Sun news: Wham! A huge filament eruption in the northeast

Sun news July 8: Wham! A huge filament eruption in the northeast

(11 UTC July 7 – 11 UTC July 8)

Today’s top story: Wham! A huge fiery eruption lit up the solar northeast. This is the same area we watched yesterday, when a fiery prominence erupted almost in sync with another in the opposite direction. And today it did it again. But this time the eruption was much bigger and stronger. No flare accompanied this powerful blast. And no sunspot region sits near the area. Instead, a lifting filament erupted violently, forming this gorgeous, fiery prominence. It is a beautiful reminder that the sun does not need a sunspot to put on a show. Meanwhile, solar activity returned to moderate levels. AR4482 fired an impulsive M4.0 flare. And this region now shows a beta-gamma-delta complexity, carrying potential for more M-class and even X-class flares. The M4.0 came with Type II and Type IV radio emissions. Stay tuned!

Past 24 hours on the sun

Flare activity: Over the past day, solar activity increased to moderate levels with an isolated M flare. In total, the sun fired 6 flares: 1 M-class (moderate), 4 C-class (common), and 1 B-class (weak).

• Strongest flare: M4.0 from AR4482, peaking at 14:19 UTC on July 7. It triggered an R1 (minor) radio blackout over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
• Lead flare producer: AR4485 topped the list with 3 flares during the period. And AR4482 closely followed with 2 flares, including the M4.0.

Sunspot regions: Currently, our sun shows 3 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side.

• AR4482 (beta-gamma-delta): This region developed a delta component during the period. It now ranks as both the largest region in extent and the most magnetically complex on the disk. And it carries real potential for more M-class flares and even another X-class event like the one it already produced.
• AR4485 (beta) and AR4481 (beta): Both continue showing simple beta configurations. AR4485 was the most active region of the period. But AR4481 remained stable, with no flare activity over the past day.
• AR4478 (beta-gamma): This region has already departed to the far side.

Blasts from the sun? Ejecta was observed hurtling into space during the M4.0 flare. That event is under further analysis to determine if a component is heading our way to Earth. Meanwhile, the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) seen during the northeast filament eruption appear, on initial analysis, to be directed well away from Earth.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds showed moderate levels early in the period. But around 18 UTC on July 7, they began to decrease to moderate-to-low levels.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength stayed relatively moderate. And the Bz component pointed southward for the whole period. It held that strong southward direction through the time of this writing. As a result, magnetic coupling stayed open for aurora activity.

Earth’s magnetic field: Over the past day, the geomagnetic field stayed quiet (Kp 0–3). At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits just above level 3.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: Forecasters expect low-to-moderate levels today. The chance for M-class (moderate) flares sits at 40%. And the chance for an X-class (strong) flare holds at 10%. AR4482 remains the main driver of solar activity now. With its beta-gamma-delta complexity, all eyes are on this region.

Chances for an S1 (minor) solar radiation storm persist today. The big active regions remain close to the western limb. Their jets and prominences continue firing along the western horizon. And continued flaring there could channel charged particles magnetically toward Earth.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• July 8: Expect quiet-to-unsettled levels (Kp 1–3) as CME influences wane. Flare activity should also decrease as the most active western-limb regions complete their departure.
• July 9: A coronal hole high-speed stream should begin affecting Earth. And the fast CME from July 5 has a modeled arrival around 6 UTC. Combined, these could produce an isolated G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm. Auroras may then appear over Seattle, Edinburgh, and the northern tier of the United States and Canada.
• July 10: Active conditions may extend through the day. Chances for G1 storming levels remain possible.

Sun news July 7: Monstrous sunspots depart with a fiery show

(11 UTC July 6 – 11 UTC July 7)

Today’s top story: The monstrous sunspot regions that put on an impressive show over the past week have now fully departed to the far side of our star. As they crossed the western horizon, these active regions continued to show off their power, producing fiery jets and prominences. Now, with the big active regions on the far side, nearly all flare responsibility on the Earth-viewed side falls to active region AR4482. And with a beta-gamma complexity, this region is showing promising potential.

Past 24 hours on the sun

Flare activity: Solar activity dropped to low levels over the past day. Observers registered 5 flares, all C-class (common) events.

• Strongest flare: A C3.8 from active region AR4479 peaking at 18:40 UTC on July 6.
• Lead flare producer: AR4482 and AR4478 ended tied at the top. Each produced two C flares during this period.

Sunspot regions: Currently, 4 numbered active regions appear on the Earth-facing solar disk.

• • AR4478 (beta-gamma): This region now sits at the very edge of the southwest horizon. It will soon depart to the far side.
  • AR4482 (beta-gamma): This region ranks as the largest active region and has a promising beta-gamma magnetic complexity.
  • AR4485 (beta) and AR4481 (beta): Both have a simple beta configuration and remained stable with no flare production over the past day.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in available coronagraph imagery.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind conditions gradually eased from moderate to moderate-low levels during this period.

Bz and magnetic coupling: Meanwhile, the interplanetary magnetic field total strength (Bt) remained relatively weak. The Bz component pointed southward during the first half of the period. Then, starting at around 0 UTC this morning, it shifted northward. It has held that direction until the time of this writing. As a result, aurora activity stayed subdued.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field showed very quiet levels throughout the period. This corresponds to Kp values of 0–2. At the time of this writing, the Kp index sits just below 2.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: We expect moderate activity today. The chance of M (moderate) flares is 55%. Meanwhile, the chance for an X-class (strong) flare has dropped to 10%. With AR4479 gone to the far side and AR4478 at the western limb ready to follow, AR4482 remains the main driver of solar activity.

In addition, a slight chance for S1 (minor) solar radiation storms persists today. The monstrous active regions remain close to the limb. Consequently, continued flaring on the western horizon could channel charged particles magnetically toward Earth.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• July 7: Expect mostly quiet to unsettled conditions (Kp 1–3). However, the July 3 CME shock front may arrive around 10:00 UTC, with the leading edge following around 20:00 UTC. Model runs suggest Kp 2–4. In other words, active intervals are possible but full storm conditions are unlikely.
• July 8: Anticipate quiet to unsettled levels (Kp 1–3) as CME influences wane. Flare activity should also decrease as the most active western-limb regions complete their departure.
• July 9: A coronal hole high-speed stream should start affecting Earth. Additionally, the fast CME from July 5 has a modeled arrival around 6 UTC. Combined, these could produce G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm conditions. Auroras may then appear over Seattle, Edinburgh and the northern tier of the United States and Canada.

Sun news July 6: AR4479 exits the stage with a bang

(11 UTC July 5 – 11 UTC July 6)

The sun fired off a barrage of flares over the past 24 hours. Forecasters logged 6 M-class (moderate) flares and 15 C-class (common) flares during the period, nearly all of which came from the prolific sunspot AR4479. The most powerful of these was an M5.3 from AR4479 at 17:51 UTC yesterday, which caused an R2 (moderate) radio blackout across the Americas. It was an impressive farewell from AR4479, with this prolific flare factory now having rotated almost fully out of view over the western horizon.

Past 24 hours on the sun

Flare activity: Solar activity remained high. Observers recorded 21 flares: 6 M-class and 15 C-class events.

• Strongest flare: An M5.3 from AR4479 peaking at 17:51 UTC on July 5. It triggered an R2 (moderate) radio blackout. The blackout temporarily degraded high-frequency radio communications across the sunlit Americas and eastern Pacific. This affected aviation and maritime operations.
• Other M-class flares: M1.4 at 16:41 UTC on July 5 from AR4479; M1.4 at 16:21 UTC on July 5 from AR4479; M1.4 at 18:56 UTC on July 5 from AR4479; M1.0 at 21:14 UTC on July 5 from AR4479. In addition, AR4478 fired an M1.4 at 11:00 UTC on July 5, that region’s sole notable contribution. All M-class events produced R1 (minor) radio blackouts.
• Lead flare producer: AR4479 produced the overwhelming majority of activity. It fired at least 18 of the 21 flares, including all six M-class events and most of the stronger C-class flares (C9.6, C9.5, C8.1, C7.3, C6.1, C5.9, C5.0 and others).

Sunspot regions: The Earth-facing solar disk displayed seven numbered active regions. Forecasters cataloged 2 new regions during the period.

• • AR4479 (beta-gamma-delta) dominated flare production and now sits right on the western limb. The viewing angle now makes detailed magnetic analysis difficult. Even so, sustained high flare output strongly suggests at least one delta configuration persists. This region produced the vast majority of the period’s activity. We expect it to rotate out of view by July 7.
  • AR4478 (beta-gamma) ranked as the second-most complex region on the disk. However, it stayed mostly quiet this period aside from a lone M1.4 flare. The trailing portion continued to decay.

The remaining regions hold either of alpha or beta complexity.

Blasts from the sun? Observers spotted several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in LASCO coronagraph imagery during the period. However, the vast majority lacked an Earth-directed component.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind conditions gradually eased to near normal as the lingering influence of the June 30 CME faded.

Bz and magnetic coupling: Meanwhile, the interplanetary magnetic field total strength (Bt) remained relatively weak, keeping aurora activity subdued.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field held at a steady unsettled-to-active level throughout the period. This corresponds to Kp values of 2–3. After a round of geomagnetic storms and auroras over the weekend, no geomagnetic storm thresholds were reached over the past day.

The sun in recent days

Earlier sun images

Sun images from our community

More sun images from our community

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

Bottom line: Sun news for July 8, 2026: Wham! Huge filament eruption in the northeast! M4.0 flare fires from AR4482, now beta-gamma-delta. X-flare chance at 10%.

Submit your photos here.

View community photos here.