Sun news October 8: Two X flares. Auroras. Comet. Wow!

Sun news October 8: Two X flares. Auroras. Comet. Wow!

Today’s top story: It’s been a busy day of solar activity! Northern latitudes were treated to beautiful auroras last night, as sun-stuff launched by last week’s X9 flare brought up to G3 (strong) geomagnetic storming. And the sunspot region that produced that flare, AR3842, is still firing on all cylinders. It blasted an X2 flare last night, not long after another X flare from nearby region AR3844. The X2 released an impressive near-full halo coronal mass ejection (CME), which you can see above. And to top it off, you can also see Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) soaring into view, looking stunningly bright. It’s being said this is the brightest comet the SOHO spacecraft’s LASCO C3 instrument has ever imaged. What a day!
Last 24 hours: The two X flares brought sun activity up to a high level. Flaring production increased during our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today) from nine flares the previous day to 12 flares this time: two X flares, two Ms and eight C flares. The largest flare of the period was the X2.2, blasted out at 19:13 UTC on October 7 by AR3842. This region is now very close to the limb (edge) in the southwest. Here’s a breakdown of the X and M flares from the past 24 hours:

• M1.3 at 18:38 UTC on October 7 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout in the Pacific Ocean over Galapagos.
• X2.2 at 19:13 UTC on October 7 from AR3842. R2 (moderate) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Galapagos. The largest.
• X1.0 at 21:02 UTC on October 7 from AR3844. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
• M1.2 at 8:51 UTC on October 8 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Madagascar.

Currently the sun has seven numbered sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side, including newcomer AR3852. Among the eye-catching active regions, AR3848 is showing potential with a beta-gamma magnetic complexity. AR3842 has lost its delta region, so it’s showing a beta-gamma configuration along with AR3849. The rest of the sunspot regions on the solar disk have simple alpha or beta configurations.
Next 24 hours: The chance for C flares is 99%. The chance for M flares is 75%. The chance for X flares is 30%.
Next expected CME: A coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced during the X2.2 flare. Modeling and analysis is still ongoing to determine if any component is coming our way at Earth. We will bring you the info as soon as it is released. No additional CMEs were observed in the available coronagraph imagery.
Current geomagnetic activity: Earth’s magnetic field is very excited at the time of this writing (11 UTC on October 8). A  G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm is ongoing at the time of this writing, and our magnetic field has been disturbed all night, reaching up to G3 (strong) levels. The geomagnetic disturbance is anticipated to come down to quiet-to-unsettled levels late October 8 and October 9 as any lingering CME effects wane, coupled with fast solar wind from a coronal hole.

???AR3842 is not done! X flare! An X2.2 fired off peaking at 19:13 UTC. It produced a radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean. Will there be more? Waiting on more data to determine the CME situation.

More updates tomorrow at https://t.co/xD29wLfm4e pic.twitter.com/6mqL5mASAs

— Dr. C. Alex Young (@TheSunToday) October 7, 2024

Sun news October 7: Auroras overnight

We didn’t receive the G2 (moderate) or G3 (strong) geomagnetic storms that had been forecast for last night, but Earth’s magnetic field was still disturbed enough for some beautiful auroral displays. The coronal mass ejection (CME) that left the sun early on October 4 after a huge X9 flare provided about six hours of G1 (minor) geomagnetic storming. The impact of the CME initially was a disappointment, but – possibly thanks to it being the equinox aurora season – amazing auroras were reported in Canada and Alaska, along with with some reports from other northern U.S. states. Did you catch a glimpse? Send us your photos!
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate. During our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun produced eight flares: four Ms and four C flares. The largest flare of the period was an M1.6 at 21:19 UTC on October 6 from AR3839. The most productive region was our recent X flare-producing AR3842, with five flares. This region is now moving close to the western limb (edge). Here’s the list of M flares from the past 24 hours:

• M1.3 at 15:21 UTC on October 6 from AR3844. R1 (minor) radio blackout over South America.
• M1.0 at 16:45 UTC on October 6 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over South America.
• M1.4 at 18:59 UTC on October 6 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
• M1.6 at 21:19 UTC on October 6 from AR3839. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean. The largest.

The sun has six numbered sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side, including newcomer AR3850. AR3842 has a beta-gamma magnetic complexity. The remaining are simple alpha regions except for AR3841, which is a beta region.

Nice aurora tonight in North Pole, Alaska above my house! Here’s a real-time video. pic.twitter.com/4apizNtFZX

— Vincent Ledvina (@Vincent_Ledvina) October 7, 2024

Woah!! LOVE the reflection!! A 5 shot pano at Haunted Lakes, Alberta tonight!

@treetanner @MatthewCappucci @TamithaSkov @chunder10 @scottrockphoto @ScottWx_TWN @ pic.twitter.com/V0yuUoZDSO

— Dar Tanner (@dartanner) October 7, 2024

Round 2 11:15 pm North Idaho #auroraborealis #aurora #northernlights@TamithaSkov @TweetAurora @AuroraAlertsApp @AmazingAurora21 pic.twitter.com/5Ld1vLaNcD

— Bella Dahlia (@brattyassbella) October 7, 2024

This mornings Aurora display from Great Yarmouth @StormchaserUKEU @carlharlott @danholley_ @stormbell @Lowweather @PhotographyWx @bbcweather @BBCWthrWatchers @itvweather @metoffice @ChrisPage90 @WeatherAisling #loveukweather? @liamdutton @GavinPartridge @BBCLookEast @itvanglia pic.twitter.com/Hd54wjj5g1

— Simon’s Weather Photography (@simon_weather) October 7, 2024

Sun news October 6: Giant plasma stream waiting for auroras

Happy Sun Day! We are anticipating the arrival of one or more coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from two X flares and several M flares over the past week. The main driver of this activity was the large and magnetically complicated sunspot region, AR3842. The CME or combination of CMEs could reach Earth at any moment, but it is also possible that nothing happens. This is the challenge for predicting space weather. There are a lot of uncertainties. Sometimes analysts are spot on and sometimes not. Overall, they do a fantastic job and keep getting better, but they are still subject to the limitations of the data and our physics knowledge. Heliophysics is the study of the sun and its influence on everything in the solar system. This is the field that drives and expands our understanding of space weather and its impact on our society. As we await CMEs and possible auroras tonight or tomorrow, sun activity has been moderate. The past 24 hours has seen four small M flares. The most notable event is an amazing eruption of solar plasma off the southwest limb (edge). It sprayed out a distance of over 40+ Earths in length, and that was just the part we were able to see in the imagery. The event probably released a CME, though its location on the sun would indicate that the event was not Earth-directed. Auroras may be visible at latitudes like Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Oregon, and possibly further south. So get your cameras and maybe cold weather gear if necessary. Consider sharing your photos with EarthSky.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate. During our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun produced 12 flares, four smaller M and eight large C flares. The largest flare of the period is an M2.4 at 23:20 UTC on October 5 from AR3842. The most productive region was AR3842 with five flares. The list of M flares:
M1.1 at 20:40 UTC on October 5 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Africa.
M2.4 at 23:20 UTC on October 5 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean. The largest.
M1.0 at 00:18 UTC on October 6 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.1 at 01:47 UTC on October 6 from AR3844. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indonesia and Australia.
The sun has eight numbered sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side. One active region has a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, AR3842. AR3848 has a beta-delta complexity. Four regions have a beta-gamma complexity, AR3841, AR3843, AR3844, and AR3849.

Sun news October 5: Could it be an aurora weekend?

We are waiting on the sun or, more specifically, on multiple blobs of sun-stuff to reach Earth, bringing hope for auroras this weekend. This past week’s X7 and X9 flares, along with several M flares, have sent coronal mass ejections, aka CMEs heading our way. Staring with the X7 on Tuesday, and adding in the X9 flare on Thursday and a sprinkling of other moderate or M flares, several CMEs are heading to Earth. This means Earth’s magnetic field should be disturbed to the point of moderate-to-strong geomagnetic storms and auroras. The first of the CMEs are anticipated at any time, which will kick things off. The pileup of several CMEs either in transit or at Earth should bring the beginning of the aurora, peaking into tomorrow with a probably G3 storm and a possible G4 storm. The stronger the storm, the farther south they could be observed. The aurora forecast from NOAA in this post shows the extent of main auroral displays in the red region, while the red line shows an estimate of how far the aurora will be visible on the horizon. Auroras may be visible at latitudes like Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Oregon, and possibly further south. So get your cameras and maybe cold weather gear if necessary. Consider sharing your photos with EarthSky.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is moderate. During our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun produced 13 flares, five smaller M and eight large C flares. The largest flare of the period is an M1.7 at 8:40 UTC on October d from AR3836. The most productive region was AR3842 with five flares. The list of M flares:
M1.2 at 11:03 UTC on October 4 from AR3836. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Africa.
M1.1 at 21:04 UTC on October 4 from AR3844. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.2 at 22:11 UTC on October 4 from AR3845. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.0 at 00:12 UTC on October 5 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indonesia and Australia.
M1.7 at 08:40 UTC on October 5 from Currently can’t determine. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Indian Ocean, west of Africa. The largest.
The sun has eight numbered sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side. Three active regions show a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, AR3842 in the southwest, AR3844 in the southwest,f and AR3848 in the northeast limb (edge).

Sun news October 4: BAM, X9 flare! Biggest of Solar Cycle 25 so far

What a week it’s been for solar flares! We had an X7 on Tuesday (October 1). Then, at 12:10 UTC yesterday (October 3), just minutes after the cut-off for our daily sun update, the sun released an X9 flare: the biggest flare of Solar Cycle 25 so far. It came from sunspot region AR3842, same region that fired the X7 flare on Tuesday. This region is currently in a geoeffective position on the sun, meaning any released materials will be capable of affecting Earth. So any sun-stuff ejected during this flare would likely be on a course for Earth. There’s already sun-stuff headed our way from the X7 flare on Tuesday. It could mean a great auroral display, starting late tonight or early tomorrow morning … through Saturday. The series of tweet below show the progression of events starting at the sun and ending with CMEs headed to Earth. Stay informed with this week’s Sun News of the Week livestream at 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Friday, October 4. Click here to join.
Last 24 hours: Sun activity is high! During our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today), the sun reduced its flare production from 15 flares yesterday down to only five flares this time. But it was an X9 plus five M flares! There were no C flares. The background over the past day has been too high to have smaller flares. They were all overwhelmed by the big ones. The lead flare producers of the period – in terms of numbers of flares – are active regions AR3842 and AR3844, with two M flares each. The largest flare of the period and the largest X flare of Solar Cycle 25 so far was the X9 flare, at 12:18 UTC on October 3 from AR3842. The blast caused an  R3 (strong) radio blackout that affected an area over the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa.This is the list of the X and M flares:
X9 at 12:18 UTC on October 3 from AR3842. R3 (strong) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. The largest.
M1.5 at 17:21 UTC on October 3 from AR3844. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Ecuador.
M6.7 at 20:28 UTC on October 3 from AR3843. R2 (moderate) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean west of Galapagos.
M2.3 at 21:41 UTC on October 3 from AR3844. R3 (strong) radio blackout in the middle of nowhere over the Pacific Ocean.
M1.2 at 00:17 UTC on October 4 from AR3841. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean.
M4.0 at 04:43 UTC on October 4 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indonesia.
The sun has eight numbered sunspot regions on its Earth-facing side. Three active regions show a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, AR3842 in the southwest, AR3844 in the southwest and AR3848 in the northeast limb (edge). AR3843 kept its beta-delta configuration.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? WOW! Today’s X9 flare happened close to disk center. Meaning a material that blasted off the Sun could be headed our way. This blob of sun stuff is what could cause auroras if it reaches Earth. Here is a video of 4 different wavelengths. Also, there is a… pic.twitter.com/wzoNvugx0m

— Dr. C. Alex Young (@TheSunToday) October 4, 2024

MOST POWERFUL FLARE IN SOLAR CYCLE 25.

It was X9.0 in GOES X-ray measurement. It was quite eruptive, leaving a coronal wave. The eruption/CME seemed to result from magnetic reconnection rather than ideally from a pre-existing flux rope. It may come in less than 3 days. pic.twitter.com/1EedHVlmmg

— Halo CME (@halocme) October 3, 2024

Solar Orbiter @ESASolarOrbiter was in a great position to catch the recent X-class flare activity; in a quadrature configuration with Earth. @EuiTelescope and @stix_so see the event on the limb, whilst Earth observers see it disk-center! pic.twitter.com/LoKvz7E59K

— Dr Adam Finley (@AdamF_Astro) October 3, 2024

AR3842 launched another Earth-directed CME following the X9 flare earlier today.

COR imagery is a bit messy to analyze and measure due to other eruptions occurring at the same time. Modeling is underway with some outputs already available, but I will dive more into a potential… pic.twitter.com/FY8eYzAz12

— ?? Sara Housseal ?? (@SNHWx) October 3, 2024

G3 Watches 4-6 Oct due to G3 potential with CME arrivals. These CMEs have been analyzed and Earth-directed components are likely. The model run includes arrival of today’s CME later on the 5 Oct UTC day with passage continuing into 6 Oct. Visit https://t.co/YLUbTRM02y for more. pic.twitter.com/ewqizV37kw

— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) October 3, 2024

Sun news October 3: Auroras! Friday night lights?

Tuesday’s huge X7.1 solar flare sent a chunk of sun-stuff – a coronal mass ejection – toward Earth. It’s expected to glance our magnetic field sometime between late today and early Saturday, with an arrival tomorrow looking most likely. A G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm is anticipated, with the possibility of G3 (strong) storming. And that could mean auroral displays well into the northern US states! Good luck, aurora hunters.
Last 24 hours: Seven M flares over the past day kept solar activity at high levels. Between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today we saw the sun produce a total of 15 flares: seven Ms and eight C flares. The largest was an M3.3 flare at 20:51 UTC on October 2 from AR3842. An R1 (minor) radio blackout affected an area in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Active regions AR3841 and AR3842 share the honors as lead flare producers with six flares each. This is the list of the M flares:
M3.2 at 13:38 UTC on October 2 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.
M1.4 at 20:15 UTC on October 2 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout affecting an area in the middle of the Pacific Ocean west of the Galapagos.
M3.3 at 20:51 UTC on October 2 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout affecting an area in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
M1.1 at 2:34 UTC on October 3 from AR3841. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Papua Guinea.
M1.5 at 3:41 UTC on October 3 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indonesia.
M1.5 at 8:28 UTC on October 3 from AR3841. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar.
M1.5 at 8:36 UTC on October 3 from AR3842. R1 (minor) radio blackout over Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
The Earth-facing solar disk currently has 10 active regions. AR3842, the recent X flare-producer, is showing the potential for more big flaring with a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity. Three other active regions have a promising delta in their configurations: AR3841, AR3843, and AR3848. The rest of the sunspot regions show either alpha or beta configurations. There is a newcomer on the northeast limb (edge) labelled AR3848.

Sun news October 2: Huge X flare! Snap, Crackle, Pow

Pow! A massive X7.15 flare erupted at 22:20 UTC last night from sunspot region AR3842 in the solar southeast. The region had been churning and building energy over recent days, popping off several M flares … then it released this X flare, the 26th biggest flare recorded since 1996! Early analysis shows an associated coronal mass ejection (CME) that is fast but relatively small. It is currently expected to reach Earth on October 4–5, but we await more detailed analysis. In all the X flare excitement, don’t forget there is an annular solar eclipse today. Join us for a watch party from 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC).
Last 24 hours: Solar activity remains high thanks to the X7.1 flare on October 1 at 22:20 UTC from sunspot region AR3842. An R3 radio blackout occurred over the Pacific Ocean northeast of Micronesia. The flare had an associated Type II radio burst, which is associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This provides a CME speed estimate of 1246 km/s, which is fast. We still await coronagraph imagery to fully analyze any CME activity, but there does appear to be a minor CME that will arrive around October 4. Region AR3842 is by far the largest and most complex of the ten regions currently on the Earth-facing sun, with a high-potential beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity. It was the lead flare producer of the past day with nine flares: an X flare, three Ms and five C flares. M-class activity was also observed from AR3841, AR3843, and an unlabeled region in the northeast. Regions AR3841, AR3843, AR3844, and AR3848 all experienced moderate growth and are showing slightly complex beta-gamma and beta-delta regions. The rest of the regions are either stable or slightly decaying, with alpha or beta complexities. The sun produced 21 flares between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today: 1 X, 6 Ms, and 14 C flares. This list of X and M flares is:
M1.0 on October 1 at 14:52 from AR3843, R1 radio blackout over the north of Brazil.
M1.5 on October 1 at 19:17 from AR3842, R1 radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean off the southwest shore of Galapagos.
X7.1 on October 1 at 22:20 from AR3842, R3 radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean northeast of Micronesia.
M1.1 on October 1 at 01:52 from AR3842, R1 radio blackout over the Solomon Sea.
M1.3 on October 1 at 02:39 from AR3841, R1 radio blackout over Papua New Guinea.
M3.6 on October 2 at 05:38 from AR3842, R1 radio blackout over the Indian Sea off the west coast of Sumatra.
M1.1 on October 2 at 06:24 from the NE, R1 radio blackout over the Indian Ocean east of the Maldives.

Large-scale eruption associated with the X7.15 flare. Not surprising as almost all the >X3 flares at least show some CME-related signatures. I am glad the venue of the Space Climate 9 conference (https://t.co/DQbjNIN8Gc) offers nice connectivity and power (for each seat!). pic.twitter.com/kcBYAfjdGW

— Halo CME (@halocme) October 2, 2024

The M2M model of this CME is still preliminary and subject to change, but this does not look as significant as one may expect from an X7.1 flare… just goes to show that a major solar flare does not always equal a major CME.

Impact estimated for 2024-10-05 at 3:00 UTC. pic.twitter.com/TtmDKOmoj7

— Vincent Ledvina (@Vincent_Ledvina) October 2, 2024

Sun news October 1: Flares and filaments raise activity

After a lull in solar activity, the sun has kicked it up a notch. We’ve seen a surge of activity over the past day, with an M7.7 flare and a lot of fiery filaments – ropes of solar material and magnetic fields – across the solar disk. Many of these filaments erupted into space, although none were fired our way. Several filaments hanging over the limb (edge) of the sun, which we call prominences, appear to be ready to erupt too. We’ll keep an eye on those, so stay tuned for more sun news.

Last 24 hours: Over the past day, sun activity was high, with an M7.7 flare fired at 23:59 UTC on September 30 by AR3842. An R1 radio blackout over Micronesia followed. The sun produced 16 flares between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today: 1 M and 15 C flares. AR3842 has maintained its high-potential beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity. All other regions have simple alpha or beta magnetic complexities. The Earth-facing sun currently has nine sunspot regions.

Sun news September 30: Happy perihelion, Parker Solar Probe!

Happy perihelion, Parker Solar Probe (PSP)! Today is near the central point in the period of the spacecraft’s last perihelion before its last Venus flyby, #7, on November 6, 2024, and its closest approach on December 24, 2024. In this perihelion, #21, PSP reaches a close approach at the same distance as its previous four. During perihelion #21, PSP is 7.9 million kilometers (4,908,832 miles) from the sun, traveling at 176 km/s (633,600 kph or 393,701 mph). In order to change its orbit to make a closer approach to the sun during a perihelion, PSP needs the assistance of the planet Venus, a gravity assist. Venus flyby #7 is the last assist that will enable PSP to reach its closest distance, perihelion #22, on December 24, 2024. The spacecraft will have additional perihelions, but they will not be any closer than #22. Go Parker Solar Probe. An amazing spacecraft that continues to provide a new and exciting picture of our star, the sun.

Last 24 hours: Solar activity is moderate with three M flares . Over the past day, the sun produced 11 flares, three M and eight C flares. Region AR3842 produced the strongest event of the period, an M1.8 flare on September 29 at 14:24 UTC. The region also produced a nearly concurrent M1.7 flare at 14:41 UTC. They created R1 radio blackouts over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America. Region AR3843 produced an M1.0 flare at 12:53 UTC and also produced an R1 radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean. AR3842 has beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity. AR3836 has beta-gamma magnetic complexity. The remaining numbered active regions were either mostly stable or in gradual decay with beta magnetic complexity. The sun has eight sunspot regions.

The sun in recent days

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Bottom line: Sun news update for October 8, 2024. Two X flares, auroras, and a comet. What a day! Did you see any auroras?