Latest news updates Subscribe
X3.3 solar flare
Friday, 9 February 2024 18:15 UTC
Departing sunspot region 3575 which is already behind the south-west limb said goodbye this afternoon with a major X3.3 (R3-strong) solar flare which peaked at 13:14 UTC.
G2 geomagnetic storm watch
Sunday, 21 January 2024 19:41 UTC
A moderate G2 geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by the NOAA SWPC for Monday, 22 January and Tuesday, 23 January. This is due to the expected arrival of a coronal mass ejection launched by a eruption south of sunspot region 3557 early yesterday morning.
Major X5.0 solar flare
Monday, 1 January 2024 15:16 UTC
Happy New Year to all of our visitors and fans! How do we celebrate that? With a major solar flare of course! The Sun was kind enough to produce some spectacular fireworks yesterday just two hours before UTC midnight. It was a major X5.0 (R3-strong) solar flare that peaked at 21:55 UTC. Sunspot region 3536 is the source of the eruption which is just rotating into view on the east limb. This is actually the return of sunspot region 3514 which produced an X2.8 solar flare during the previous solar rotation.
Coronal hole faces Earth
Friday, 29 December 2023 18:09 UTC
Solar activity has been fairly quiet the past few days as there are currently no noteworthy sunspot regions on the earth-facing solar disk. However, a different kind of interesting solar feature is currently staring right at us on the earth-facing solar disk and that is a trans-equatorial coronal hole.
Earth-directed CME, M6 solar flare
Friday, 15 December 2023 19:21 UTC
Yesterday's X2.8 solar flare (which is the strongest solar flare since 2017) came from sunspot region 3514 which is rotating towards the west limb. It became clear quite soon following the event that it would be eruptive but is there a chance that the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) arrives at Earth? Keep on reading for the answer!
Major X2.8 solar flare
Thursday, 14 December 2023 17:34 UTC
A major X2.87 (R3-strong) solar flare just peaked at 17:02 UTC. Sunspot region 3514 is the source of the eruption.
Coronal hole faces Earth
Saturday, 2 December 2023 15:37 UTC
The geomagnetic storm which was the result of a coronal mass ejection impact from the M9.8 solar flare has now subsided. The north-south (Bz) component of the interplanetary magnetic field is pointing northwards which is preventing any kind of geomagnetic unrest at the moment. We did peak at the strong G3 geomagnetic storm level which caused some very nice auroral displays at lower latitudes than usual. So does that mean we need to wait for weeks and weeks before the next geomagnetic storm? No! A very large coronal hole is currently facing our planet sending a high-speed solar wind stream towards us.
M9.8 solar flare with earth-directed CME
Wednesday, 29 November 2023 17:24 UTC
A near X-class (M9.8) solar flare (R2-moderate) erupted yesterday at 19:50 UTC. It was sunspot region 3500 which was pretty much on the center of the earth-facing solar disk at the time that was the source of this eruption.
Coronal mass ejection impact expected on 11 November
Friday, 10 November 2023 16:17 UTC
A full halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) left the Sun around 12 UTC on 9 November. The CME was the result of a filament eruption close to the center of the earth-facing solar disk.
Strong geomagnetic storm sparks aurora all over Europe
Monday, 6 November 2023 17:22 UTC
Wow! Now that was what you call an almighty storm! Two distinct coronal mass ejection arrivals yesterday sparked a geomagnetic storm that peaked at the strong G3 (Kp7) level. This sparked spectacular and vivid aurora displays which were seen from all over Europe, southern parts of Australia and New Zealand. We admit that we were actually surprised by how far south in Europe people were spotting the aurora. We have seen images from pretty much every European country and even as far south as Turkey! Yes! Turkey! Incredible stuff! This amazing aurora display is yet another example of why you need to remain vigilant during coronal mass ejection arrivals! You never know when that chance comes that you will be able to spot the aurora from your own back yard or balcony!
Latest news
X1.8 solar flare, severe geomagnetic storm watch
Double X-flares, glancing blow possible
Incoming CME, G3 geomagnetic storm watch
Latest forum messages
Support SpaceWeatherLive.com!
A lot of people come to SpaceWeatherLive to follow the Sun's activity or if there is aurora to be seen, but with more traffic comes higher server costs. Consider a donation if you enjoy SpaceWeatherLive so we can keep the website online!
Space weather facts
| Last X-flare | 2024/10/09 | X1.4 |
| Last M-flare | 2024/10/15 | M2.1 |
| Last geomagnetic storm | 2024/10/12 | Kp5 (G1) |
| Spotless days | |
|---|---|
| Last spotless day | 2022/06/08 |
| Monthly mean Sunspot Number | |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | 141.4 -74.1 |
| October 2024 | 156.3 +14.9 |
| Last 30 days | 148.8 -15.7 |