[HCARC] Solar Activity Report 8

[Kerry Sandstrom]

I hope you all have been paying attention to the sun today. There have 
been 7 C-class flares including 2 >C 8 and 3 M-class flares including an 
M 5.5, all from the same sunspot group which just showed up a few days 
ago and has really grown in the last day and a half.  The biggest flare 
occurred at 2033 UT (peak) today with a solar flux value of 1600 - yes, 
1600.  The solar flux value for the day was 183, really quite 
spectacular.   If you were on the bands today you probably heard some 
solar noise bursts on the upper HF bands and 6 meters.  The H alpha 
images of the sunspot group that produced the flares were quite 
spectacular.  Who knows what additional surprises the sun has for us 
tonight and tomorrow.

The geomagnetic disturbances the last couple days has nothing to do with 
this solar activity - it is caused by changes in the solar wind.  Any 
geomagnetic disturbances related to this activity won't arrive for 2 or 
more days although there are none expected.

There have been a few periods of absorption from the sun's X-ray effects 
on the ionosphere.  The absorption hasn't been particularly high but may 
reduce the signal strength of low HF signals.

Kerry