Sun news: Our star awakens with an M flare

Sun news November 6: Our star awakens with an M flare

Today’s top story: Bam, M flare! After days of only weak B-class flares, the sun finally woke up yesterday evening. The M3.5 flare came from sunspot region AR4566, which we’ve been watching since it developed a high-potential beta-gamma-delta magnetic setup. Now, it’s starting to deliver. The flare, which peaked at 18:33 UTC yesterday, hurled a chunk of sun-stuff into space, called a coronal mass ejection (CME). Specialists are currently working out if any of this material could be headed our way. Initial analysis says no, but we’ll bring you the final word as soon as it’s in.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC November 5 – 11 UTC November 6)

Flare activity: Moderate. Our star sparked 13 flares over the past 24 hours: one M-class (moderate), 11 C-class (common) and one B-class (weak) flare.

• Strongest flare: M3.5 from AR4566, peaking at 18:33 UTC on November 5. Shortly after, an R1 (minor) radio blackout hit an area over the Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of Peru.
• Lead flare producer: Newcomer AR4568 took the top spot with seven flares, all C-class. AR4566 followed with five flares: the M3.5, the period’s strongest, plus four C flares.

Sunspot regions: The sun now shows five numbered regions on its Earth-facing side. Forecasters numbered one newcomer this period, AR4568, in the southeast quadrant.

• AR4564 (beta): This small region stayed stable and produced no flares.
• AR4565 (beta): This region produced no flares during our observation period.
• AR4566 (beta-gamma-delta): This region held on to its complex magnetic setup and produced the period’s strongest flare. It still has the potential to produce M (moderate) and even X (strong) flares.
• AR4567 (beta): This region in the northwest quadrant stayed stable and produced no flares.
• AR4568 (beta): This newcomer emerged from plage in the southeast. It grew quickly and became the period’s lead flare producer.

Blasts from the sun? All eyes are on the coronal mass ejection (CME) that followed the M3.5 flare from AR4566. Analysts need more coronagraph imagery to tell whether any part of it is heading toward Earth.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds stayed low on average during the period. However, they might start climbing late today or early tomorrow. That’s when fast solar wind from the large L-shaped coronal hole we showed on November 3 should begin to arrive.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field (Bt) stayed weak on average, with isolated peaks reaching moderate levels. Meanwhile, the Bz component pointed mostly south at the start of our observation period. Then, from 23 UTC on November 5 to 4:30 UTC on November 6, it turned north. After that, it swung south again and stayed there through the time of this report. Extended periods of southward Bz favor energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to unsettled, with Kp index values of 0 to 3. At the time of this report, Kp sits just below 3.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: Forecasters expect low activity with a chance of moderate activity through November 6. The chance of C-class flares stands at 55% today. Meanwhile, M flares have a 20% chance and X flares a 10% chance. AR4566, with its beta-gamma-delta configuration, is still the most likely source of a big flare.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• November 6: Unsettled to active conditions anticipated for the rest of the day (Kp up to 4). Late today, there’s a slight chance of a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm interval as fast solar wind from the large coronal hole begins to arrive.
• November 7: Active conditions expected, with G1 to G2 (minor to moderate) storm levels possible. A glancing blow from the slow CME launched on November 1 may combine with the fast coronal hole wind. As a result, high-latitude aurora watchers in places such as northern Scotland and Scandinavia could get a show.
• November 8: Active conditions may continue through the day as fast solar wind from the large coronal hole keeps streaming in.

Sun news November 5: Sharp drop for Solar Cycle 25

NOAA has just released the sunspot number — a measure of long-term solar activity — for October, and it reveals another sharp decline. The monthly sunspot number fell to 45.7 from September’s 60.3, a drop of about 25% in a single month.

So where does that leave Solar Cycle 25? The cycle’s highest single monthly value came in August 2024, at 216. And when we smooth out the month-to-month ups and downs, the cycle’s official maximum landed in October 2024. Since then, sunspot numbers have been trending down. In other words, the sun is now firmly in the declining phase of its cycle.

Forecasters expect the decline to continue until solar minimum around 2030, when Solar Cycle 26 will begin. But along the way, the declining phase can still deliver big flares and strong storms.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC November 4 – 11 UTC November 5)

Flare activity: Low. Our star sparked 10 flares over the past 24 hours: two C-class (common) and eight B-class (weak) flares.

• Strongest flare: C2.3 from an as-yet-unnumbered region rotating in on the southeast limb (edge), peaking at 17:34 UTC on November 4.
• Lead flare producer: AR4566 stayed at the top of the list with four B flares. Surprisingly, though, the newcomer in the southeast fired both C flares, not the magnetically complex AR4566.

Sunspot regions: The sun now shows four numbered regions on its Earth-facing side. A newcomer emerged in the northwest quadrant, and forecasters numbered it AR4567.

• AR4564 (beta magnetic configuration): This small region bounced back. It grew, gained trailing spots and moved up from alpha to beta. It also produced one B9.7 flare this period.
• AR4565 (beta): This region produced no flares during our observation period. However, it grew and moved up from alpha to beta.
• AR4566 (beta-gamma-delta): This region held on to its complex magnetic setup and remained the lead flare producer. It can still produce M (moderate) and even X (strong) flares.
• AR4567 (beta): This newcomer emerged suddenly in the northwest quadrant.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted no coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in available coronagraph imagery during this period.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds started at low-moderate levels and slowly eased to low levels during the period. Meanwhile, the large L-shaped coronal hole we showed on November 3 is rotating into an Earth-facing position. Because it’s so large, its fast solar wind may start reaching Earth soon.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field stayed weak on average. Meanwhile, the Bz component flipped between north and south for most of the period, though southward swings won out. At the time of this writing, Bz points south. Extended periods of southward Bz favor energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to unsettled, with Kp index values of 1 to 3. At the time of this report, Kp sits just below 2.

Sun news November 4: Sunspot region rapidly grows stronger

Sunspot region AR4566 rotated into view over the sun’s southeast horizon yesterday, and it’s showing great potential. It has quickly become the sun’s top flare producer for two days running. And this region is growing fast. In just one day, it jumped from a simple beta magnetic configuration to beta-gamma-delta, the most complex magnetic setup a sunspot region can have. In other words, its magnetic fields are tangled and packed tightly together. That’s the recipe for bigger M-class (moderate) and even X-class (strong) flares. So AR4566 is the one to watch. Let’s see what this guy has in store!

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC November 3 – 11 UTC November 4)

Flare activity: Low. Our star sparked 12 flares during this period: two C-class (common) and 10 B-class (weak) flares.

• Strongest flare: C1.2 from AR4566, peaking at 6:54 UTC on November 4.
• Lead flare producer: AR4566 stayed at the top of the list. It produced six flares: both C flares and four B flares.

Sunspot regions: The sun shows three numbered regions on its Earth-facing side.

• AR4564 (alpha magnetic configuration): This small region continued to decay. It produced no flares this period.
• AR4565 (alpha): This region remained stable during our observation period.
• AR4566 (beta-gamma-delta): This region kept growing quickly. Yesterday it showed a beta configuration. Today it reached beta-gamma-delta, the most complex magnetic class. As a result, it could produce M (moderate) and even X (strong) flares.

Blasts from the sun? SOHO’s LASCO C2 coronagraph caught a slow coronal mass ejection (CME) at around 11:30 UTC on November 3. However, no flare on the Earth-facing side lined up with it, so it likely came from an eruption on the sun’s far side. That means it isn’t heading our way. Besides that, observers spotted no other CMEs in available coronagraph imagery.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds stayed low for most of the period. However, by the time of this report, they had picked up slightly to low-moderate levels.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field started the period weak. Then, at around 2 UTC on November 4, it strengthened to moderate levels. Meanwhile, the Bz component pointed south for most of the period, with a couple of brief northward swings. It still points south at the time of this writing. A southward Bz favors energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to unsettled, with Kp index values of 0 to 3. At the time of this report, Kp sits at 3.

Sun news November 3: How a quiet sun stirs up auroras

The sun is in a quiet stretch. Only three small sunspot regions dot its face, and none fired anything stronger than a weak B-class flare today. Yet in the coming days, we could see auroras light up high-latitude skies. How can a quiet sun still stir up auroras? The answer is coronal holes.

Coronal holes are regions in the sun’s atmosphere, or corona, where the magnetic field opens into space instead of looping back down. As a result, high-speed streams of solar wind escape freely along those open field lines. In extreme ultraviolet images, coronal holes look like dark patches because the escaping plasma leaves them cooler and less dense.

When a fast stream reaches Earth, it can rattle our planet’s magnetic field. As the magnetic field inside the stream ripples back and forth, the north-south component — which scientists call the Bz — swings south again and again. Each southward swing opens the door for solar wind energy to pour into Earth’s magnetic bubble. And when these charged solar particles collide with gases in our atmosphere, the air molecules can glow, forming what we see as auroras.

And this scenario could happen this week. A weak solar wind stream from a coronal hole might arrive around November 5. And, combined with a glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection (CME) launched on November 1, it could trigger auroras at high latitudes. Keep watching the skies!

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC November 2 – 11 UTC November 3)

Flare activity: Very low. The sun fired five flares during this period, all B-class (weak).

• Strongest flare: B8.0 from AR4566, peaking at 22:08 UTC on November 2.
• Lead flare producer: AR4566 took the top spot, with three B flares, including the strongest.

Sunspot regions: Our star now shows three numbered regions on its Earth-facing side. A newcomer rotated into view on the southeast limb, and forecasters numbered it AR4566.

• AR4564 (alpha): This small region continued to decay. It simplified from beta to alpha and produced no flares this period.
• AR4565 (alpha): This region produced only one B flare.
• AR4566 (beta): This newcomer rotated into view on the sun’s southeast limb, or edge. Before it appeared, it was already active on the far side, launching the jets we reported on October 31. It quickly became the period’s top flare producer.

Blasts from the sun? Analysts finished modeling the coronal mass ejection (CME) that erupted around 15 UTC on November 1. They found a component heading toward Earth. As a result, it might deliver a weak glancing blow on November 5. Meanwhile, observers spotted no other CMEs in available coronagraph imagery.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds dropped from moderate to low levels during the period. That’s because a positive-polarity coronal hole high-speed stream continued to fade.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The total interplanetary magnetic field (Bt) stayed weak on average. The Bz component pointed south until 17 UTC on November 2. It then turned north and stayed there until 2:30 UTC this morning. After that, it swung south again for the rest of the period. A southward Bz favors energy transfer into Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field returned to quiet levels during the period, with Kp index values of 0 to 2. At the time of this report, Kp sits at 2.

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Bottom line: Sun news November 6, 2026: Bam! Sunspot AR4566 fired an M3.5 flare and sent sun-stuff soaring into space. Is any heading to Earth?

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