Sunspot 1520 Fires a Flare

By jmajor - July 12, 2012 at 6:43 PM UTC | Solar Astronomy
Screen-Shot-2012-07-12-at-1.44.55-PM.png

Remember that

cool animation

I posted earlier of AR1520 and how I said there's no guarantee it

wouldn't

unleash an X-class flare? Well at 16:48 UT today, it did. Just goes to show there's no guarantees in space!

The X1.4-class flare will most likely affect Earth's magnetic field as 1520 is directly facing us. Stay tuned for more!

Video & image: NASA/SDO and the AIA science team.

UPDATE

The CME associated with this flare is expected to impact Earth's magnetosphere on Saturday between 3 and 5 p.m. EDT with "moderate to severe" activity possible. See an animated tracker

here

. (H/T to

Francis Reddy

at GSFC.) Also in the lineup for impact are MESSENGER and MSL.