X-FLARE! Big sunspot AR1520 unleashed an X1.4-class solar flare

[Carole]

Big sunspot AR1520 unleashed an X1.4-class solar flare on July 12th at 1653 UT. Because this sunspot is directly facing Earth, everything about the blast was geoeffective. For one thing, it hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward our planet. According to a forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the CME will hit Earth on July 14th around 10:20 UT (+/- 7 hours) and could spark strong geomagnetic storms. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend.

http://spaceweather.com/

Carole

[MarkS]

Cool !!!

Is it advisable to switch off and unplug mobile phones, laptops, desktop PCs, satellite boxes and then wrap them in tinfoil?

[Ian]

Cool !!!

Is it advisable to switch off and unplug mobile phones, laptops, desktop PCs, satellite boxes and then wrap them in tinfoil?

yes, but not necessarily because of the flare...

[Carole]

I'm going to be in Exmoor NP tomorrow evening, I know it is far south, but as it's an X Class flare who knows?

Carole

[MarkS]

yes, but not necessarily because of the flare...

Why then?  As a precaution against the Olympic Games?  We've already been warned that normal life will grind to a halt.

[Rick]

As a precaution against the Olympic Games?

Heh! Was up in London yesterday (thought I'd take the last pre-Olympics-and-school-holidays to have a relatively un-crowded wander), and the Circle Line was broken, and there are all sorts of other signs of impending chaos...

[Mac]

and the Circle Line was broken

it always is, 

[mickw]

and the Circle Line was broken

it always is, 

Well mend it then instead of playing with the internet 

[Ian]

it's been broken a while, and it really needs a new name...

[MarkS]

it's been broken a while, and it really needs a new name...

The "Formerly a Circle" Line ?

[mickw]

Just Tippex out the ircle

[Mac]

in house its called the snail.

Mac.

[MarkS]

I'm sure the only reason they did this was to prevent vagrants sitting on the train all day going round and round.  And Imperial College students during Freshers Week - they used to set up picnic feasts on the train - including lots of drink.

[Rick]

[BAA-ebulletin 00686] Aurora Alert: nights of July 14/15 and 15/16
(c) 2012 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/

At 1700 UT on July 12 the large sunspot area AR1520 produced an X1.4 class solar flare travelling in the general direction of the Earth. The latest forecast of the arrival time of the front of the expanding coronal mass ejection (CME) is for it to have reached the Earth around 0917 UT on July 14 and strong auroral displays are forecast for the nights of July 14 and 15 visible from far northerly and southerly latitudes. Ultraviolet and X-ray images of the sunspot region and its associated flare are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News071212-X1.4flare.html

A remarkable video of this X-class flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory can be seen at:

http://spaceweather.com/images2012/12jul12/ipad/x1p4.m4v?PHPSESSID=qhmpsg3tqvfj1i95b4bdusnqa3

Current predictions are for the newly energised auroral arc to be visible low on the horizon from Scotland. There is a possibility though that an auroral display will be visible to UK observers further south.

Clear skies,
Richard Miles

2012 July 14 1007 UT