INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: One X-class solar flare already happened today (see below) and more could follow. The sun now has two large, unstable sunspots capable of producing very strong explosions: AR3182 and AR3184. Both are turning to face Earth, increasing the odds of geoeffective flares this week. X-flare alerts: SMS Text.
X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected an X1.9-class solar flare (Jan. 9th @ 1850 UT). The source is hyperactive sunspot AR3184, now emerging over the sun's southeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded the flare's extreme ultraviolet flash:
Above: An X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 9th. Credit: SDO/NASA
Radiation ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout centered on the Pacific side of South America: blackout map. Mariners, aviators and ham radio operators may have noticed fadeouts and other unusual propagation effects at frequencies below ~25 MHz.
This was an impulsive solar flare--intense but probably too brief to lift a coronal mass ejection (CME) out of the sun's atmosphere. It is too soon, however, to rule out the possibility of debris heading our way. Pending data from SOHO coronagraphs will reveal any CMEs in the hours ahead.
Meanwhile, it is interesting to zoom out and see what the whole sun did around the time of the X-flare. SDO recorded 5 rapidfire eruptions. Click to set the scene in motion:
Going off like popcorn, these five sites erupted in a time window shorter than 90 minutes despite some of them being separated by as much as a million kilometers. Coincidence? Maybe not. Researchers discovered long ago that magnetic instabilities can ignite nearly simultaneous explosions across the entire face of the sun. This appears to be such a case.
The collective effect of these disturbances may yet send a CME our way. Stay tuned! CME alerts: SMS Text.
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VALENTINE'S CRYSTAL BEAR AND ROSE: Valentine's Day is coming. Looking for a far-out gift? This Crystal Bear and Rose flew to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon on Dec. 17th:
You can have it for $129.95. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space bears to support their high-altitude ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the ursine astronaut in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
FULL WOLF MOON: According to folklore, Friday night's full Moon had a special name: The Wolf Moon. Dr. Tony Phillips watched it rise from the back of a dog sled in California's Eastern Sierra:
"I forgot my headlamp at home," he says. "No problem. The Wolf Moon provided all the illumination we needed. Watching the huskies' moon shadows race across the snow was a magical experience."
more images: from Dr. Sebastian Voltmer at the Mont-Blanc massif in France; from V. Liard Photography of Epernay, France; from Olivier Staiger of Vétroz, Switzerland; from Gretchen Christophel of Lake Howell, Casselberry, FL
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