Sun news: Multiple bursts of sun-stuff approaching Earth

Sun news August 6: Confirmed, solar material approaching Earth

Today’s top story: It’s now confirmed. Several bursts of solar material – coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – are heading our way at Earth. The first arrival should come on August 7. However, effects may extend through August 9.

These are all the chunks of solar stuff we’ve been reporting after several filament eruptions during the week, from August 3 to yesterday. These are weak, faint CMEs, but their impact could be outsized because they’re arriving one after another. Combined with fast solar wind from a coronal hole, they could disturb our magnetic field up to G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm levels.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 5 – 11 UTC August 6)

Flare activity: Sun activity dropped to very low levels. Our star produced only B-class flares over the past day, five in total.

• Strongest flare: A B9.2 from active region AR4498 at 15:30 UTC on August 5.
• Lead flare producer: Active sunspot region AR4498 produced two of the five B flares of the period. Meanwhile, AR4499, AR4500, and AR4502 each produced one.

Sunspot regions: Currently, the sun shows four numbered active regions on its Earth-viewed side. The newcomer we reported yesterday now has an official number, AR4503. All the numbered regions on the disk show beta configurations. Moreover, all are mostly stable and show signs of decay.

• AR4498 (beta): This region decayed a little.
• AR4499 (beta): This region is decreasing in length and area. It is also ready to depart to the far side.
• AR4502 (beta): This region showed consolidation in its trailing spots.
• AR4503 (beta): This region now sits too close to the southeast horizon for a complete analysis. Observations will continue.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted no newer CMEs during the past 24 hours. However, the CMEs the sun hurled into space starting on August 3 may begin arriving at Earth on August 7. They should provide minor glancing blows that could continue through August 9.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds averaged moderate to moderate-low levels during the whole period. There was no significant space weather to report.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field continued at weak levels during the period. Meanwhile, the Bz component pointed mostly southward throughout most of the period. Even so, the southward peaks stayed weak. As a result, no G1 (minor) enhancements occurred.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field held at very low levels (Kp 0–1) during the period. At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits slightly above level 1.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: Forecasters expect very low levels of solar activity to continue through August 8. Chances for M-class (moderate) flares dropped from 20% yesterday to 10% today. Meanwhile, the chance for X-class (strong) flares remains very low, at 1%.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• August 6: Anticipate quiet conditions (Kp 0–2) for the rest of the day. A return to near-background solar wind levels is likely.
• August 7: Conditions may increase to unsettled-to-active levels, with isolated chances for a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. The recent filament activity hurled more solar material into space, which may deliver a weak glancing blow. Combined with fast solar wind from a coronal hole, that should provoke enhancements.
• August 8: Unsettled-to-active conditions may extend through the day.

Sun news August 5: Time for a Solar Cycle 25 update

It’s time for a new Solar Cycle 25 update! NOAA has now released the sunspot number – a measure of long-term solar activity – for July 2026. The number came in at 78.1, a decrease from June 2026’s 94.4. Why the drop? We did see a monster sunspot region like AR4493, plus the production of an X flare and a number of M flares. However, we only saw one day when the solar disk had 10 or more numbered sunspot regions on the side we see from Earth. And on most days through July, we counted just two or three. All of this contributed to the lower final sunspot number. Meanwhile, the peak of Solar Cycle 25 remains August 2024, with a sunspot value of 216.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 4 – 11 UTC August 5)

Flare activity: With only C-class and B-class flares fired over the past day, activity stays at very low. Our star produced a total of 11 flares: five C-class and six B-class. Compared to only three minor flares yesterday, that’s a noticeable jump.

• Strongest flare: A C1.7 from active region AR4502 at 6:22 UTC on August 5.
• Lead flare producer: A newcomer sunspot region on the southeast shoulder of the horizon, as yet unnumbered, topped the list. It fired four flares during this period: two Cs and two B flares.

Sunspot regions: The side of the solar disk we see from Earth shows five numbered active regions today.

• AR4498 (beta): This region lost its delta magnetic complexity. Today it shows a simpler beta configuration. It remains the largest in extent, though it suffered some fragmentation in its leader sunspot.
• AR4496 (alpha): This region has fully rotated to the far side.
• AR4499 (beta): This region showed signs of decay during this period.
• AR4500 (beta): This region exhibited some decay in its leading spot.
• AR4501 (beta): This region showed losses in its trailing spots.
• AR4502 (beta): This region continued showing significant growth over the past 24 hours.

Blasts from the sun? Observers continued to spot several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the past 24 hours. All of these CMEs came from lifting filament eruptions. Modeling and analysis continues. A minor glancing blow from this sun-stuff might occur on August 9.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds averaged moderate-low levels during the whole period. There was no significant space weather to report.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field showed weak strength during the period. Meanwhile, the Bz component pointed mostly northward throughout, with a few southward peaks. All in all, both orientations stayed weak.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field held at very low levels (Kp 0–1) during the period. At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits slightly above level 0.

Sun news August 4: Several bursts of sun-stuff fired from our star

Sun activity returned to very low levels in terms of flare production, with just one C (common) flare and two B (weak) flares fired over the past day. However, the solar disk still put on a show. Intense action from fiery filaments – long ropes of solar material – caused several eruptions.

Observers spotted several chunks of solar stuff, or coronal mass ejections (CMEs), soaring into space during these events. So far, specialists don’t foresee any major impacts to Earth, but modeling and analysis is ongoing. Stay with us and we will keep you updated.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 3 – 11 UTC August 4)

Flare activity: Flare activity dropped to very low levels and production decreased overall. Our star produced only three minor flares: one C-class (common) and two B-class (weak) flares during the period.

• Strongest flare: A C1.4 from active region AR4498 at 11:33 UTC on August 3.
• Lead flare producer: AR4498 topped the list, firing two flares during this period: the C1.4 mentioned above, plus a B flare. Meanwhile, an incoming, as-yet-unnumbered region sparked the second B flare of the period.

Sunspot regions: Currently, the solar disk displays 6 numbered active regions on the side we see from Earth.

• AR4498 (beta-delta): This region kept its delta configuration. It also remained the largest and most magnetically complex on the visible disk. For now, it’s attracting all the attention.
• AR4496 (alpha): This sunspot region now sits over the west horizon, poised to depart to the far side. It showed stability with a simpler alpha configuration.
• AR4499 (beta): This region showed growth in its trailing spots.
• AR4500 (beta): This region produced no flare activity and shows some signs of decay.
• AR4501 (beta): This region showed the most growth during the period. Therefore, it warrants monitoring in the coming days.
• AR4502 (beta): This region showed significant growth over the past 24 hours.
• AR4492: All gone. It has fully rotated out of view.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the past 24 hours, associated with lifting filament eruptions. So far, they have detected no clearly Earth-directed CMEs. Nevertheless, modeling and analysis continue.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds averaged moderate-low levels during the whole period, as effects from the CME began to wane.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field was moderate for most of the period. Meanwhile, the Bz component pointed mostly southward during the whole period. That orientation opened the door for significant energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to active levels (Kp 2–4) during the period. Effects of the passing CME showed up as a Kp 4 level. Conditions first reached that threshold at 21 UTC on August 3. At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits at level 3, as CME enhancements continue to wane.

Sun news August 3: Big sun blast sparks geomagnetic storm and auroras

Earth’s magnetic field lit up yesterday from a huge blast of solar material and magnetic fields from the sun. A coronal mass ejection (CME) slammed into our planet’s magnetosphere around midday on August 2. Forecasters believe the impact was either a slow-moving CME launched on July 27, or a glancing blow from a July 30 eruption. Either way, it drove geomagnetic storm conditions to G2 (moderate) levels. As a result, auroral displays became possible across northern Scotland, Scandinavia, and similar high-latitude locations. Did you see them? Post your photo to our community page!

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 2 – 11 UTC August 3)

Flare activity: The sun itself took a breather over the past day. Flare production remained at low levels, with only minor C-class (common) or weaker flares recorded. Observers logged 2 C-class and 2 B-class (weak) flares during the period.

• Strongest flare: NOAA noted a C6.3 flare from an area around the northwest limb at 05:35 UTC on August 2 as the largest event of the broader 24-hour summary. But it fell just before our reporting window. Within the 11 UTC to 11 UTC window, the strongest flare was a C1.3 from sunspot region AR4492 at 14:41 UTC on August 2.
• In addition, sunspot region AR4498 fired a C1.0 flare at 00:39 UTC on August 3.

Sunspot regions: The Earth-facing solar disk displayed approximately seven to 10 numbered active regions during the period. The SIDC identified ten groups, while NOAA focused on the most significant ones.

• AR4498 (beta-delta): This region continued as the largest and most magnetically complex on the visible disk. It features a moderately large lead spot, plus a cluster of peripheral minor spots to the south that includes a weak delta configuration. As it approaches center disk, it remains the primary source for elevated flare potential.
• AR4499: Located just northeast of AR4498, this region drew the SIDC’s attention as the most magnetically complex (beta-delta). It also produced most of the minor flaring activity. But it showed overall weakening in recent imagery.
• AR4501 (beta): This region showed the most growth during the period. So it warrants monitoring in the coming days.
• AR4492: This region produced the C6.3 and C1.3 flares. But it now sits at the extreme northwest limb and is rotating out of view.
• Finally, a moderate-size bipolar region in the southwest quadrant, likely AR4496, provided some additional flare potential. Even so, it showed recent decay in its trailing portion. The remaining regions stayed relatively simpler, smaller and largely stable, with only minor changes.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in available coronagraph imagery during the period. They did catalog one non-Earth-directed CME.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: A CME-driven interplanetary shock dramatically reshaped solar wind conditions when it arrived at 11:29 UTC on August 2. Before the shock, solar wind speeds sat at a sluggish 290 km/s. The shock then drove speeds sharply to about 350 km/s. From there, they climbed unsteadily to a peak of 440 km/s by 17:17 UTC. Afterward, speeds eased below 400 km/s following 22:00 UTC. Solar wind density also jumped from 4 to 33 particles per cubic centimeter during the shock arrival.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field jumped from 4 nT to about 14 nT at shock onset. It eventually peaked at a strong 22 nT around 15:00 UTC. Meanwhile, the Bz component initially dropped to –8 nT. Then it plunged to –17 nT at 15:02 UTC. That deeply southward orientation opened the door for significant energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere. By around 19 UTC, the Bz rotated northward and stayed mostly moderate in strength.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field stayed quiet (Kp 0–2) during the first half of the past day. Then it responded vigorously to the CME arrival. Conditions escalated rapidly, reaching G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm levels (Kp 6) between approximately 12:00–21:00 UTC on August 2. Across multiple three-hour synoptic periods, Kp ranged from 3–5, meaning active to G1 (minor) storm conditions. Notably, the peak storm interval coincided with the deeply southward Bz near 15:00 UTC. After the Bz rotated northward around 19:00 UTC, activity gradually subsided. Aurora may have appeared over locations such as Edinburgh, northern England and similar latitudes. However, short summer nights limited viewing opportunities.

The sun in recent days

Earlier sun images

Sun images from our community

We sometimes feature sun images obtained using hydrogen-alpha filters. Read why.

Bottom line: Sun news August 6, 2026: Confirmed! Several faint CMEs – bursts of sun-stuff – are heading our way, arriving August 7-9. Expect active levels and G1 storm chances.

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