Halloween blast and vibrant skies! The CME related to todays X1 flare is anticipated to strike Earth on 10/31. typical speed leaving the Sun was ~ 1100 km/s, ~ 2.5 million miles per hour. The forecasted geomagnetic storm is a Kp 6-8 (moderate to serious). Good luck Aurora watchers. pic.twitter.com/NrxxXGKyr2— C. Alex Young, Ph.D. (@TheSunToday) October 28, 2021
NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch for October 30th. In the past, this type of flare has produced auroras visible to the unaided eye as far south as Illinois and Oregon in the US, normally 50 ° geomagnetic latitude, according to SpaceWeather.com.
Via the Space Weather Prediction.
X-class signifies the most intense flares (smallest flares are A-class) and the number supplies more details about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is 3 times as extreme, and so on. Flares that are categorized X10 or stronger are considered abnormally intense, however X1 is still thought about a major flare.
The Sun has actually been active recently (see aurora images from the CME that reached Earth in mid-October) as you can see from this movie from SDO data, processed by Seán Doran.
The flare struck Earth 8.5 min later, however the CME shows up tomorrow and will make amazing auroras around the world! (green line= aurora visible on horizon) pic.twitter.com/S47Iw47aPf— Dr. James ODonoghue (@physicsJ) October 29, 2021
Auroral fireworks for Halloween? It simply might occur, depending upon where you live.
NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this motion picture of a solar flare– as seen in the bright flash at the Suns lower center– on Oct. 28, 2021. Credit: NASA/SDO
On October 28, 2021 the Sun blasted a “significant” X1 solar flare– the most extreme class of flares. While the flare itself struck Earth 8 and a half minutes later on, an accompanying Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was likewise launched. The slower moving CME gets here on October 30, and when it hits Earths magnetic field, a strong geomagnetic storm is possible on the 30th and perhaps into the 31st as Earth continues to go through the CMEs wake.
This need to make for spectacular auroras in both hemispheres, aurora borealis in the aurora and the north australis in the south.
Have concerns about the various classes of solar flares and what they mean for Earth? Heres an excellent guide to solar flares from NASA:
Lead image caption: NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this picture of a solar flare– as seen in the brilliant flash at the Suns lower center– on Oct. 28, 2021. The image shows a subset of severe ultraviolet light that highlights the very hot product in flares and which is colorized here in teal. Credit: NASA/SDO
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On October 28, 2021 the Sun blasted a “considerable” X1 solar flare– the most extreme class of flares. The flare struck Earth 8.5 minutes later on, however the CME arrives tomorrow and will make amazing auroras around the world! X-class denotes the most extreme flares (smallest flares are A-class) and the number offers more details about its strength. Flares that are classified X10 or more powerful are considered abnormally intense, but X1 is still considered a significant flare.
Lead image caption: NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this image of a solar flare– as seen in the brilliant flash at the Suns lower center– on Oct. 28, 2021.