UPDATE 14 MAY: A sunspot on the sun's eastern limb (now numbered AR1748) is crackling with powerful X-class solar flares. It announced itself with an X1.7-class eruption on May 13th at 02.17 UT, quickly followed by an X2.8-class flare at 16.09 UT (and an X3.2-class flare at 01.17 UT on May 14). These are the strongest flares of 2013, and they signal a significant uptick in solar activity. More eruptions are in the offing. (NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of more X-flares during the next 24 hours.) The flares have produced strong flashes of extreme ultraviolet radiation.
Here is the view of the latest eruption, which registered X3.2 on the Richter Scale of Solar Flares, from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
Here is the view of the latest eruption, which registered X3.2 on the Richter Scale of Solar Flares, from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
The explosions also hurled coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space. Coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory are tracking the clouds: movie. The planet in the CME movie is Mercury. Although the CMEs appear to hit Mercury, they do not. In fact, no planets were in the line of fire. However, the CMEs appear to be on course to hit NASA's Epoxi and Spitzer spacecraft on May 15-16.
When the action began on May 13th, the instigating sunspot (now numbered "AR1748") was hidden behind the sun's eastern limb, but now solar rotation is bringing the active region into view. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured this first look just hours ago:
When the action began on May 13th, the instigating sunspot (now numbered "AR1748") was hidden behind the sun's eastern limb, but now solar rotation is bringing the active region into view. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured this first look just hours ago:
The next 24 to 48 hours should reveal much about the sunspot, including its size, magnetic complexity, and potential for future flares. For the moment, there is no reason to expect the explosions to stop. Stay tuned for updates. www.spaceweather.com
In a statement released Monday, NASA says that the increased number of solar flares is expected as the sun moves toward the peak of its 11-year solar cycle–solar maximum–in 2013. So far this solar cycle, there have been a total of 16 X-class flares including Sunday and Monday’s flares. The largest X-class flare of this cycle was a whopping X6.9, which took place on Aug. 9, 2011. Monday’s solar flare was the third strongest flare of this solar cycle.
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