Sun news September 7: Prominence and filament fun

Sun news September 15: Strong X flare and fast eruption!

EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world

by C. Alex Young, Raúl Cortés and Armando Caussade

Solar excitement over the past 24 hours focused on filament and prominence activity captured in the 304 angstroms wavelength. The solar limb (edge) was covered with solar prominences, most of which were stable and dancing around. A filament in the southeast erupted in a southward direction around 17:05 UTC.

Around 7:30 UTC, we observed loops expanding out from behind the southern solar limb (edge). The very last available SOHO LASCO C2 image shows the beginnings of a coronal mass ejection headed southward. We await more data to learn the details of the event. The flaring activity remains moderate, but just barely, with an isolated small M flare from AR3813. We are very curious about this region or regions on the solar backside. One or more interesting regions could soon rotate into view. Stay tuned!

Last 24 hours: Once again, an isolated M flare during our observation period (11 UTC yesterday to 11 UTC today) kept solar activity at moderate levels. Flaring production reduced from 22 flares to 16 flares, with one M and 15 C flares. The largest flare, an M1.7, blasted out at 7:46 UTC on September 7 from active region AR3813. The flare caused an R1 (minor) radio blackout affecting an area over the Indian Ocean off the west of the Maldives. The lead flare producer of the period was active region AR3806 in the southwest, which produced seven C flares. One of the most active regions during the week, sunspot region AR3807 is now completely out of view in the southwest. Of the seven numbered active regions on the solar disk, there are three sunspot regions with a beta-gamma magnetic configuration: AR3806, AR3811 and AR3813. Active region AR3813 split into two. The western portion kept the number AR3813 while the eastern region is now AR3815. There is a newcomer on the southeast quadrant, AR3816.

Next 24 hours: The chance for C flares is 99%. The chance for M flares is 65%. The chance for X flares is 15%.

Next expected CME: No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed in available coronagraph imagery.

Current geomagnetic activity: Earth’s magnetic field is quiet at the time of this writing (11 UTC on September 7). Quiet conditions are anticipated today, September 8. Unsettled condition are expected to begin on September 8 due to fast solar wind reaching Earth from a coronal hole moving into geoeffective position. This should extend into September 9.