[HARC] HUGE SOLAR ERUPTIONS SPARK STRONGEST RADIATION STORM IN 7 YEARS...

[wa3pzo]

Space Weather News for Jan. 23, 2012
<http://spaceweather.com>

INCOMING CME: Big sunspot 1402 erupted on Jan. 23rd, producing a strong M9-class 
solar flare and a fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME).  Analysts at the 
Goddard Space Weather Lab say the CME should reach Earth on Jan. 24th at 14:18 
UT (+/- 7 hr) and Mars a little more than a day later.  Strong geomagnetic 
storms are possible when the cloud reaches Earth.  Our magnetic field is still 
reverberating from a CME impact on Jan. 22nd, so another blow could spark 
impressive auroras at high latitudes.  Sky watchers in northern Europe, Canada, 
Alaska, and northern-tier US states such as the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin 
should be alert for Northern Lights.

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HUGE SOLAR ERUPTIONS SPARK STRONGEST RADIATION STORM IN 7 YEARS...

A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles 
toward Earth tomorrow (Jan. 24), as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 
rages on the sun.
Early this morning (0359 GMT Jan. 23, which corresponds to late Sunday, Jan. 22 
at 10:59 p.m. EST), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught an extreme 
ultraviolet flash from a huge eruption on the sun, according to the skywatching 
website, 

<http://Spaceweather.com>.

The solar flare spewed from sunspot 1402, a region of the sun that has become 
increasingly active lately. Several NASA satellites, including the Solar 
Dynamics Observatory, the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Stereo 
spacecraft observed the massive sun storm.

An SDO image (AIA 193) shows an M9-class solar flare erupting on the Sun's 
northeastern hemisphere at 03:49 UT on Jan. 23, 2012... just 4 days after a 
previous strong CME that sparked aurora around the world on the 22nd. More 
geomagnetic activity is expected for the 24th.

A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles 
toward Earth tomorrow (Jan. 24), as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 
rages on the sun.
Early this morning (0359 GMT Jan. 23, which corresponds to late Sunday, Jan. 22 
at 10:59 p.m. EST), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught an extreme 
ultraviolet flash from a huge eruption on the sun, according to the skywatching 
website Spaceweather.com.
The solar flare spewed from sunspot 1402, a region of the sun that has become 
increasingly active lately. Several NASA satellites, including the Solar 
Dynamics Observatory, the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Stereo 
spacecraft observed the massive sun storm.

A barrage of charged particles triggered by this morning's solar flare is 
expected to hit Earth tomorrow at around 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), according to 
experts at the Space Weather Prediction Center, a division of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration. [Video & photos of the huge solar flare]

According to NOAA, this is the strongest solar radiation storm since May 2005, 
and as a precaution, polar flights on Earth are expected to be re-routed within 
the next few hours, Kathy Sullivan, deputy administrator of NOAA, said today at 
the 92nd annual American Meteorological Society meeting in New Orleans, La.

Scientists call these electromagnetic bursts "coronal mass ejections" (CMEs), 
and they are closely studied because they can produce potentially harmful 
geomagnetic storms when the charged particles rain down Earth's magnetic field 
lines.

In addition to generating stronger than normal displays of Earth's auroras (also 
known as the northern and southern lights), geomagnetic storms aimed directly at 
our planet can also disrupt satellites in orbit, cause widespread communications 
interference and damage other electronic infrastructures.

"There is little doubt that the cloud is heading in the general direction of 
Earth," Spaceweather.com announced in an alert. "A preliminary inspection of 
SOHO/STEREO imagery suggests that the CME will deliver a strong glancing blow to 
Earth's magnetic field on Jan. 24-25 as it sails mostly north of our planet."

Sunday's solar flare was rated an M9-class eruption, which placed it just on the 
verge of being an X-class flare, the most powerful type of solar storm. M-class 
sun storms are powerful but mid-range, while C-class flares are weaker.

NASA routinely monitors space weather conditions to determine any potential 
hazards to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Based on the 
agency's assessment, the six spaceflyers currently living and working on the 
orbiting outpost are not in any danger, said NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries.

"The flight surgeons have reviewed the space weather forecasts for the flare and 
determined that there are no expected adverse effects or actions required to 
protect the on-orbit crew," Humphries told SPACE.com in an email.

Last week, a separate sunspot group unleashed several M-class flares, and SDO 
scientists said these types of flares are occurring almost daily as the sun's 
rotation slowly turns the region toward Earth.

The sun's activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle. Currently, our planet's 
nearest star is in the midst of Solar Cycle 24, and activity is expected to ramp 
up toward solar maximum in 2013.

<http://www.space.com/14319-huge-solar-eruption-sparks-radiation-storm.html>