Sun news May 7: Strong activity continued on the northeast
Today’s top story: The fiery activity we’ve been observing in the northeast continued throughout the past day. Filament eruptions and prominences danced along the entire northeast horizon. Experts say this activity heralds the return of powerful sunspot region AR4419, which has been traveling around the far side of our star. When it was last on the Earth-facing sun, this region fired a barrage of powerful flares, including 2 X-class flares on April 24. We’ve not seen an X flare since then. Will AR4419 have the same potency this time around? We should be able to start assessing its potential when it moves into view around May 8. Stay tuned to see what this returning hero has in store!
Past 24 hours of sun news
(11 UTC May 6 – 11 UTC May 7)
Flare activity
Over the past day, solar activity remained at low levels. The sun continued producing only C-class (common) and B-class (weak) flares. In total, the sun fired 8 flares: 2 C-class and 6 B-class.
- Strongest flare: C4.5 from a newcomer in the northeast, not yet numbered. It peaked at 2:15 UTC on May 7.
- Lead flare producer: Once again, a tie at the top! This time AR4428 and AR4432 each fired 2 B-class flares.
Sunspot regions
Currently, the sun shows 5 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side. Notably, AR4429 lost its gamma component. It now carries a simpler beta magnetic complexity. The remaining sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations. As a result, all regions on the visible disk carry simple setups for now.
Blasts from the sun?
Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.
Past 24 hours in space weather
Solar wind
Solar wind speeds averaged moderate-low levels throughout the period. The coronal hole high-speed stream effects continued to wane. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stayed at weak levels.
Bz and magnetic coupling
The Bz component pointed completely northward through the entire period. Consequently, that shut the door on any auroral displays.
Earth’s magnetic field
Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed at very quiet levels (Kp 0–1). Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 0. It does not get much quieter than this.
What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast
Flare activity forecast
Forecasters expect low levels of flare activity to continue. Chances for M-class (moderate) flares dipped once again from 25% yesterday to 15% today. In addition, X-class (strong) flare chances fell from 5% to 1%.
The reason for the low forecast: AR4429 lost its gamma setup. The rest of the sunspot regions on the Earth-facing disk are stable or in decay. Even so, the return of AR4419 from the far side around May 8 could change the picture entirely. That region was a powerhouse during its last transit.
Geomagnetic activity forecast
- May 7 (Thursday): Active conditions may return late in the day. Specifically, a small coronal hole has sent a fresh pulse of fast solar wind that should arrive around late May 7.
- May 8 (Friday): Expect unsettled-to-active conditions after the arrival of fast solar wind from the coronal hole. A slight chance of G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm levels exists as well. Aurora watchers at high latitudes should stay alert.
- May 9 (Saturday): Expect Earth’s geomagnetic field to ease to quiet-to-unsettled levels as effects from the fast solar wind start to wane.
Sun news May 6: Fiery activity coming from the northeast
While activity on the Earth-facing solar disk remains low, the northeast solar horizon told a very different story over the past day. Lifting filament eruptions and prominences danced along the entire northeast limb (edge). Forecasters think this activity might come from the former active region AR4419, which fired multiple X flares when it was last on the Earth-facing side of our star. Having passed round the sun’s far side, this region could start to reappear in the northeast around May 8. Stay tuned!
Past 24 hours of sun news
(11 UTC May 5 – 11 UTC May 6)
Flare activity
Over the past day, solar activity held at low levels. Only C-class (common) and B-class (weak) flares occurred. In total, the sun fired 9 flares: 8 C-class and 1 B-class.
- Strongest flare: C1.8 from AR4425, peaking at 14:12 UTC on May 5.
- Lead flare producer: A tie at the top! AR4431 and AR4425 each fired 3 C-class flares.
Sunspot regions
The sun continued to show 8 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side today. Notably, AR4429 developed a gamma component. It now shows a beta-gamma magnetic complexity. That upgrade opens up chances for stronger flares. The remaining sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations.
Blasts from the sun?
Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.
Past 24 hours in space weather
Solar wind
Solar wind speeds continued at moderate-low levels. The coronal hole high-speed stream effects started to wane. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) dropped from strong to weak levels.
Bz and magnetic coupling
The Bz component pointed completely northward through the entire period. That shut the door on any auroral displays.
Earth’s magnetic field
Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed at quiet levels (Kp 0–2). Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 0.
Sun news May 5: Surprise G2 storm hits overnight
Surprise! A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm arrived around 20:32 UTC yesterday. We noted yesterday a slight chance of G1 (minor) storming, but the disturbance was much stronger than expected. The reason? Scientists aren’t sure! It might have been due to the arrival of a blob of solar stuff hurled into space by the sun last week. Combined with fast solar wind from a coronal hole, the ingredients lined up for a stronger punch than forecasters anticipated. More G1 conditions may occur throughout the rest of today and into tomorrow, so auroral displays are possible at high latitudes. Share your aurora photos with us!
Past 24 hours of sun news
(11 UTC May 4 – 11 UTC May 5)
Flare activity
Over the past day, solar activity returned to low levels, with only C-class (common) flares. However, flare production picked up slightly. In total, the sun fired 11 C-class flares, compared to yesterday’s 3.
- Strongest flare: C6.0 from AR4424, peaking at 5:27 UTC on May 5.
- Lead flare producer: A three-way tie! AR4432, AR4424 and AR4425 each fired 3 C-class flares.
Sunspot regions
The sun shows 8 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side today. Notably, all 8 sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations. As a result, the risk of strong flares remains low for now.
Blasts from the sun?
Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.
Past 24 hours in space weather
Solar wind
Solar wind speeds averaged at moderate-low levels. The coronal hole high-speed stream continued to influence conditions around Earth. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field peaked at strong levels. That elevated field strength played a key role in driving the geomagnetic storm.
Bz and magnetic coupling
The Bz component pointed mostly southward during this period. Crucially, those southward dips were sustained from 15 UTC on May 4 through 6 UTC this morning. That is a long stretch with Earth’s magnetic shield held open. As a result, solar wind energy poured in and fueled the G2 storm. At the time of this writing, the Bz component has shifted slightly northward.
Earth’s magnetic field
Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field ranged from unsettled to geomagnetic storming levels (Kp 3–6). Specifically, the G2 (moderate) storm threshold of Kp 6 was reached at 20:32 UTC on May 4. It held for one three-hour period. Then conditions eased to G1 (minor) at Kp 5 starting at 0 UTC on May 5. Auroras were likely visible at high latitudes during these storm intervals.
Sun news May 4: M1.8 flare ends the quiet spell
The sun broke out of its activity lull overnight! AR4424 fired an M1.8 flare (moderate) at 1:13 UTC on May 4, ending a several-day run of only C (common) flares. The blast triggered an R1 (minor) radio blackout that briefly disrupted high-frequency communications over the Pacific and eastern Asia.
Past 24 hours of sun news
(11 UTC May 3 – 11 UTC May 4)
Flare activity
Over the past day, solar activity rose to moderate levels thanks to the M1.8 from AR4424. However, overall output was light. In total, the sun fired just 3 flares: 1 M-class and 2 C-class.
- Strongest flare: M1.8 from AR4424, peaking at 1:13 UTC on May 4. Given its position near the western limb, any ejecta would have aimed largely away from Earth.
- Lead flare producer: AR4424 fired 2 of the 3 flares, including the only M-class event. In addition, AR4430 chipped in a C1.3 at 18:51 UTC on May 3.
Sunspot regions
The Earth-facing solar disk showed 10 numbered active regions. Notably, none carried complex magnetic setups. All ten hold beta or simpler configurations.
Blasts from the sun?
No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) appeared in coronagraph imagery during the period.
Past 24 hours in space weather
Solar wind
Solar wind speeds continued to ease to background levels as the coronal hole high-speed stream slowly waned. The total interplanetary magnetic field stayed weak overall.
Bz and magnetic coupling
The Bz component was weak and variable, bouncing between northward and southward. Those southward dips were not sustained enough to drive significant auroral activity.
Earth’s magnetic field
Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field ranged from quiet to unsettled (Kp 1–3). Auroras stayed confined to the highest latitudes: Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland and northern Scandinavia.
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 for May 7, 2026: The northeast horizon remains fiery with eruptions. Former sunspot region AR4419 is expected to return around May 8. Could it bring X-flare fireworks again?
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C. Alex Young
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