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X-flare yesterday, aurora alert this weekend

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October 29, 2021

Aurora alert!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a 48-hour magnetic storm watch. By U.S. clocks, the watch began late in the day on October 28, 2021, following an X-flare from a solar active region (AR2887) that took place at 15:35 UTC. The blast created a massive wave of plasma that rippled across the sun’s disk. SpaceWeather.com said a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm is possible on October 30 (that might be Saturday morning, October 30). That’s when the coronal mass ejection (CME) from yesterday’s X1 flare should begin striking Earth’s magnetic field. SpaceWeather said:

Such storms can spark auroras visible to the unaided eye as far south as Illinois and Oregon (typically 50 degrees geomagnetic latitude) and photographic auroras at even lower latitudes. Lesser G1 and G2-class storms could persist through Halloween as Earth passes through the CME’s wake.

The 2022 lunar calendars are here. Order yours before they’re gone!

Sun is obscured by a disk. White clouds and tiny streaks billow outward from the hidden sun. — A coronal mass ejection (CME) launched into space on October 28, 2021, by exploding sunspot AR2887 is heading almost directly for Earth. SOHO coronagraphs recorded the CME racing away from the sun faster than 1260 km/s (2.8 million mph). Image and caption via SpaceWeather.com.

So start watching at nightfall Friday evening, October 29, and watch throughout the night and through the weekend!

Solar Cycle 25 is heating up!

Check SpaceWeather.com for the latest on the incoming CME and auroras

Speckly yellow ground with dark spots ringed with orange. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Teoh at Heng Ee Observatory in Penang, Malaysia, caught AR2887 on October 28, 2021, shortly before it produced its X-flare. Michael wrote: “Transparency was not great with a thin layer of high clouds, but given that the sunspot AR2887 is transiting today, I decided to give it a try, and the seeing was surprisingly good.” Nice catch, Michael! Thanks for posting.

Bottom line: Aurora alert. Possible good displays of the aurora borealis beginning the evening of October 29, 2021, and lasting through the weekend.

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October 29, 2021

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.