Double flare

Newish sunspot 1471 let off 2 medium sized flares in quick succession today. You can see from my solar flare monitor the initial peak and then a second pulse as the second flare was that bit stronger. Although there are quite a few spots on the Sun they don't pose a threat for big flares. Magnetic activity is also quiet, giving us a rest from earlier in the month.

Dave Gradwell

Solar flares

While geomagnetic activity has quietened, solar flare activity picked up for a bit today. My solar flare monitor picked up a mid sized M class flare and a couple of smaller C flares. The Sun is scattered with spots at present but none seem to be "magnetically twisted" enough to produce strong events.

Dave Gradwell

More magnetic activity

At time of typing 20:00UT there is low level magnetic activity. While not as much as the last 2 nights still enough for a photographic aurora to be visible. You can see it on the right of my magnetogram here.

Dave Gradwell

Another aurora alert

Some activity again tonight as shown below so check for aurora

DaveG

Aurora update....

Well it looks like it was a great display. Reports have come from  as far south as Kells Co Kildare. By all accounts colours were vibrant (see Brian Wilson's comment on the previous post). It looks like we got the end of a CME that glanced past us yesterday. And activity is still continuing, the plot below shows more activity at lunch time today. If it continues I'll post here later. It dawned on me this morning that I've now predicted 11 out of 11 displays of the northern lights since last year and haven't seen one of them! Hopefully the clouds will clear next time.

Dave Gradwell

Aurora Alert

Large magnetic fluctuations over Ireland mean a good chance of northen lights displays. Check your northern horizon....

Dave Gradwell

here's the current plot.....

A volley of flares

Like a machine gun, the Sun released a volley of flares across its Earth facing side today. And not just from one spot either. My solar flare monitor picked up the rapid fire this afternoon and by the looks of it solar activity is on the up with some fast growing spots facing us at present. While C class flares are at the lower end of the scale most of these pushed close to the larger M class (after C9.9 is M1.0). Again tuning in to the Surfing the Sun website will show these flares live, as they hit our ionosphere (about 8.3 minutes after they go off).

Dave Gradwell