#solarflares — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #solarflares, aggregated by home.social.
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Sun unleashes powerful X-class solar flare and Earth-bound CME that could spark northern lights for July 4 weekend
However, after further analysis, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch for July 3, indicating that at least part of the CME could land Earth with a significant blow.
#Sun #SolarStorm #SolarFlares #NOAA #Space #Weather #Geomagnetic
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#SolarFlares (Magnitude 2+) in the past 72hours (via #SolarHam)
Flare Events (M2+) Past 72 Hours
M5.2 AR 4366 2/2/26 @ 02:50 UTC
X2.8 AR 4366 2/2/26 @ 00:36 UTC
X8.1 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 23:57 UTC
M5.1 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 16:07 UTC
M5.8 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 12:50 UTC
X1.0 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 12:33 UTC
M6.7 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 12:12 UTC
M2.8 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 10:13 UTC
M6.6 AR 4366 2/1/26 @ 10:02 UTCSource:
https://solarham.com/ -
My estimation (based on the position of #AR4366) is that it will be Earth-facing in 4-5 days...
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@solarflarealert Another one?!!! Yikes!
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From #SolarHam - Progression of new #Sunspot #AR4366 (not yet Earth-facing, but will be soon):
"Sunspot Watch
January 31, 2026 @ 04:15 UTC
Newly assigned sunspot region 4366 continues to gradually develop as it turns into view in the northeast quadrant. It is currently producing minor C-Class flares and it is likely now a threat for a moderate M-Flare. Something to keep an eye on this weekend. Image by SDO/HMI.Growing Flare Threat
January 31, 2026 @ 14:50 UTC
AR 4366 continued to expand over the past 12 hours in both size and magnetic complexity. The region has a Beta-Delta magnetic configuration and is producing frequent mid level minor C-Flares. A moderate M-Flare will remain possible on Saturday.M6.6 Solar Flare
February 1, 2026 @ 10:40 UTC
Solar activity increases even further with an M6.6 solar flare peaking at 10:02 UTC (Feb 1). The source, AR 4366, is magnetically complex and is now a threat for an isolated X-Flare. Image below by SDO/AIA.High Solar Activity
February 1, 2026 @ 16:50 UTC (UPDATED)
What a difference a few days make on the Sun. Active sunspot region 4366 turned into a firecracker on Sunday with at least fifteen M-Class solar flares and one X-Flare (so far). Despite the brightness of these events, the mechanics have so far failed to launch any noteworthy coronal mass ejections into space and towards our planet. That could change over the next few days as the region continues to develop and currently sports a Beta-Gamma-Delta magnetic configuration. More solar flares including another X-Flare will remain possible.[And today...]
Impulsive X8.1 Solar Flare
February 2, 2026 @ 00:10 UTC
An impulsive X8.1 solar flare was just detected peaking at 23:57 UTC (Feb 1). This is the second strongest flare in terms of peak X-Ray flux of the current solar cycle. Although a bright flare, new imagery suggests that if a CME is associated, it will likely be fairly mild. Stay tuned to SolarHam where you will get the most up to date and accurate information regarding this space weather event."#SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrome #XClassFlares
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Aurora Alert! Aurora Alert!
Dobviews Solar Activity Report Nov 11, 2025
#cannibalCME
#astronomy
#CME
#solarflares
#geomagneticstorms
#photography
#astrophotography
#smartphoneastronomy -
Even the sun is getting in on the #ExtremeWeather action! Yikes!
'The sun is slowly waking up': NASA warns that there may be more extreme #SpaceWeather for decades to come
NewsA new NASA study suggests that solar activity will remain high or rise further in the coming decades, contradicting previous assumptions that the sun was quieting down — and scientists "don't completely understand" why.
By Harry Baker, published September 17, 2025
"NASA scientists are warning that the sun may be "waking up" from a brief period of relative inactivity, contradicting past assumptions about our home star. If true, this could mean that decades of potentially dangerous space weather are in store.
[...]
"In a new study, published Sept. 8 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers analyzed multiple metrics of solar activity, including solar wind, magnetic field strength and sunspot numbers, and found that they have been on an upward trend since around 2008, and could rise further over future cycles, suggesting that the deep solar minimum theory is well and truly dead.
[...]
"During the current maximum, Earth has also been hit by several major geomagnetic storms, or disturbances to the planet's magnetic field. The most noteworthy was an 'extreme' event in May 2024, which triggered some of the most vibrant aurora displays in centuries and caused over $500 million in damages."
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X1.2 flare from Active Region 14086 - May 13, 2025
#EUVImaging #ExtremeUltravioletImaging #Heliophysics #PointSpreadFunction(PSF) #SolarActiveRegions #SolarCycle25 #SolarDynamicsObservatory #SolarFlares
⏩ 2 new pictures and 2 new videos from NASA (SVS) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:ListFiles?limit=11&user=OptimusPrimeBot&ilshowall=1&offset=20250603125554
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X1.2 flare from Active Region 14086 - May 13, 2025
#EUVImaging #ExtremeUltravioletImaging #Heliophysics #PointSpreadFunction(PSF) #SolarActiveRegions #SolarCycle25 #SolarDynamicsObservatory #SolarFlares
⏩ 1 new picture and 1 new video from NASA (SVS) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:ListFiles?limit=6&user=OptimusPrimeBot&ilshowall=1&offset=20250531125748
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Major Solar Flare (X9)
October 3, 2024 @ 13:50 UTC (UPDATED)
via #SolarHam"A major X9.0 solar flare was just detected around Earth facing sunspot region #AR3842 at 12:18 UTC (Oct 3). This is the strongest X-Ray event of the current solar cycle. More details to follow regarding a possible CME.
"#CME Update: A coronal mass ejection (CME) with a halo signature is evident following the major X9.0 solar flare this morning. Because the source region AR 3842 is directly facing Earth, the plasma cloud appears to be aimed directly towards our planet. A further update will be provided later today once a CME tracking model becomes available. Please note that a faint CME associated with the X7 event on October 1st is expected to pass our planet sometime during the next few days.
"Aurora sky watchers at middle to high latitudes should have their camera batteries charged up should geomagnetic storming be observed as forecast."
Flare Events (M2+) Past 48 Hours
X9.0
AR 3842
10/3/24 @ 12:18 UTC
Type II RE (573 km/s) 10cm (3500 sfu)M3.2
AR 3842
10/2/24 @ 20:49 UTCM3.2
AR 3842
10/2/24 @ 13:38 UTCM3.6
AR 3842
10/2/24 @ 05:38 UTC
Type II RE (1144 km/s)X7.1
AR 3842
10/1/24 @ 22:20 UTC
Type II RE (1246 km/s) 10cm (810 sfu) -
I wonder if there will be another #CannibalCME with two events so close in time...
Flare Events (M2+) Past 48 Hours
via #SolarHam
X7.1
AR 3842
10/1/24 @ 22:20 UTC
Type II RE (1246 km/s) 10cm (810 sfu)M7.6
AR 3842
9/30/24 @ 23:59 UTC -
[May be behind a paywall] The Strongest #SolarStorm in 20 Years Did Little Damage, but Worse #SpaceWeather Is Coming
Years of careful planning helped safeguard against last weekend’s severe space weather, but we still don’t know how we’d cope with a monster event
By Jonathan O'Callaghan & Lee Billings
May 16, 2024"For years, we have been warned about impending doom from the sun. If pointed in our direction, powerful eruptions of radiation and plasma from our star can strike our planet to supercharge Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field, effectively hitting a global 'reset' button on much of our #ModernTechnology. A sufficiently intense bombardment could raise a #Geomagneticstorm that would push satellites out of orbit, short out submarine cables that suture together the #Internet and plunge the world into darkness with massive #blackouts from collapsed #PowerGrids. Yet this past weekend, when one of the strongest solar outbursts in 20 years blasted our planet, we managed to emerge unscathed thanks to years of careful public and private planning.
"The storm has ebbed, although the solar region that sparked it has since spat out additional monstrous flares—fortunately no longer targeted at Earth because of the sun’s spin [which will change in a short time, as that spot will once again be Earth-facing]. But while we’ve passed our biggest test yet, experts say now is not the time to let down our guard: the question of more cataclysmic solar activity isn’t a matter of 'if' but 'when.'
"'This is a success story,' says Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s [#NOAA] Space Weather Prediction Center (#SWPC) in Boulder, Colo., but the weekend’s storm was 'nowhere close' to the strength of more powerful known historical events. Is it time to put our feet up? 'Heck no,' he says.
"On May 8, after ground- and space-based telescopes detected multiple explosive outbursts from the sun headed for Earth, the SWPC issued a warning of an imminent severe space weather event. At least seven of these outbursts, known as coronal mass ejections, or #CMEs, walloped our planet with billions of tons of solar plasma—an interplanetary punch that left Earth’s magnetic field ringing and made the upper atmosphere swell, almost as if bruised. The resulting geomagnetic storm was the most severe since 2003. It posed potentially grave dangers to global infrastructure while also bathing much of the world in achingly beautiful #auroral displays.
"At present, it’s difficult to say just how close we came to catastrophe because many companies— from grid controllers to satellite operators—do not like to reveal information on how a geomagnetic storm affected them, says Daniel Welling, a climate and space scientist at the University of Michigan. "'They don’t want to look like they’re vulnerable,' he says. 'Satellite operators have to insure their spacecraft, and that can be very expensive.' Yet various scattered reports are already offering some insight into the storm’s disruptive effects. Flight trackers showed airlines rerouting planes to avoid Earth’s poles, where crews and passengers would have been exposed to worrisome spikes in #CosmicRadiation from the storm. Transpower, New Zealand’s state-owned enterprise running that nation’s electric power, said in a statement that it had preemptively 'switched off some circuits across the country on Saturday [May 11],' and as a result, there was 'no impact on New Zealand’s electricity supply.' In Minnesota, the firm Minnesota Power opened capacitor banks to deal with possible effects from the storm. Similar precautions were likely taken at other power grids around the world, too, although the lack of information makes it 'tremendously' difficult to know how effective those measures were, Welling says.
"Geomagnetic storms can also play havoc with signals from #GPS satellites, and multiple farmers reported issues with GPS-guided farming equipment over the weekend. In South Dakota, one farmer’s tractor started #DrivingInCircles during the storm, and multiple farmers reported outages on social media. 'Our GPS on both the planter and the strip tiller were absolutely bonkers today,' one commenter wrote on Reddit. 'I saw this post and looked ... no GPS,' said another. LandMark Implement, a John Deere dealership based in Nebraska and Kansas, texted its customers an advisory to 'turn off' GPS devices on their farming equipment. 'The base stations were sending out corrections that have been affected by the geomagnetic storm and were causing drastic shifts in the field,' the company noted in an online post. LandMark declined to comment further when contacted.
"The storm posed hazards in space as well. Seven astronauts on the International Space Station were mostly safe from the storm’s effects, #NASA said, but did have to take some precautions. 'The crew was told to avoid lower-shielded areas of the space station out of an abundance of caution,' says Sandra Jones, a spokesperson for NASA’s Johnson Space Center. 'Certain areas provide less protection from radiation, such as the air lock, while other areas, such as crew quarters, provide enhanced protection. The crew was never in any danger, and the energy levels have since decreased.' Other satellite operators experienced greater difficulties. One company in the U.K., Sen, which streams 4K video from a satellite in low-Earth orbit, chose to power down its spacecraft for four days to prevent any damage from the storm, such as fried circuit boards or electronic failures. 'It was in an idle mode,' says Marcin Bujar, spacecraft operations lead at Sen. 'We just kept the bare minimum on—the flight computer and radio receiver.' This prevented the satellite from carrying out some tasks, including planned observations of flooding in South America and wildfires in Canada. 'It definitely had an impact,' Bujar says."
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It's more about whether or not Earth's #magnetosphere is affected by the #GeomagneticStorm, rather than the #SolarFlares themselves.
Could an extremely powerful #SolarFlare destroy all the electronics on Earth?
By: Jonathan Strickland
Updated: Jun 9, 2023"Because our atmosphere absorbs most of these dangerous rays, terrestrial systems are fairly safe from solar flares. But another solar event called a coronal mass ejection (#CME) can cause serious problems for electrical systems here on Earth. During a CME, the fluctuations of the sun's magnetic fields cause a large portion of the surface of the sun to expand rapidly, ejecting billions of tons of particles out into space.
"Sometimes CMEs accompany solar flares -- but not all solar flares produce #CMEs and not all CMEs accompany solar flares.
"Unlike a solar flare, a CME doesn't produce intense light. But it does produce a magnetic shockwave that extends billions of miles out into space. If Earth is in the path of that shockwave, our planet's magnetic field will react to the event. It's similar to what happens if you put a weak magnet next to a strong one. The weak magnet's field will align itself to the strong magnet's field. A magnetic shockwave from the sun could cause the alignment of the Earth's magnetic field to shift unpredictably.
"Pretty lights aren't the only consequence from a CME. The magnetic fluctuations can cause compasses to fail. And since magnetic fields can induce electricity, any conductor could become an inductor. A powerful CME could induce electricity in large, powerful conductors. That could overload electrical systems and cause massive damage."
Read more:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm -
@QuadRadical So, basically, if you are able to call your phone in whatever you're using as a #FaradayCage, it's NOT going to be effective against #EMPs.
"Trefethen also points out that microwave ovens, despite their thick wires, are not perfect Faraday cages. That is because if you put your mobile phone – which communicates via microwaves – into an oven and call it, it will almost certainly ring."
#SolarFlare #SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #CMEs #CannibalCME #CarringtonEvent
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@QuadRadical Here we go...
"There are some examples of Faraday cages that we use these days. Faraday cages can be quite complex or very simple, ranging from a shoebox to an entire building. Wrapping your phone in plastic and then wrapping it in aluminum foil, for example, creates a makeshift #FaradayCage."
https://askthehomegeek.com/is-a-microwave-a-faraday-cage/
#SolarFlare #SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #CMEs #CannibalCME #CarringtonEvent
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@QuadRadical Hmmmm... That may not work... I'd say maybe wrapping stuff up in aluminum foil might provide more protection. Wrapping them in foil and put them in the microwave *might* work.
"A microwave is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation. People use this to heat their foods quickly, and some are curious if microwaves can classify as an example of Faraday cages.
"This article will show you what a faraday cage is and if a microwave is considered a faraday cage.
Is a Microwave a #FaradayCage?
"Simply put, Faraday Cages disperse electrostatic charge around their perimeter. As a result, they act as a barrier to anything within them.
"In this regard, they are a hollow conductor in which the electromagnetic charge remains only on the cage’s external surface. But, as with many things, the reality is a little more complicated.
"Microwave ovens are another common application for Faraday Cages. However, unlike other applications, they are designed to reverse and keep the microwave radiation within the oven. You can see a portion of the cage on the microwave oven’s transparent window.
"Microwaves nowadays are not built and designed as a Faraday cage, but rather a 1/4 wave choke that effectively attenuates 2.4 GHz but not other frequencies.
However,
"A Faraday cage is from any material that conducts electricity. This cage could be wire mesh, metallic sheets, or wire coils. They can be any shape, such as a box, sphere, or cylinder, and any size, ranging from extremely small to extremely large.
"According to Florida State University, the cage’s exterior can be as simple as aluminum foil. The outer covering, or conductor, can be as thin as foil, but thickening it will provide additional protection from more powerful electric fields."
https://askthehomegeek.com/is-a-microwave-a-faraday-cage/
#SolarFlare #SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #CarringtonEvent #CannibalCME
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I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I plan on making sure all my electronics are turned off and disconnected, and might put some of them in a makeshift #FaradayCage until after the #CMEs hit Earth. I'd like to think utilities and such will have learned from warnings from 2013, but then again, it's the human race we're talking about. Unless there's a buck to be made, we seem to be woefully unprepared for stuff that can happen -- unfortunately...
"If a massive CME were spotted, such 3-day forecasts give us some lead time: there are some measures #ElectricUtilities could take to protect their equipment, such as quickly disconnecting #transformers. Polar flights, which travel at the highest altitudes, could be rerouted to avoid contact with damaging solar particles, and some #satellites could be switched into a #SafeMode to minimize damage. Here on Earth, at the very least, we’d have some time to prepare for potential power #blackouts and other problems."
#SolarFlare #SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #CannibalCME #CannibalCMEs #CarringtonEvent #CMEs
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I hope those in charge of all this stuff are taking the CME threat seriously.
What Damage Could Be Caused by a Massive Solar Storm?
An enormous solar storm could short out telecom satellites, radio communications, and power grids, leading to trillions of dollars in damages, experts say
Joseph Stromberg
February 22, 2013"If a CME as large as the one that triggered the 1859 storm were to occur today, the consequences could be devastating. Given the increase in our reliance on electricity and telecommunications (even since 1989), the effects would certainly be far more significant than malfunctioning telegraph pylons.
"It’s hard to appreciate just how many aspects of modern life rely on technologies that could be affected. As Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics told National Geographic in 2011, 'Every time you purchase a gallon of gas with your credit card, that’s a satellite transaction.' A giant storm could disrupt our GPS systems, communication with planes in flight and other crucial satellite-based technologies.
"But the biggest concern, experts say, would be disruptions to our power grid—as a 2011 OECD report (PDF) on the impacts of solar storms points out, 'Electric power is modern society’s cornerstone technology on which virtually all other infrastructures and services depend.' A surge in solar wind can blow out power transformers by melting their copper windings, and especially in highly interconnected regions (such as the East Coast), transformer failures can trigger cascading effects, spreading power outages over wide areas.
"One analysis looked at a 1921 storm—which was ten times more powerful than the 1989 event—and estimated that if it occurred today, it would leave some 130 million people without power, potentially affecting water and food distribution, heating and air conditioning, sewage disposal and a host of other aspects of the infrastructure we take for granted daily. The total cost of an even larger storm, such as the 1859 event, could be enormous: an estimated $1 to $2 trillion in the first year alone, and a total recovery that could take 4 to 10 years in total."
#SolarStorm #GeomagneticStorm #SolarFlares #CannibalCME #SolarFlare #SolarCycle25 #CarringtonEvent
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#SpaceWeather update from Spaceweather.com
ARE WE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE A NEW CARRINGTON EVENT?
"No. #AR3664 is indeed a '#Carrington-class' sunspot, but the #CMEs it hurled toward Earth over the past few days are not as potent as the monster CME of Sept. 1, 1859. NOAA says we might experience a severe geomagnetic storm when the CMEs arrive this weekend. If geomagnetic storms were hurricanes, 'severe' would be category 4. The Carrington Event was category 5 or greater. So this is no #CarringtonEvent. Even so, category 4 is pretty intense--if it happens.
"FIVE CMEs ARE HEADING FOR EARTH: Great sunspot AR3664 has hurled an astonishing five CMEs toward Earth.
"According to a NOAA forecast model, the first three CMEs could merge for form a 'Cannibal CME.' Cannibal CMEs form when fast-moving CMEs overtake and gobble up slower CMEs in front of them. Internal shock waves created by such CME collisions do an good job sparking geomagnetic storms when they strike Earth's magnetic field.
"The #CannibalCME is expected to arrive on May 11th. It alone could spark a strong (G3) #GeomagneticStorm. With two more CMEs following close behind, storm levels could become extreme (G4), sparking auroras at mid- to low-latitudes across Europe and the USA."
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The Perils of Mars: How a Crewed Mission to the Red Planet Could End in Disaster
#Accident #Astronauts #Communications #CosmicRadiation #DeepSpace #Earth #ElonMusk #Energy #Gravity #Launch #Life #Mars #Medicine #Microgravity #NASA #Navigation #Radiation #Rockets #Satellites #Science #ScienceFiction #SolarFlares #SpaceAgencies #SpaceExploration #Spacecraft #SpaceX #EarthAndOrbit #EditorSPicks #Mars #Moon #Noteworthy #PolicyLawAndRegulation #SocioEconomic #SpaceEconomy
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/03/18/the-perils-of-mars-how-a-crewed-mission-to-the-red-planet-could-end-in-disaster/
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How Astronauts and Mission Control Handle Loss of Communications
#Astronauts #CosmicRadiation #Earth #HumanSpaceflight #Life #Mars #MissionControl #Moon #Radiation #Satellites #SolarFlares #SpaceExploration #SpaceWeather #Spacecraft #Technology #GroundSegment #SpaceEconomy #SpaceSegment #UserSegment
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/02/15/how-astronauts-and-mission-control-handle-loss-of-communications/
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The sun has been busy while I slept in the U.S. with multiple #mclass #SolarFlares The #amateurradio #hamradio #hfbands have taken a beating. #solarcycle25 #spaceweather #spacewx #solarstorm