X1.1 solar flare
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 14:11 UTC
That was unexpected! Incoming sunspot region 3341 produced an X1.1 solar flare (R3-strong) that peaked yesterday at 17:09 UTC. It has almost been 3 months since the last time we had an X-class solar flare and we have to admit getting an X-flare was unexpected!
Yesterday's X1.1 solar flare was associated with Type II and IV radio emissions which signaled that the solar flare like was eruptive. We indeed see on SOHO/LASCO imagery (see the animation below) that the eruption produced a fairly wide partial halo coronal mass ejection considering how close the eruption took place near the east limb. A glancing blow is possible late on June 23 but far from certain. If the cloud arrives, we expect only a limited impact. Geomagnetic storm conditions will be unlikely. Still something worth to keep an eye on for our friends in the southern hemisphere who are today experiencing the shortest day (and longest night) of the year.
Yesterday's X1.1 solar flare produced a fairly wide partial halo coronal mass ejection considering how close the eruption took place near the east limb. A glancing blow is possible late on June 23 but not certain. If the cloud arrives, we expect only a limited impact. pic.twitter.com/rz8MUc5132
— SpaceWeatherLive (@_SpaceWeather_) June 21, 2023
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Space weather facts
| Last X-flare | 2024/03/28 | X1.1 |
| Last M-flare | 2024/05/02 | M1.0 |
| Last geomagnetic storm | 2024/04/26 | Kp5+ (G1) |
| Spotless days | |
|---|---|
| Last spotless day | 2022/06/08 |
| Monthly mean Sunspot Number | |
|---|---|
| April 2024 | 136.5 +31.6 |
| Last 30 days | 146.6 +47.6 |