M4.4 solar flare from sunspot region 4168

Tuesday, 5 August 2025 20:48 UTC

M4.4 solar flare from sunspot region 4168

However, today our Sun gave us a little wake up call with an interesting solar flare from an interesting location. Sunspot region 4168 produced an M4.4 solar flare today which peaked at 15:53 UTC. This sunspot region is interesting for two reasons: it has a complex Beta-Gamma-Delta magnetic layout which gives it the potential to produce significant solar flares. It is also located pretty much on the center of the earth-facing solar disk which means any eruptions are likely to hit Earth.

Despite the fairly impulsive nature of the flare to our surprise Type II and IV radio emmisions were observed which indicate the solar flare likely launched a coronal mass ejection. Exciting considering it is at the center of the earth-facing solar disk right? Yeah... about that... LASCO coronagraph imagery unfortunately only show a faint coronal mass ejection (CME) which is heading pretty much completely west of our planet and we should see little or no influence of this plasma cloud at our planet. A bit of a shame but keep an eye on sunspot region 4168 as it remains a significant sunspot region on the earth-facing disk right now. Could this sunspot group indicate we are entering a period with higher solar activity?