Sun

Sun activity archive for March 2024

Posted by
C. Alex Young
and
Raúl Cortés
and
Armando Caussade
and
Michael Maimone
and
March 1, 2024

Stay tuned for weekly sun activity reports as the monthly sun archive gets updated throughout March. To view the most recent updates on sun activity, visit our daily sun post!

Sun news March 10, 2024: Spectacular eruption!

The sun is at it again. Another prominence, even more spectacular than yesterday, occurred around 22 UTC on March 9 off the sun’s northeastern limb. It came from the far side of the sun. The plasma loop expanded to a length longer the diameter of the sun and quickly left the GOES-R SUVI field of view where it was picked up as a very bright, fast coronal mass ejection, or CME, by the SOHO LASCO C2 telescope. Another, smaller, prominence erupted from the southeastern limb at 23:37 UTC on March 9. None of these eruption were Earth-directed. But we await further analysis to determine if any component is headed our way. It was definitely a filament/prominence-dominated day. Stay tuned for more sun fun on a Sunday!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low with B and C flares. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun produced five flares. The largest was an C1.4 flare from AR3599 at 20:14 UTC on March 9. AR3599 remained the most active of the period with four of the five flares. The region continues to be the largest in size and the only one with magnetic complexity, regaining its delta configuration. The sun has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side.

The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on March 10, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news March 9, 2024: Fantastical prominence eruption

Early this morning, a huge prominence erupted off the southeast limb, hurling solar plasma into space. The eruption began at around 2 UTC on March 9. At its largest – and while it was still connected to the sun – it measured at least 600,000 kilometers (375,000 miles) long. That’s close to the radius of the sun itself! This relatively fast eruption created a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is heading off to the east of the sun. A small increase in flaring occurred thanks to an M flare from AR3599. The M1.3 flare was impulsive, meaning it was short in duration and didn’t have enough energy to drive a significant coronal mass ejection (CME). The event is still under analysis, but an Earth-directed CME is unlikely. There’s still a possibility for a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm today due to the combined effects of a glancing CME and solar wind from a coronal hole. This is all boosted because we are in aurora season when conditions are especially optimal for auroral activity. There is still hope for auroral displays. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate thanks to an isolated M flare during the past day. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the sun produced 10 flares. The largest was an M1.3 flare from AR3599 at 21:26 UTC on March 8. An R1 (minor) radio blackout occurred, affecting an area in the Pacific Ocean over the equator. AR3599 remained the most active of the period. It produced nine of the 10 flares, including the M. The region continues to be the largest in size and the only one with magnetic complexity, despite losing its delta configuration. The sun has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side, three in the northern hemisphere and three in the southern.

Sun news March 8, 2024: Auroras incoming tonight?


The EarthSky sun news team created this video for you. Will we have auroras tonight?

Overnight last night, Earth’s magnetic field was unsettled by a transient. That’s the word scientists use when they measure a disturbance to our magnetic field … but aren’t 100% sure what caused it. And we’re all hoping last night’s disturbance wasn’t caused by an earlier-than-predicted arrival of the coronal mass ejection (CME) fired from the sun on March 5. We hope that great blob of sun-stuff holds off a bit in striking us … because, if it comes tonight as predicted yesterday, it should combine with fast solar wind that has been streaming toward Earth through a coronal hole (a dark area in the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere). And, if so, the CME and fast solar wind should combine to provoke a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm this evening (by clocks in the Americas), bringing with it beautiful auroras. Will it happen? We don’t know yet!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low with only B and C flares, although flaring productivity has again increased slightly compared to the previous day. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today we saw 16 flares: three Bs and 13 C flares. The largest was a C6.3 from sunspot region AR3599 at 12:07 UTC on March 7. And this region – which was the past day’s most active, with 12 flares – is today showing even more promise. Over the past day it grew more sunspots and reached a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, the most complex there is. That means it now has good potential for M and even X flares. And since it’s now directly facing Earth, any coronal mass ejections (CMEs) it produces could bring us some serious auroras! Elsewhere on the solar disk, we saw an enormous jet-prominence at around 22 UTC last night. It came from the vicinity of departed region AR3595 behind the northwest horizon. A corresponding coronal mass ejection was registered by the SOHO spacecraft’s LASCO C3 instrument, but it is not coming our way. Also in this imagery – which you can check out below – we can see Mercury departing from view in the lower left after its superior conjunction with Saturn last week. Saturn, in the lower right, will depart within the next day. The sun currently has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side.

NOAA aurora forecast, showing a good likelihood of auroras across Canada and the far northern US.
The arrival of a coronal mass ejection (CME) fired from the sun on March 5 could bring beautiful auroras across northern latitudes tonight. Image via NOAA.

Sun news March 7, 2024: Sun-stuff coming. Auroras possible Friday night!


The EarthSky sun news team created this video for you. Will you see auroras Friday night?

Auroras are in sight! A coronal mass ejection (CME) – a great blob of sun-stuff – is expected to disturb Earth’s magnetic field overnight tomorrow (March 8). It left the sun in a filament eruption on March 5. As it’ll give us only a glancing blow, the CME alone probably won’t cause a strong reaction. But there’s also a fast solar wind currently streaming toward Earth through a coronal hole (a patch of lower density in the sun’s outer atmosphere). And, on top of that, this time of year is perfect for auroras. So it’s looking promising! Get ready, aurora-chasers. Friday night might be awesome!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low with only B and C flares, although flaring production increased slightly during the past day. We saw a total of 12 flares produced between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today: one B and 11 C flares. The largest was a C8.3 from sunspot region AR3599 at 6:23 UTC on March 7. All the C flares were produced by sunspot region AR3599. The only B flare was from the now-departed AR3595 in northwest. AR3599 is the largest sunspot region, and the only active region that has a beta-gamma configuration, meaning it has potential for more C and M flares. The rest of the sunspots show simple alpha and beta configurations. The sun currently has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side.

Sun news March 6, 2024: Earth eclipses sun! GOES satellite eclipse season


Where did the sun go? That’s what you might be asking if you took a look at imagery from the GOES-16 satellite over the past day. We’re currently in GOES eclipse season. During this season – which began on February 27 and will last until April 12 – Earth comes between the spacecraft and the sun every day. The length of the eclipse starts off at around 30 minutes, increasing with each day to a peak of about 70 minutes, then decreasing back to 30 minutes. So this season is not a favourite of solar observers; the GOES-16 spacecraft is the primary solar viewing mission from NOAA, and provides the extreme-ultraviolet images EarthSky often relies upon. But on the bright side, the satellite eclipse on April 8 will not be at the same time as the April 8 total solar eclipse. So, luckily for solar physicists, GOES-16 will be able to make observations of the big event. Phew!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low. With only one B and six C flares produced between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today, the main action has been from prominences and filaments, mainly in the east and at the poles. A nice eruption also occurred off the western limb (edge). A filament in the southeastern quadrant also erupted, producing a coronal mass ejection (CME) visible in the SOHO spacecraft’s LASCO C2 and C3 imagery. The CME appears to be headed mostly to the southeast, but further analysis is needed to determine if there is an Earth-directed component. The largest flare of the past day was a C2.7 from AR3598 in the southwest at 11:25 UTC on March 5. The sun currently has eight sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side. AR3604 is a newcomer region in the northeast. AR3598 is the largest and most magnetically complex. The rest of the active regions on the solar disk are stable or decaying and show low-potential alpha or beta magnetic configurations.

Sun news March 5, 2024: Prominences and filaments flaunting their stuff

Flare-wise, the past day on the sun has been calm. But great arcs of sun-stuff – prominences – are dancing across the eastern edge of the visible sun, the side just now rotating into view. And we’re seeing filaments (same as prominences, but not on the edge) in that area, too. Both filaments and prominences are ropes of solar material, elevated from the sun’s chromosphere (or lower atmosphere) into the corona (upper atmosphere) by magnetic fields. One of these prominences has been dancing around the northeastern limb (edge), while another was seen straddling the northern and southern hemispheres. And a long filament in the northeast lifted off, sending billions of tons of solar plasma hurtling into space. Given the filament’s off-center location, this coronal mass ejection (CME) is not heading Earthward. But as these eastern regions rotate more into view in the coming days, they will bring with them a higher chance of plasma being sent our way, hopefully provoking beautiful auroral displays. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low, with only faint C flares over the past day. From 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today, the sun produced seven C flares. The largest was a C1.6 flare from AR3595 at 12:11 UTC on March 3. The sun currently has nine sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side. There are two newcomers on the northeast quadrant, numbered AR3602 and AR3603. AR3601 was numbered, but then vanished rapidly. The largest in size and magnetic complexity is AR3595 with a beta-gamma configuration. This active region is now located almost over the northwest limb, soon to be carried out of view in the next day or two. The rest of the active regions on the solar disk show low-potential alpha or beta configurations, and are stable or in decay.

Sun news March 4, 2024: Sun-stuff sparks Earthly auroras

The EarthSky sun news team reports on the 1st geomagnetic storm of 2024! It took place last night, bringing a strong display of auroras to Earth’s high latitudes.

We had our first geomagnetic storm of 2024 last night. Auroras! Yay! A coronal mass ejection (CME) – a great chunk of sun-stuff – left the sun on February 28. It rattled Earth’s magnetic field last night, lighting up northern skies with an auroral showcase. This CME disturbed the geomagnetic field to storming levels, first at the G1 (minor) scale then up to G2 (moderate). The CME arrived at Earth at 8:45 UTC followed by a G1 storm then a G2 storm ending just before March 4. Auroras were reported from Maine to Fairbanks, from the UK to Ireland, all the way over to Norway. It was an amazing show and as some of the seasoned aurora-chasers commented, “we ain’t seen nothin’ yet” (the author’s words.) Bring on the geomagnetic storms and fantastical displays, Solar Max. Stay tuned.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low with 16 C flares over the past day from 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today. The largest events were two C3.1 flares from AR3590 and AR3592 at 16:41 UTC and 17:20 UTC respectively on March 3. The most notable activity of the day was not on the sun but at Earth. Aurora caused by the arrival of a CME from February 28. The impact jarred Earth’s magnetic shield, the magnetosphere, first causing a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm, which increased to G2 (moderate) levels. The G1 storm started around 18:45 UTC and reached G2 levels around 21:00 UTC on March 3, continuing until the end of March 3. The sun showed some nice prominence eruptions off the eastern limb. The sun has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side.

Sun news March 3, 2024: A calm day on our active star


The EarthSky sun news team created this video for you. Happy sun day!

It’s a calm Sunday after weeks of amazing activity due to the now departed sunspot region AR3590. This is a normal scene as we approach solar maximum. As the sun’s activity increases we expect to see periods of larger and larger activity as the time between the periods decreases. This is the natural progression of the sun’s activity cycle. Even on a calm day, the active sun can produce some fantastic action. Today, a gorgeous filament erupted over the sun’s northeastern limb (edge). Enjoy your day, and stay tuned for what the sun brings next.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low due the 11 C flares produced over the past day from 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today. The largest event was a C6.6 flare from AR3595 at 12:47 UTC on March 2. The sun has six sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side.

The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with dark spots, each labeled.
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on March 4, 2024. Original image, without labels, via NASA SDO. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, with labeling by EarthSky. Today’s sun is posted by Armando Caussade. Why are east and west on the sun reversed?

Sun news March 2, 2024: Farewell AR3590, and thanks for all the fun

AR3590 has fully rotated out of view, remaining the largest and most active region of solar cycle 25 (SC25). Most of its transit it showed a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, today reduced to an alpha but mostly since our foreshortened view don’t allow a complete analysis. We can now see the region from the Mars Perseverance Mastcam-Z. The camera is very low resolution and despite this limitation AR3590 is very obvious given its massive size. This region is one for the record books: Producer of the largest X flare of SC 25, so far, an X6.4 flare; producer of three X flares in less than 24 hours, lead flare producer of the week not to mention is giant size as one the largest we have seen during SC25 measuring the surface area of almost 9 Earths. Farewell AR3590. Shall we meet again? Take a look at our summary gallery of the now historic sunspot active region AR3590.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity remains low with only C flares produced in the past day. Flaring production also reduced. During our observation period from 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today, the sun produced nine C flares. The largest event consists of two C2.9 flares produced during the period. Both came from the northwest nearly simultaneously. The first was the only flare produced by departing AR3590 at 5:18 UTC and the second by a neighbor, active region AR3595, produced shortly after at 5:58 UTC on March 2. The lead flare producer was newcomer, AR3599, which rotated into view on the southeast limb (edge). It produced three C flares. This is the region in the southeast we have been expecting to rotate into view. We will keep watching and find out what it’s got in store. Active region AR3595 has a beta-gamma configuration, the rest either alpha or beta. The sun has six active regions on its Earth-facing side.
Next 24 hours: The forecast is a 99% chance for C flares, a 50% chance for M flares, and a 10% chance for X flares.

Sun news March 1, 2024: Dancing prominences and a sun crown


The EarthSky sun news team created this video for you. Enjoy!

Over the past day, we’ve seen prominences – ropes of solar material and magnetic fields – dancing all around the sun’s limb (edge). A notable one is the long-lasting prominence on the south pole, whirling like a dust devil here on Earth. The western limb appears fiery too, as giant sunspot region AR3590 – which produced the biggest X flare of the current solar cycle – begins to pass over the horizon. It departs producing jets, flares and prominences. As we lose this active region, we seem to be gaining another; on the southeastern horizon we’ve seen similar jets, flares and prominences, and helioseismology is showing a big sunspot region over the horizon that will come into view soon. Action on the way!
Last 24 hours: During our observation period from 11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today, the sun produced 14 C flares. That makes sun activity low. The largest event was a C4 flare from AR3590 at 1:25 UTC on March 1. Departing AR3590 remains the lead flare producer with eight Cs over the past day. The sun currently has seven active regions on its Earth-facing side. A newcomer, AR3598, emerged on the southwest quadrant.

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March 1, 2024
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Sun

C. Alex Young

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About the Author:
C. Alex Young is a solar astrophysicist studying the Sun and space weather. Alex is passionate about sharing science with diverse audiences. This led him to start The Sun Today with his designer wife, Linda. First through Facebook and Twitter then adding an extensive website thesuntoday.org, the two work together to engage the public about the Sun and its role in our solar system. Alex led national engagement efforts for the 2017 total solar eclipse. He is the Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Raúl Cortés

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About the Author:
Raúl Cortés studied engineering at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico, obtained a scholarship to continue his studies in Japan and after returning to Monterrey he got credits on MBA from the Graduate School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Faculty. He became a teacher at the University UANL teaching Math and Physics and dedicated the rest of his professional career to serve in engineering areas for USA, Japan and Germany based corporations. His passion for the skies go back to when he was a child, always intrigued about the stars and constellations and reading and researching about the matter. From 2010 on, he dedicated his attention to photographing the stars, constellations, the moon and the sun. Raúl's work on his photography has been published and posted on the ESC as well as in other platforms and has gained attention to be published by local Monterrey newspapers.

Armando Caussade

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About the Author:
Armando is well known as an astronomy educator, after 30+ years leading extensive initiatives of public outreach and 10+ years teaching in colleges. As one of only a handful of Puerto Rican science communicators during Comet Halley's last visit, he assumed a pioneering role starting in 1985 when science was just beginning to enter the local mindset; over time his work brought meaningful change to the culture, inspiring people to pursue interests in science and technology. His affiliations include Ana G. Méndez University–Cupey, where in 2014 he spearheaded an 8-course extension program focusing on observational astronomy, the first ever in the island.

Michael Maimone

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About the Author:
Michael Maimone is an assistant editor for EarthSky and has always had a strong passion for communicating scientific complexity in a way that could easily be understood by anyone. Michael graduated from Penn State University in 2019 with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Planetary Science & Astronomy and Meteorology & Atmospheric Science. He has experience in radio astronomy research with the Green Bank Observatory and even as a mission operations specialist for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. He is currently working towards a master’s degree in systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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