~Space Weather Update~ INCOMING CME: A CME from sunspot AR1429 is nearing Earth. [1]

 

WEEKEND SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot AR1429 is still erupting this weekend. On Saturday, March 10th, it produced a powerful M8-class flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory [2]. During the flare, New Mexico amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft recorded a series of radio bursts at 21 and 28 MHz:

 

[3]
Dynamic spectrum courtesy Wes Greenman, Alachua County, Florida

The roaring sounds [3] you just heard are caused by shock waves plowing through the sun's atmosphere in the aftermath of the explosion. "There is incredible complexity in the waveforms," notes Ashcraft. "This is a recording of one of the most turbulent events in all of Nature!"

 

In addition, the explosion propelled yet another CME toward Earth. According to a forecast track [4] prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the cloud will hit our planet's magnetosphere on March 12th around 1800 UT, possibly sparking a new round of geomagnetic storms.

 

A CME from an earlier explosion will arrive much sooner, however. Continue reading.....

 

INCOMING CME: A CME from sunspot AR1429 is nearing Earth. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the cloud [5] will arrive on March 11th at 0649 UT (+/- 7 hr). NOAA forecasters say the odds of a strong geomagnetic storm at that time is 50%. Aurora alerts: text [6], phone [7].

 

Solar wind
speed: 434.6 km/sec
density: 1.5 protons/cm³
explanation [8] | more data [9]
Updated: Today at 0256 UT

X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: M7 1800 UT Mar10
24-hr: M8 1745 UT Mar10
explanation [2] | more data [10]
Updated: Today at: 2359 UT

Daily Sun: 10 Mar 12

[11]

Big sunspot 1429 poses a continued threat for X-class [2] solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI