Hello John and Doves,
On Tuesday, May 13, sunspot
AR4086 released an X1.2 class solar flare; then on
Wednesday, May 14, sunspot AR4087 released an M5.3 and then
an X2.7 and then a M7.7 a few hours later. Looks like
Mars is going to get the brunt of this.
Scientists are predicting
more to come, as the sunspots traverse across the Sun,
pointing directly at Earth. It takes about 14 days for Sun
side rotation - east to west.
And on Tuesday a "massive
solar filament - nearly 600,000 miles long - erupted from
the Sun and was hurled out into space. "Data suggests Earth
is not in the eruption's past."
"The strongest solar flare
so far this year hurled streams of plasma and charged
particles into the cosmos and Earth's atmosphere Wednesday
morning."
The Sun blew out
back to back eruptions "the strongest of the year so far"
that caused shortwave radio blackouts on "at least five
continents".
"The outbursts this
week may be signaling that the Sun is ramping up its
activity."
The Sun "fired off a huge
X-class flare" on Wednesday. "Flare of this magnitude
are not frequent," officials with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction
Center wrote in a summer of the event."
The flares are categorized
into five classes, from weakest to strongest: A, B, C,
M and X. "Each letter represents a 10 fold increase in
energy released by the Sun over the previous class."
In addition, a scale 1 to 9 describes the intensity of a
solar storm. 1 is the weakest of the class; 9 is the
strongest.
Wednesday there was an X2.7
flare that followed an M5.3 flare. (These were
followed by an M7.7 flare.)
Solar storms can affect GPS
systems and satellites and high-frequency radio
signals. "When the storms are aimed at Earth, they can
also disrupt radio communications or know out power grids as
the planet is bombarded with streams of charged
particles." They can also affect the northern lights -
showing up at lower latitudes.
Shortwave radio blackouts
have been reported in North America, South America, SE Asia,
Africa and the Middle East.
"Scientists said last year
that the Sun has entered a busy phase of its natural 11 year
cycle. The period of increased activity, known as
solar maximum, is likely to continue through this year,
which means more solar storms could be in store in the
coming months." So far, the largest flare of this
cycle was on October 3, 2024 an X9.0
There were two massive
flares on Wednesday from sunspot region AR4087. "The
eruption unleashed a burst of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet
radiation that hurtled toward Earth at the speed of light,
rapidly ionizing the upper atmosphere. This sudden
change disrupted high-frequency radio signals, causing
communication blackouts for some radio operators across
multiple continents."
Then, that same sunspot
region with the X2.7 flare, unleashed another flare -
M7.743.
"As the sunspot marches
toward direct alignment with Earth, experts warn
of potential further disruptions, including radio
blackouts and power grid issues. Experts are
advising space agencies and power companies to remain on
high alert for potential fallout."
"When a CME arrives at
Earth, the charged particles interact with our planet's
atmospheric and magnetic field, usually triggering a
geomagnetic storm that results in the appearance of the
northern and southern lights, as well as potential power
grid failures and impacts to satellites and GPS."
"However due to the position
of sunspot AR4087 at the sun's northeastern limb, this CME
and others potentially released by recent solar flares have
not been directed toward Earth, instead aiming for our
planetary neighbor Mars. NASA models show that
the CME is due to hit the Red Planet on Sunday (May 18)
and could trigger auroras across Mars' atmosphere."
"Over the next few days,
sunspot AR4087 will slowly inch across the Sun putting Earth
directly in it line of fire. If the sunspot fires off
more solar flares, we could be due for more radio blackouts,
and if these flares are accompanied by CMEs, we might
experience geomagnetic storms, resulting in auroras being
visible much further away from the poles than usual."
Space Weather Prediction Center is predicting a 65% change
of a M class flare and a 30% chance of an X class flare
through May 17.
run time 3:52
The Sun is like a giant bug
zapper....and those sunspots can be Earth facing soon.
Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance