3 solar flare at 13:01 UTC on June 23, 2024. The region is now numbered 3723. The event started at 12:51 and ended at 13:11 UTC.
There were no radio signatures that would suggest a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Even if it was, the current location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs.
This will change in the days ahead as it rotates into a more geoeffective position.
Radio signatures were forecast to be most degraded over the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, and Africa at the time of the flare.
ALMOST AN X-CLASS FLARE was "just a flare", sigh. No notable large-scale disturbances were seen.
— Halo CME (@halocme) June 23, 2024
But AR 13723 (née 13664/13697), which is rotating to Earth view, may still have the potential for Earth-affecting CMEs. Let's monitor it over the next week. Movie: AIA 94+HMI Blos. pic.twitter.com/CD0aor0DhW
This historic region was previously numbered 3664 and 3697. It produced around 100 M-class and over 10 X-class solar flares during its May rotation through the Earth side of the Sun.
Multiple CMEs it produced at the time resulted in a G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm — the strongest since 2003 — on May 10 and 11. On May 14, this region produced X8.7 solar flare — currently the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
