Page last updated on: Thursday, October 23, 2014 Share on twitter Share on hootsuite Share on facebook Share on email More Sharing Services 0

Lots of solar flares Space Weather report solar activity is high. In just 48 hours, monster sunspot AR2192 has produced a series of seven M-class solar flares of increasing intensity  The eruptions crossed the threshold into X-territory with an X1-class flare on Oct. 22nd. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a powerful flash of extreme UV radiation in the sunspot's magnetic canopy at 14:30 UT. Remarkably, not one of the explosions so far has hurled a significant CME toward Earth. The primary effect of the flares has been to ionize Earth's upper atmosphere, causing a series of short-lived HF radio communications blackouts. Such blackouts may be noticed by amateur radio operators, aviators, and mariners. Earth-effects could increase in the days ahead. AR2192 has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful explosions, and the active region is turning toward Earth. NOAA forecasters estimate at 65% chance of M-class flares and a 20% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. Space Weather http://spaceweather.com/