Solar activity

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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

MULTPLE CMEs ARE HEADING FOR EARTH: Sunspot AR2975 has been busy. Since yesterday it has exploded more than 17 times (11 C-class flares + 6 M-class). The eruptions have hurled at least two, possibly three, CMEs toward Earth. Click to watch the storm clouds emerge:

Above: A SOHO coronagraph movie of multiple CMEs on March 28, 2022.

The first CME (1254 UT) has already been modeled by NASA and NOAA. It is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on March 31st. The second CME (2130 UT) and the potential third CME (2230 UT) are following close behind. They will likely arrive on April 1st. Their combined impact could spark G2- to G3-class geomagnetic storms.

Play the movie again. The snowy speckles at the beginning are energetic protons hitting the camera. They were accelerated toward Earth by shock waves in the leading edge of the CME. More than a day later, proton counts around Earth remain elevated. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

A BIG CRACK IN EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD: For an hour on March 13th, a big crack opened in Earth's magnetic field--one of the biggest in years. (For specialists: BsubZ was less than -20 nT.) Solar wind poured through the gap, adding its energy to that of the CME which struck earlier in the day. This increases the chances that high-latitude auroras may remain visible at least through the early hours of March 14th. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

Planetary K-index | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

Planetary K-index

Now: Kp= 6 storm

24-hr max: Kp= 6 storm

explanation | more data

CME IMPACT SPARKS GEOMAGNETIC STORM: As predicted, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on March 13th. The impact sparked a moderately strong G2-class geomagnetic storm. When the CME arrived, "the sky exploded," reports John Dean, who sends this picture from Nome, Alaska:

"I was out from 2:30 am until sunrise," says Dean. "The coronas (auroras that seem to fall from overhead like rain) were phenomenal."

The timing of the CME's impact was unfortunate for many aurora photographers. Europe and much of North America were daylit when the storm cloud arrived. Dark skies were positioned mainly over the Pacific Ocean and western parts of North America.

What next? Geomagnetic storms could persist through March 14th as Earth passes through the CME's wake. If so, many photographers who missed the CME's arrival may get a second chance. Stay tuned for updates. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

more images: from Gary King of Chesterfield, New Hampshire; from Alan C. Tough of Hopeman, Moray, Scotland; from Stephane of Copenhagen, Denmark; from Pentti Arpalahti of Helsinki, Finland; from Laura Kranich of Kiel, Germany; from Jónína Óskarsdóttir of Fáskrúðsfjörður, Iceland; from Heiko Ulbricht of Herzogswalde, Saxony, Germany; from Raimondas Ciuplys of Trakai, Lithuania