• M3.5 solar flare took place around Sunspot 1263

    At 18:10 UTC Monday, a short duration M3.5 Solar Flare took place around Sunspot 1263. Because of its location, any explosions at this point may not be earth directed.Just when solar activity was slowing down, an M3.5 Solar Flare took place around Sunspot 1263

  • Behemoth sunspot 1263 has almost doubled in size

    Behemoth sunspot 1263 has almost doubled in size this weekend. A 28-hour movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the spot developing a tail that has added some 50,000 km of length to the active region.This development may increase the likelihood of a stro

  • M1.4 Earth-directed solar flare took place

    Magnetic fields above sunspot 1261 erupted this morning at 0648 UT, producing an M1-class solar flare. The blast also hurled a bright coronal mass ejection toward Earth. This movie from the STEREO-Ahead spacecraft shows the cloud racing away from the sun at almost

  • Solar tsunami and dark fireworks on the Sun

    On June 7, 2011, Earth-orbiting satellites detected a flash of X-rays coming from the western edge of the solar disk. Registering only “M” (for medium) on the Richter scale of solar flares, the blast at first appeared to be a run-of-the-mill eruption- that is, until

  • Geomagnetic storm warning!

    A fast-moving stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth’s magnetic field. The combined effect of this stream plus a CME expected to arrive soon has prompted NOAA forecasters to declare a 30% to 35% chance of geomagnetic storms on June 23-24. High-latitude sky watchers

  • Incoming solar flare, expecting geomagnetic storm

    Magnetic fields above sunspot complex 1236 erupted during the early hours of June 21st, producing a C7-class solar flare and a full-halo CME. The expanding cloud appears to be heading almost directly toward