The CME connected with the October 9, 2021, M1 flare got here as expected early on October 12, UTC-day. The CME shock front came to the DSCOVR spacecraft (1 million miles from Earth) at 12/0147 UTC (Oct 11/ 9:47 pm EDT) as solar wind speed increased by nearly 100 km/s and total interplanetary electromagnetic field (IMF) strength quickly raised to over 15 nT. Geomagnetic activity increased as anticipated with the CME arrival and G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) storm conditions were fulfilled. The CME progression remains fluid at this time and a G2 Watch is still in effect for the remainder of October 12 and a G1 Warning continues up until 12/2200 UTC (6:00 pm EDT). Continue to visit our SWPC web page for the most recent updates, warnings & & notifies, and forecasts. Credit: NOAA
A mass of solar material that emerged from the Sun on October 9, 2021, reached Earth on October 12. The Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME, raised the Kp index, a step of disruption to Earths magnetic field, to 6 (moderate level). Kp index levels range from 0 (quiet) to 9 (intense).
The CME was associated with an M1.6 class solar flare from Active Region 2882 on that peaked on October 9 at 6:38 UTC (2:38 a.m. EDT). M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number supplies more information about its strength. An M2 is two times as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc. The flare likewise produced a solar energetic particle eruption that was detected by NASAs Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, or STEREO-A spacecraft, at 7:51 UTC (3:51 a.m. EDT).
Active Region 2882, shown here near the middle of the Suns disk, erupted with a moderate level solar flare on October 9, 2021. This animated gif reveals images from the 131 Angstrom channel of NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument. Credit: NASA/SDO
STEREO-A likewise identified the CME from its perspective far from Earth. The CMEs preliminary speed was approximated by NASAs Moon to Mars Space Weather Operations Office to be roughly 983 kilometers per second (610 miles per second). This and other details about the event is reported in the Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information ( DONKI) brochure.
The CME associated with the October 9, 2021, M1 flare showed up as anticipated early on October 12, UTC-day. The CME shock front got here at the DSCOVR spacecraft (1 million miles from Earth) at 12/0147 UTC (Oct 11/ 9:47 pm EDT) as solar wind speed increased by nearly 100 km/s and total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength rapidly elevated to over 15 nT. The CME progression stays fluid at a g2 and this time Watch is still in result for the rest of October 12 and a G1 Warning continues up until 12/2200 UTC (6:00 pm EDT). The CME was associated with an M1.6 class solar flare from Active Region 2882 on that peaked on October 9 at 6:38 UTC (2:38 a.m. EDT).
The COR2 coronagraph on NASAs Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft, which sees the Suns corona by occluding its brilliant surface area, discovered this Earth-directed CME on October 9, 2021. Credit: NASA/STEREO
NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center is the main source for area weather report, watches, cautions, and informs. Go to http://spaceweather.gov for info about potential impacts from this event.