Strong Earth-directed solar flare erupts from the surface of the Sun, could spark auroras this weekend
Meteorologist/Science Writer
Saturday, December 20, 2014, 3:57 PM - Just before midnight on Tuesday night, Eastern Time, a large sunspot complex known as AR 2242 blasted out a strong M8.7-class solar flare, which could spark active auroras for anyone living at high latitudes this weekend.
The image above, a composite of different filtered light from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the exact moment of the flare's peak, as it showered space with high-energy X-rays. According to SpaceWeather.com, this caused a brief High-Frequency radio blackout here on Earth.
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH: Several of SDO's views of this moderate solar flare, taken through different filters to highlight various portions of the Sun's atmosphere.
Active Region 2242 has been growing since it developed over the weekend, and as the images above show, it is crackling with energy. According to SpaceWeather.com, "More strong flares could be in the offing. AR 2242 is growing and it has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field poised to explode again."
Credit: NASA/SDO, edited by Scott Sutherland
The flare was accompanied by a slow-moving coronal mass ejection (CME), which was spotted by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Although the flare was Earth-directed, the CME appears to be mostly aimed downward, on an angle that will have it pass beneath the Earth's south pole.
Credit: NASA/SOHO/SpaceWeather.com
However, there is still the chance that this may result in a glancing-blow on Earth's magnetic field. That would likely spark a minor to moderate geomagnetic storm, which usually results in an increase in aurora activity at higher latitudes.
According to NASA's Space Weather Prediction Center, due to the slow-moving nature of this particular CME, any storm and active aurora activity resulting from it probably wouldn't happen until early Sunday morning.
"There could be an increased chance to see the aurora across southern Canada and possibly along the northern border of the U.S. - given a cloud free night," says NOAA.
Currently, experts are giving a 55 per cent chance of at least another M-class flare sometime over the next 48 hours, with only a 10 per cent chance of a stronger X-class flare.
