23 October 2015

from SpaceWeather Website
 

Typical solar flares are finished in a matter of minutes. On October 22^nd (2015), a solar flare in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2434 lasted for more than 3 hours.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the eruption:

The peak X-ray intensity of the flare was relatively low.

On the Richter Scale of Solar Flares it registered only C4.5. What the flare lacked in amplitude, however, it made up for in longevity. The hours-long blast was powerful and produced a bright CME, shown here (above video) billowing away from the sun's southwestern limb.

The CME is not heading directly for Earth. Nevertheless, it does have an Earth-directed component.

NOAA forecast models suggest that the cloud will deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field on October 25^th. There is a 50% chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms when it arrives.

Weekend auroras, anyone?