EarthSun

Sun news: Now, 2 coronal holes on the Earth-facing sun

Sun news February 8, 2025. A 2nd large coronal hole has formed in the sun’s southeast quadrant. Image via SDO.

Sun news for February 7 – February 8. Now, 2 coronal holes on the Earth-facing sun

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

And then there were two! A new, large coronal hole has formed in the sun’s southeast quadrant. And we’ve been observing another one during the past week, which has moved into geoeffective position, that is, a position where it’s capable of affecting Earth. Especially, coronal holes play an important role in space weather, the conditions in near-Earth space (especially electromagnetic radiation and charged particles emitted by the sun) that can affect human technologies. For instance, fast solar wind from coronal holes can provoke disturbances in Earth’s geomagnetic field, sometimes spawning auroral displays. Therefore, when combined with incoming blobs of solar material (CMEs) the results can be dramatic … as with the huge geomagnetic storm back in May 2024 and the one in October 2024.

Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity deja vu! Just like yesterday and the day before, as we write this article, the sun has produced an M flare to keep solar activity at moderate over the past 24 hours. The blast was an M2.1 produced at 9:27 UTC on February 8. The week’s lead flare producer – sunspot region AR3981 – produced it. Again today, AR3981 remains the leader. And this time, it produced eight flares, the mentioned M plus seven C flares. The M flare by AR3981 provoked an R1 (minor) radio blackout that affected an area over Madagascar.
  • The total number of flares in the past day was 15, including one M flares and 14 C flares.
  • There are 10 active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side. A new sunspot, AR3988, emerged in the southwest quadrant, near the intersection point of the central meridian and solar equator.
  • Active region AR3981 lost its delta and today it shows a beta-gamma magnetic configuration. But, it remains the largest region on the solar disk as seen from Earth. Soon to depart AR3981 is approaching the west limb (edge). AR3978 continues to display a beta-gamma configuration. The rest of the labeled active regions show either alpha or beta.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind remained at normal levels over the past day. Solar wind speed remains steady this time at 353 km/s (219 miles per second) as of 11 UTC on February 8.
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was mostly quiet at Kp = 1-2 over the past 24 hours. But, it suddenly went up to active levels (Kp = 4) in the couple of three-hour periods previous to this report.

 What’s ahead? Sun-Earth forecast

  • Moderate solar activity is expected over the next 24 hours. The chance of M flares is 70%. Furthermore, the chance for X flares is at 25% today.
  • Blasts from the sun? None of the M flares produced by AR3981 were detected with a component of the solar stuff coming our way at Earth. And no other coronal mass ejection (CME) is headed toward Earth at this time.
  • Geomagnetic activity forecast: Quiet-to-unsettled geomagnetic conditions are expected on February 8 as Earth’s magnetic field may be reached by a glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection (CME) hurled into space by the sun on February 2 extended through tomorrow.
February 8, 2025 Sun activity produced an M2.1 flare at 9:27 UTC on February 8. The producer was AR3981, the most prolific flare producer of the week. Subsequently, an R1 (minor) radio blackout was observed over Madagascar. GOES-16 SUVI 131 angstrom. Image via NOAA.
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 2 UTC on February 8, 2025. 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 for February 6 – February 7. Check out this image from GOES-19!

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, unveiled preliminary test images yesterday from the new GOES-19 satellite’s CCOR-1 instrument (the Compact Coronagraph, which uses an occulting disk to help capture white light imagery of the sun’s corona or outer atmosphere). GOES-19 launched in June, 2024. It’s been in its shakedown phase. The new images resemble those captured by SOHO’s LASCO C-3 imager, which has been operational since its launch in 1995. SWPC and NOAA plan to begin a regular series of operational images from GOES-19 – the ones that’ll be used by scientists – in April 2025. Scientists can’t wait! And neither can we. Meanwhile, on the sun itself, activity remains high. Read more below.

Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity remained at high levels over the past 24 hours. An M7.6 flare from AR3981 contributed to the heightened activity. The flare erupted at 9:21 UTC on February 7, triggering an R2 (moderate) radio blackout over the southwestern coast of Africa. AR3981 remains the most active region on the sun’s Earth-facing side. It produced 12 flares in the past day: three M (moderate) flares and nine C (common) flares.
  • The total number of flares in the past day was 21, including five M flares and 16 C flares.
  • There are 10 active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side. Furthermore, a new sunspot, AR3987, has emerged on the southeast limb near the solar equator.
  • Active region AR3981 retains its beta-gamma-delta configuration and remains the largest region on the solar disk as seen from Earth. But, AR3977 lost its gamma-delta and today shows a beta configuration. AR3978 continues to display a beta-gamma configuration while the rest of the labeled active regions show either alpha or beta.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind remained at normal levels over the past day. Solar wind speed remains steady at 438 km/s (272 miles per second) as of 11 UTC on February 7.
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was mostly quiet at Kp = 1-2 over the past 24 hours.

Sun news for January 6-7, 2025. NOAA SWPC released this preliminary GOES-19/CCOR-1 coronagraph image yesterday. Isn’t it cool? The video shows a filament eruption from the far side of the sun. The stream of operational images from GOES-19 are expected to begin in April 2025. Images via NOAA.

Sun news for January 6-7, 2025. AR3981 released an M7.6 flare at 9:21 UTC and caused an R2 radio blackout off the coast of South Africa. Images via NOAA.

Sun news for February 5 – February 6. Use eclipse glasses for sunspot region AR3981

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

As it’s crossed the sun’s Earth-facing disk this week, AR3981 has been living up to its potential. It produced an M7.5 flare this morning. That’s just shy of the X-class threshold! This high activity aligns with expectations given this region’s magnetic and physical complexity. And this region is big. Grab your eclipse glasses for safe solar viewing if you want to see it with your own eyes. Yes, AR3981 is large enough to be visible from Earth without magnification. But AR3981 isn’t alone on the Earth-facing solar disk in its potential. AR3977 now also exhibits a beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration. Though not as large as AR3981, AR3977 – part of the quintet of sunspot regions (AR3976, AR3977, AR3978, AR3981, and AR3984) – is becoming increasingly active. Overall, space weather analysts have increased the probability of X-class flares in the coming day from 20% to 25%. That’s a high potential. Stay tuned for more excitement.

Purchase your eclipse glasses here.

Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity jumped to high levels over the past 24 hours with an M7.5 flare from AR3981. This flare peaked at 11:02 UTC on February 6 and created an R2 (moderate) radio blackout over southern Africa. AR3981 remains the most active region on the sun’s Earth-facing side, having produced 10 C-class flares in the past day.
  • The number of flares jumped overall, to 22 in the past day, up from 13 the day before.
  • There are eight active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side. A newcomer, AR3986, has emerged on the northeast limb near the solar equator.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind has been at normal levels in the past 24 hours. Solar wind speed at 438 kilometers per second (272 miles per second) at the time of this report (11 UTC on February 6).
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was quiet (mostly Kp = 1-2) over the past 24 hours. However, a brief three-hour period reached unsettled levels (Kp = 3) at 3 UTC on February 6.
Sun news for February 5-6, 2025. Sunspot region AR3981 kept activity high over the past day with an M7.5 flare. The region remains the largest and most complex on the Earth-facing solar disk and is even visible from the ground using eclipse glasses or other forms of safe solar viewing. Image via SDO.
Sun news for February 5-6, 2025. Region AR3981 released an M7.5 flare just before 11 UTC on February 6. Image via NOAA.

Sun news for February 4 – February 5: All eyes remain on AR3981

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

Potent sunspot region AR3981 remains the one to watch on the sun. Even though its flare productivity decreased over the past day, and its growth slowed noticeably, there are more reasons to be excited about this region. Not only has AR3981 maintained its high-potential beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration, but its delta region shows signs of what’s called shearing. That means its opposite magnetic polarities are moving in opposite directions, increasing the overall complexity and potential energy of the sunspot region. In simple terms, AR3981 is becoming more prone to sudden releases of energy, aka flares. Stay tuned, as this region could bring excitement at any minute.

 Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity decreased to moderate levels over the past 24 hours. Flare productivity also decreased from 25 in the previous period to 13 in the past day: four M (moderate) flares and nine C (common) flares.
  • The largest flare was an M4.7 at 11:09 UTC on February 4 from AR3981. It caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout over Madagascar.
  • Sunspots: There are 10 active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side. There are three newcomers: AR3983, AR3984 and AR3985. AR3981 remains the most active.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind: Solar wind has been at normal levels in the past 24 hours, ranging from 400 km/s to 450 km/s (248 to 280 miles per second).
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was quiet (Kp = 0-1) over the past 24 hours.
Sun news for February 4-5, 2025. Sunspot region AR3981 remains the leading flare producer, firing 2 out of the 4 M flares of the period. That included the largest of the past day, an M4.7 flare at 11:09 UTC on February 4. The blast provoked an R1 (minor) radio blackout over Madagascar. AIA 131 angstrom. Image via SDO.
February 5, 2025. An M2.7 flare by AR3977 at 7:44 UTC on February 5 spewed this beautiful jet. Most of the plasma hurled out by the event returned back to the sun. GOES-16 SUVI 304 and 131 angstrom. Image via NOAA.
February 5, 2025. After the two large coronal holes we saw earlier this week decayed, a new large coronal hole has emerged on the northeast quadrant. GOES-16 SUVI 195 angstrom. Image via NOAA.

Sun news for February 3 – February 4: Meet growing sunspot region AR3981

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

Meet sunspot region AR3981! Activity remains high thanks to this region, which is now the largest and most complex of the eight sunspot groups on our star’s Earth-facing side. AR3981 has produced the most flares, and the biggest flares, over the past two days. As it moves closer to the center of the sun’s Earth-facing disk, its potential to affect Earth via the launch of blobs of solar materials and magnetic fields (aka CMEs) will rise. It hasn’t sent anything our way … yet. AR3981 first appeared on the solar disk on January 30, emerging in the sun’s northeast quadrant. It started with a simple alpha magnetic configuration, but rapidly grew to beta, soon gaining even more complexity. It now has a beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, signaling the capacity for large M flares and even X flares. Keep an eye on this sunspot region!

 Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity remained high over the past 24 hours. And flare productivity increased slightly, from 23 to 25: seven M (moderate) flares and 18 C (common) flares.
  • The largest flare was an M6.1 at 13:18 UTC on February 3 from AR3981. It caused an R2 (moderate) radio blackout over the South Atlantic Ocean.
  • Sunspots: There are eight active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side, with AR3981 the most active.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind: Solar wind from a large coronal hole is beginning to wane from 550 km/s to 450 km/s (340 to 280 miles per second) in the past 24 hours.
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was quiet (Kp = 0-1) over the past 24 hours.
Sun news February 4, 2025. All eyes turn to growing sunspot region AR3981, author of the largest M flare of the past day. HMI Intensitygram orange, HMI magnetogram colorized. Image via SDO.
February 4, 2025. Prolific active region AR3981 spent the whole day yesterday flaring M and C class flares. The AIA 131 angstrom wavelength shows the brightest ones, the M flares. Look at the largest, an M6.1 blasted at 13:18 UTC on February 4. Image via SDO.

Sun news for February 2 – February 3

(11 UTC to 11 UTC)

Sun activity has jumped to high after 12 M flares were fired over the past day, all of them from the same sunspot region! The prolific region, AR3981, has developed a high-potential beta-gamma-delta magnetic complexity, which is a sign that a region has the capacity for large M flares and even X flares. And, indeed, AR3981 came close to producing an X flare around 4 UTC this morning, blasting out an M8.8 flare (the X flare threshold is crossed at the equivalent of M10). This is definitely the region to watch!

 Sun-Earth highlights in the past day

  • Flare activity increased to high over the past day. Flare productivity increased too, climbing from 12 flares in the previous period to 23 over the past 24 hours: 12 M (moderate) flares and 11 C (common) flares.
  • The biggest flare was an M8.8 at 3:58 UTC on February 3 from AR3981. It caused an R2 (moderate) radio blackout over the northwest coast of Australia.
  • Sunspots: There are eight active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side, AR3981 being the most active.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind: Solar wind speeds reached just below 700 km/s (435 miles per second) in the past day. Earth received the fast solar wind from a large coronal hole we have been observing over recent days, although its effects have started to wane.
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroras) was mostly active (Kp = 4) over the past day.
February 3, 2025. Sun activity is high, with 12 M flares by the same single sunspot active region: AR3981. The largest was almost an X flare. It was an M8.8, blasted out at 3:58 UTC on February 2 by AR3981. The blast provoked an R2 (moderate) radio blackout over Australia. AIA 131 angstrom. Image via SDO.

Sun news for February 1 – February 2 (11 UTC to 11 UTC)

Solar activity dropped to moderate, with multiple C-class flares and the strongest event an M3.0 flare from Region AR3981. The northeast cluster of sunspots continues to be the primary source of activity, with magnetic interactions increasing flare potential. A high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole has arrived, pushing solar wind speeds beyond 600 km/s, contributing to unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions.

Sun-Earth highlights in past day

  • Flare activity decreased to moderate over the past day. Flare production decreased to 12 flares: two M (moderate) flares and 10 C (common) flares.
  • The biggest flare was an M3.0 at 10:12 UTC on February 2 from AR3981. It caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout over Southern Africa.
  • Sunspots: There are six active regions on the sun’s Earth-facing side, with AR3976, AR3977, and AR3981 the most active.
  • Blasts from the sun: No coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have struck Earth in the past day.
  • Solar wind: Solar wind speeds reached beyond 600 km/s (373 miles per second) in the past day. Earth started to receive the fast solar wind from that large coronal hole we have been observing.
  • Geomagnetic activity: The interplanetary magnetic field (a critical factor in creating auroral displays) was unsettled to active.
Sun news.
Sun news for February 1-2, 2025. The sun activity has been moderate but exciting with two M flares, associated CMEs and a radio burst. In addition, fast solar wind from a coronal hole has reached Earth. We may see some geomagnetic activity are aurora in the next 1-2 days. Clear skies! Images via SDO and SOHO.

For sun activity prior to this date, see our January archive.

The sun in recent days

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 February 7, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.
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 February 6, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.
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 February 5, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.

Earlier sun images

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 1 UTC on February 4, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.
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 1 UTC on February 3, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.
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 3 UTC on February 2, 2025. Image via NASA/SDO.

Sun images from our community

The sun, seen as a large white sphere with small dark spots.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Patricio León in Santiago, Chile, captured this filtered image of the sun on February 7, 2025. Patricio wrote: “Most of AR3981 neighbours vanished from sight, leaving it quite isolated. On the other extreme, the dark core of AR3986 is about the only appreciable newcomer in the eastern hemisphere, so the sun is getting quite blank again.” Thank you, Patricio!
The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with a mottled surface.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jim Militello in Tucson, Arizona, captured this filtered image of the sun on February 7, 2025. Jim wrote: “Hydrogen-alpha image of the sun showing sunspots, active regions and filaments.” Thank you, Jim!
The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with a mottled surface.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this filtered image on February 7, 2025. Mario wrote: “Hydrogen-alpha image of the sun with some nice filaments and prominences.” Thank you, Mario!
The sun, seen as a sectional gray sphere with a mottled surface.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rossana Miani in Padova, Italy, captured this filtered image in hydrogen-alpha on February 6, 2025. Rossana wrote: “Solar prominence taken at 11.45 am local time. The size is probably over 200,000 km. Definitely impressive!” Thank you, Rossana!
The sun, seen as two spheres, one blue and one yellow.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona, captured these 2 filtered images of the sun in calcium-K (left) and white light (right) on February 5, 2025. Eliot wrote: “Massive complex sunspots that should be prone to a strong flare that I waited in vain all day to see. Left, calcium image, right, white light.” Thank you, Eliot!
The sun, seen as a large yellow sphere with small dark spots, each numbered.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hawkes in Sheffield, United Kingdom, captured this filtered image of the sun on February 4, 2025. David wrote: “Conditions tricky today with widespread cloud but managed to thread the needle and get this shot before the clouds rolled in. Super sunspot region including AR3981 and others still holds sway in the northern hemisphere, promising more activity.” Thank you, David!
A sun close-up, seen as a sectional yellow sphere with a mottled surface.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Egidio Vergani in Milano, Italy, captured this hydrogen-alpha filtered image of the sun on February 3, 2025. Egidio wrote: “The sun with a flare on February 3, 2025. Observing the sun, with adequate instruments and eye protection, is always spectacular.” Thank you, Egidio!

Are you a fan of sun images? We invite you all to send us your beautiful recent photos of sunspots and auroras. We love receiving them and sharing them! And to those of you who’ve already posted a photo to our community page, thank you.

Submit photos here

View community photos here

Bottom Line: Sun news February 8, 2025. A new, large coronal formed in the sun’s southeast quadrant. Coronal holes play an important role in space weather.

Posted 
February 8, 2025
 in 
Earth

Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.

Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More from 

C. Alex Young

View All