Sun news: Sun-observing spacecraft sees a solar eclipse

Sun news September 1: Sun-observing spacecraft sees a solar eclipse

Today’s top story: The solar observations from NOAA’s GOES-19 spacecraft were interrupted over the past day. That’s because Earth passed in front of our star from the satellite’s perspective. It’s our planet you can see taking a bite out of the solar disk! These eclipses occur twice a year, around the equinoxes.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 31 – 11 UTC September 1)

Flare activity: Solar activity continued at low levels, though flare production increased sharply. During the past day, our sun produced a total of 15 flares, compared to just 2 yesterday. This period’s tally: 5 C-class (common) flares plus another 10 B-class (weak) flares.

• Strongest flare: A C2.6 from AR4520 at 15:16 UTC on August 31.
• Lead flare producer: A tie at the top of the list. AR4517 and AR4520 each produced 5 flares, sharing the honor.

Sunspot regions: Currently, the Earth-facing solar disk displays five numbered sunspot regions, all relatively small and magnetically simple. Three newcomers received numbers during the period: AR4521, AR4522, and AR4523.

• AR4518 (beta): Stable, no flares produced during this period.
• AR4513 (beta): This region is now out of view, having rotated to the far side of our sun.
• AR4520 (beta): This region gained additional spots. It also produced the strongest flare of the period, a C2.6.
• AR4521 (alpha), AR4522 (beta), and AR4523 (alpha): These regions gained spots during the period but otherwise remained stable. Only AR4523 produced flares, contributing 2 C flares.

Blasts from the sun? Forecasters reported no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the last 24 hours.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds slowly decreased from moderate to moderate-low levels, as the influence of a coronal hole high-speed stream began to wane.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The interplanetary magnetic field averaged at weak levels. Meanwhile, the Bz component fluctuated between south and north orientations. Even so, several sustained southward intervals dominated. A southward Bz favors auroras by letting solar wind energy couple more efficiently with Earth’s magnetosphere.

Earth’s magnetic field: Earth’s magnetic field showed quiet levels during the period, with the Kp index at 1 to 2. No significant aurora enhancements were expected at middle latitudes. Any visible displays would have stayed confined to high latitudes such as northern Scandinavia, Iceland, and northern Canada.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: Forecasters expect solar activity at low to very low levels for the next three days. Chances for M-class flares hold at 10% today. AR4520 has become a main player, since it showed growth and produced the strongest flare. Meanwhile, AR4517 and AR4513 have gone over the west limb, so the number of potential flare sources on the visible disk is declining. No X-class (strong) flares are expected, at just 1%, given the current simple magnetic configurations.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• September 1: Anticipate mostly quiet conditions (Kp 1-2) as the coronal hole’s solar wind continues to wane. Isolated unsettled periods remain possible.
• September 2-3: Quiet conditions (Kp 1-2) should persist with background solar wind.

Sun news August 31: Fast coronal hole winds now easing

Earth’s magnetic field was stirred to active levels early in the past day as a stream of high-speed solar wind from a coronal hole continued to wash over our planet. However, that disturbance is now fading. Meanwhile, a large filament eruption in the sun’s northeast added a touch of drama. Forecasters are still analyzing coronagraph imagery to determine whether any of that material is headed our way.

Past 24 hours on the sun

(11 UTC August 30 – 11 UTC August 31)

Flare activity: Solar activity remained at low levels. Observers logged only 2 C-class (common) flares and several B-class (weak) events during the period.

• Strongest flare: A C2.2 from AR4513 at 16:41 UTC on August 30.
• Lead flare producer: AR4513 topped the list, responsible for the C2.2 plus a B9.8 event at 12:48 UTC on August 30.

Sunspot regions: The Earth-facing solar disk displayed six numbered sunspot regions, all relatively small and magnetically simple.

• AR4518 (beta): This was the only region to show growth during the period. That makes it the most noteworthy spot group on the disk, despite its modest size.
• AR4517 (beta): This region is approaching the west limb. It should rotate out of view in the coming hours.
• AR4513 (beta): This region is also nearing the west limb. It produced the period’s strongest flare, the C2.2.
• The remaining active regions carried alpha or beta magnetic configurations. All were stable or decaying, and none produced significant flaring.

Blasts from the sun? No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have been confirmed at this time. Observers spotted a large filament eruption in the northeast beginning around 6 to 7 UTC on August 30. Forecasters now await further coronagraph data to determine whether any associated CME carries an Earth-directed component.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind speeds stayed modestly enhanced under the continued influence of a coronal hole high-speed stream.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The interplanery magnetic field total strength peaked early in the period, then eased by the end. Meanwhile, the Bz component fluctuated erratically. Several sustained southward intervals drove the active geomagnetic conditions. As always, a southward Bz favors auroras by letting solar wind energy couple more efficiently with Earth’s magnetosphere. Conditions should gradually ease as the stream’s influence wanes.

Earth’s magnetic field: Earth’s magnetic field ranged from quiet to active levels during the period, driven by the coronal hole stream. The Kp index reached 4, placing conditions at the active threshold without crossing into G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm levels. The active intervals clustered during stretches of sustained southward Bz, while quieter spells arrived when the Bz turned northward. No significant aurora enhancement was expected at middle latitudes. Any visible displays would have stayed confined to high latitudes such as northern Scandinavia, Iceland and northern Canada.

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 September 1, 2026: The GOES-19 satellite caught Earth passing in front of the sun. Take a look!

Submit your photos here.

View community photos here.