Sun news: Strike two! Sun-blasts keep arriving

Sun news September 9: Strike two! Sun-blasts keep arriving

Today’s top story: Strike two! The convoy of sun-stuff currently arriving at our planet delivered a 2nd blow yesterday evening, triggering a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm just 10 hours after the first strike. This was the 2nd of at least four coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that sunspot region AR4524 fired toward Earth over the past weekend. So forecasters expect more impacts today and tomorrow, which may trigger G1 (minor) and even G2 (moderate) storming. As a result, auroral displays may reach as far south as the northern United States, the U.K., and northern France. Clear skies and good luck, aurora chasers. Share those beautiful photos with us!

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC September 8 – 11 UTC September 9)

Flare activity: Solar activity continued at low levels. However, flare production increased notably. Our sun produced a total of 15 flares, compared to yesterday’s two events. The tally over the past 24 hours: nine C-class (common) and six B-class (weak) flares.

• Strongest flare: A C3.4 from AR4528 at 23:39 UTC on September 8.
• Lead flare producer: AR4521 and AR4528 ended tied at the top, with six flares each.

Sunspot regions: The solar disk, as we see it from Earth, displays eight numbered sunspot regions. Most stayed stable and magnetically simple.

• AR4521 (alpha): This region continued to develop. It shared top flare producer honors, blasting six flares during the period.
• AR4528 (alpha): Once again, this region sparked the strongest flare of the period, a C3.4. It also tied for lead producer with six flares.
• AR4523 (alpha), AR4524 (alpha), AR4525 (alpha), AR4527 (alpha), and AR4529 (alpha): These regions stayed stable, with no signs of flare production.
• AR4530 (beta): Numbered just yesterday, this region is the only one showing a beta configuration. It developed an asymmetric penumbra, which is an early sign of potential. It produced one C flare during the period.

Blasts from the sun? Active region AR4521 produced a C2.5 flare at 12:27 UTC on September 8. The event came with a faint coronal mass ejection (CME). Modeling and analysis continues, but initial observations suggest that chunk of solar stuff will miss Earth. Meanwhile, returning to the weekend convoy, forecasters anticipate additional arrivals through the rest of the day.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds started easing from moderate-high levels early in the period to moderate levels at the time of this writing. Even so, the remaining CMEs from September 5 and 6, plus the ongoing coronal hole high-speed stream, should keep speeds elevated through the rest of today.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The interplanetary magnetic field total strength (Bt) held at moderate-low strength. However, it spiked to strong levels at 4:30 UTC this morning. Meanwhile, the Bz component stayed mostly southward for most of the period, with just a few faint northward peaks. The stronger peaks pointed south. That opened the door for the geomagnetic storm. At the time of this writing, the Bz shows a weak northward peak.

Earth’s magnetic field: Earth’s magnetic field ranged from quiet to active levels in this period, with Kp values from 1 to 5. Conditions reached the Kp 5 threshold at 17:44 UTC on September 8, provoking a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. The Kp 5 level held for one three-hour period before declining. At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits at level 1.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: Forecasters expect solar activity to keep easing at low levels, with occasional C-class flares through September 10. Chances for M-class flares dropped to 10% today, compared to 15% yesterday. Meanwhile, an X-class (strong) flare is very unlikely at 1%, given the modest complexity of the visible regions.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• September 9: Anticipate active periods during the rest of the day. G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) storming is likely. Ongoing fast solar wind from a coronal hole, combined with the arrival of the 3rd and 4th CMEs from this past weekend, should drive these conditions.
• September 10: Expect quiet to unsettled levels as the effects of the multiple CMEs start to wane.
• September 11: Quiet to unsettled levels may extend through the day, as another coronal hole may provide fast solar wind.

Sun news September 8: Series of sun-blasts arriving, auroras to come

A convoy of sun-stuff blasts has started arriving at our planet. We saw at least four coronal mass ejections (CMEs) fired from sunspot region AR4524 toward Earth over the weekend. The first arrived this morning, triggering a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. And this is likely just the beginning. As more impacts arrive today and tomorrow, forecasters have called for G2 (moderate) or even G3 (strong) storming. What does that mean for skywatchers? Auroral displays may reach as far south as New York, London, and northern France tonight and, more likely, tomorrow night. And if two or three of these structures combine, auroras could push even farther south! We’ll keep you updated.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC September 7 – 11 UTC September 8)

Flare activity: Solar activity continued at low levels. Observers registered just two events over the past 24 hours: one C-class (common) and one B-class (weak) flare.

• Strongest flare: A C1.0 from AR4528 at 19:35 UTC on September 7.
• Lead flare producer: AR4526 and AR4528 tied, with one flare each. However, AR4528’s C1.0 outranked AR4526’s B7.8.

Sunspot regions: Currently, the Earth-facing solar disk displays seven numbered sunspot regions. Most stayed stable and magnetically simple. A newcomer in the northeast quadrant received its number this period: AR4530.

• AR4524 (beta): This region continued to show weak decay. It lost its gamma and now shows a simpler beta configuration. It produced no flares during this period.
• AR4528 (alpha): This region was one of only two flare producers. It sparked the strongest flare of the period, a C1.0.
• AR4521 (alpha), AR4523 (alpha), AR4527 (alpha), and AR4529 (alpha): These regions stayed stable, with no signs of flare production.
• AR4530 (beta): This region emerged from nowhere in the middle of the northeast quadrant. It now shows a beta configuration. It’s stable for now, but it shows early signs of potential.

Blasts from the sun? The 1st of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) arrived this morning and triggered a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. Forecasters anticipate additional arrivals through the rest of the day. Confidence in exact timing is low. Still, the combined effect makes G1 to G2 storming likely, with G3 possible if conditions align favorably. Meanwhile, a C2.1 flare at 9:01 UTC on September 7 from AR4524 hurled plasma into space. Initial analysis suggests most of that solar material may pass north of and behind Earth’s orbit. Observers spotted no newer CMEs in available coronagraph imagery.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds averaged at moderate levels early in the period. Then, starting at 0 UTC this morning, speeds increased to moderate-high levels. The arrival of multiple CMEs from September 5 and 6, plus the onset of a coronal hole high-speed stream, should keep solar wind speeds elevated through September 9.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The interplanetary magnetic field total strength (Bt) started the period strong. It then slowly eased to weak strength by the time of this writing. Meanwhile, the Bz component fluctuated between south and north, with the stronger peaks pointing southward. That opened the door for the geomagnetic storm. At the time of this writing, a Kp 5 is ongoing, and the Bz points southward.

Earth’s magnetic field: Earth’s magnetic field showed unsettled to active levels throughout the period, with Kp values in the 3 to 5 range. The Kp 5 threshold was reached at 7:30 UTC this morning, provoking a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm.

Sun news September 7: Sun-stuff bursts could trigger strong auroras

A convoy of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is bearing down on our planet, with the first arrivals expected from later today. Solar observers saw at least four CMEs launch from sunspot region AR4524 over September 5 and 6. These are now racing through interplanetary space and could merge into a combined punch. What might that mean for us? Such a combined structure could drive G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms, with a slight chance of G3 (strong) conditions later this week. In turn, that could bring aurora as far south as New York, London and northern France. The peak of auroral activity is currently looking like Wednesday, but stay tuned as the story unfolds!

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC September 6 – 11 UTC September 7)

Flare activity: Solar activity stayed at low levels. Observers logged 6 flares: 2 C-class (common) and 4 B-class (weak) events.

• Strongest flare: A C5.0 from AR4524 at 10:31 UTC on September 6. Notably, this C-class flare came with a halo CME, first visible in LASCO C2 imagery at 11:12 UTC. That’s an unusually energetic eruption for such a modest flare classification.
• Lead flare producer: AR4524 dominated, firing 4 of the 6 flares during the period: the C5.0 plus three B-class events.
• For context: An M1.0 flare from decayed AR4520 near the west limb erupted on September 5, just before this reporting period. It came with a fast halo CME and triggered an S1 (minor) proton event.

Sunspot regions: The Earth-facing solar disk displayed approximately 6 numbered sunspot regions. Most appeared quiet and magnetically simple.

• AR4524 (beta-gamma): This region continued to show weak decay. Even so, it remained the most active on the disk. Its beta-gamma configuration sustained C-class flare production, and it produced multiple CMEs over the past two days. It warrants continued monitoring as it rotates toward the disk center.
• AR4528 (alpha): This region received its number during the period. Despite its simple magnetic configuration, it produced a C1.1 flare. Located near the east limb, it will rotate into a more Earth-directed position over the coming days.
• AR4520 (near the west limb): This region had decayed, yet it was the source of the significant M1.0 flare and fast halo CME on September 5. It continues rotating toward the far side.
• The remaining active regions on the disk stayed quiet and stable, producing no significant flaring.

Blasts from the sun? The aftermath of multiple CME eruptions from AR4524 over September 5 and 6 dominated the period. In addition, observers detected a fresh halo CME with the C5.0 flare, adding to an already complex queue of Earth-directed plasma clouds. Multiple CMEs from AR4524 should arrive in a potentially combined structure. The earliest could reach Earth late on September 7, around 20:36 to 23:21 UTC. Additional material should follow through September 8, up to around 18:41 UTC. Confidence in exact timing is low. Still, the combined effect makes G1 to G2 storming likely, with G3 possible if conditions align favorably.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds remained at nominal background levels through most of the period. The arrival of a slow filament CME from September 2 and the onset of a coronal hole high-speed stream should boost solar wind speeds to elevated levels through September 7.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The interplanetary magnetic field total strength (Bt) was average. However, a coherent magnetic structure began rotating through the near-Earth environment starting around 20:40 UTC on September 6. Bt climbed by the end of the reporting period. Meanwhile, the Bz component fluctuated with no strongly sustained southward orientation. That limited geomagnetic coupling and kept aurora at bay.

Earth’s magnetic field: Earth’s magnetic field stayed quiet throughout the period, with Kp values remaining in the 0 to 2 range. The lack of sustained southward Bz and the slow solar wind regime kept activity subdued, even though the energetic particle environment stayed slightly elevated after the S1 (minor) proton event on September 5.

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Bottom line: Sun news September 9, 2026: Strike two! A second CME sparked another G1 storm last night. More are arriving today, so G2 storms and auroras are possible.

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