X-FLARE: Departing sunspot 1402 unleashed an X2-class solar flare today, Jan. 27th, at 18:37 UT. Click on the image to view a movie of the extreme ultraviolet flash recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:
Sunspot 1402 is rotatiing onto tthe far side of the sun, so the blast site was not facing Earth. Nevertheless, energetic protons accelerated by the blast are now surrounding our planet, and an intensifying S1-class radiation storm is in progress. Stay tuned for updates. Aurora alerts: text, voice.
Solar wind
speed: 529.7 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1944 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: X1 1837 UT Jan27
24-hr: X1 1837 UT Jan27
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 1900 UT
Daily Sun: 27 Jan 12
Sunspot 1408 is directly facing Earth, but it has a simple magnetic field that does not pose a threat for strong flares. Credit: SDO/HMI