Report for 3/16/12

Sunspot AR1429, which caused a flurry of solar events last week, unleashed a massive M8-class solar flare on March 10th and M7-class flare on March 13th. The latter blast was followed by a coronal mass ejection (CME) that caused yesterday's geomagnetic storm (Kp=6). AR1429 has been so active that sky watchers in the Arctic Circle have witnessed auroras for almost two weeks straight.

Comet SWAN, a Kreutz sungrazer comet, rocketed toward the Sun on March 14th, but did not survive. This comet was much smaller than Comet Lovejoy, a sungrazer comet that got a great deal of attention last December for making it around the Sun and surviving its journey.

Do you think there will be any major solar events this weekend? Submit your forecast and let us know what you think!

Comet SWAN (bottom left) races to the Sun (blocked out by center disc).
SOHO captured this footage on March 14th.

Report for 3/9/12

Massive sunspot AR1429 has been very active this week, unleashing several intense solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The sunspot released an X1-class solar flare and CME on Monday. It followed that up with an X5-class solar flare and CME on Wednesday, which was Earth-directed; the blast is the cause for today's geomagnetic storm activity.

AR1429 is currently more than seven times the width of Earth and is still growing! (As of Sunday, it was approximately four times Earth's width.) NOAA forecasters predict an 80% chance of M-class flares and 40% chance of X-class flares in the next 24 hours.
What do you predict? Submit your forecast today!

The Sun unleashed an X-class flare on Wednesday.

Report for 2/10/12

The Sun started the week off strong with a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) and M1-class solar flare on Monday. Mid-week, a moderate solar wind stream flowed to Earth leading NOAA forecasters to predict a 40% chance of a geomagnetic storms in the higher latitudes. No major storm activity occurred, but sky watchers around the Arctic Circle were treated to vibrant auroras.

Last night, a filament on the Sun's northeastern limb exploded, causing a CME that is currently heading toward Venus. Although the blast is not headed our way, a new sunspot located near the blast site may be a potential source of solar activity in the upcoming week.

What do you think this weekend's space weather will be? Submit your forecast!

Today's Sun as seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Report for 1/27/12

This week was an exciting one for space weather fans! On Monday, sunspot AR1402 caused an M9-class solar flare followed by a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME, which hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday, caused a geomagnetic storm; the storm created beautiful auroras for sky watchers as far south as South Dakota and Michigan in the US.

Yesterday, a CME was released from the Sun over its north pole, although it is not heading toward Earth. Earth is also safe from the effects of the powerful X2-class flare and CME that sunspot AR1402 unleashed today. This sunspot is on the far side of the Sun, so its recent activity has not been aimed at us.

A solar wind stream is expected to arrive over the weekend, which may cause some disruptions in Earth's magnetic field. What are your predictions for this weekend's space weather? Make your forecast here!

An X2-class solar flare and CME erupted today.

Report for 1/20/12

Sunspot 1401 put on a show for us this week, causing several space weather events. According to the NASA Goddard Space Weather Lab, strong geomagnetic storms are possible this weekend due to a full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) that occurred yesterday. The CME occurred when sunspot 1401 erupted around 16:30 UTC. It produced not only the CME, but an M3-class solar flare.

What do you predict the weekend will hold? Make your space weather forecast here!

Sunspot 1401 has been very active this week.

Report for 12/30/11

On December 25-26th, two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were released from the Sun within 24 hours of each other! This caused geomagnetic storms on December 28th; sky watchers in the higher latitudes were treated to spectacular auroras.

Sunspot AR1389 unleashed two M-class solar flares yesterday and may not be done yet. Two other sunspots, AR1386 and AR1387, also have the potential to cause a solar event; AR1387 was the source of the CME on Dec. 25th. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has predicted a 40% chance of M-class flares through tomorrow.

What do you think the chances of a solar event are over the weekend? Submit your forecast here!

Auroras decorated the sky on December 28, 2011.

Report for 11/23/11

In late October, the Sun was so active that auroras could be seen as far south as Arkansas and Arizona in the US! The Sun has been putting on less of a performance so far this month, although yesterday a prominence erupted which was several times the size of the Earth! Although not Earth-facing, it was a beautiful sight (video).

A picture of yesterday's prominence eruption taken by SDO.

According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, there is a 30% chance of M-class solar flares in the next few days, but otherwise solar activity is expected to be low. Forecasters are keeping their eyes on sunspot 1356 as a potential source of flares.

Sunspot 1356 is currently a potential source of flares.