Monster Sunspot Erupts with an X-Class Flare

By Nancy Atkinson - January 7, 2014 at 8:57 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy
x-1.jpg

Solar astronomers have been keeping an eye on giant sunspot AR1944, and as it turned towards Earth today, the sunspot erupted with a powerful X1.2-class flare.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center

said the flare sparked a "strong radio blackout" today, and they have issued a 24 hour "moderate" magnetic storm watch indicating a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with the flare may be heading towards Earth. A CME is a fast moving cloud of charged particles which can interact with Earth's atmosphere to cause aurora, so observers in northern and southern latitudes should be on the lookout for aurora, possibly through January 10.

Here's a video of the flare from the Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The SWPC forecasters said they are anticipating G2 (Moderate) Geomagnetic Storm conditions to occur on January 9, followed by G1 (Minor) levels January 10. NOAA estimates the CME headed towards Earth might produce a Kp number of 6.

The Earth-directed CME launched from AR1944 at 1832 UTC (1:32 p.m. EST) on January 7.

Here's an animation of the CME.

Astronomers have said that this sunspot region remains "well-placed and energetic" so there could be subsequent activity.

[caption id="attachment_107865" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

A closeup look at sunspot AR1944 on January 6, 2013, comparing its size to Earth. Credit and copyright: Ron Cottrell. [/caption]

According to SpaceWeather.com, AR1944 has "an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field," making it ripe for activity. Here's a quick video of today's X-class flare showing the coronal wave:

[caption id="attachment_107866" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

AR144 as seen on January 7, 2014. At the bottom are size comparisons to Earth and Jupiter. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca. [/caption]

The Solar Dynamics Observatory has a

"self-updating" webpage

showing the latest views of the Sun in various wavelengths.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com