[{"id":9037,"date":"2026-01-21T17:04:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=9037"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:15:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:15:23","slug":"solar-observations-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2026 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be limited or non-existent. Whenever the Sun becomes active again, the observing program will become active as well, weather permitting. The Sun is expected to reach the maximum activity level of the current Cycle 25 solar cycle. So we anticipate more events in terms of active region size and number, and solar flares.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website,\u00a0https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is\u00a0www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from\u00a0https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at\u00a0http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is summarized in each day’s entry below, based on the forecast discussion product issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center each morning, along with observed activity (or lack of) the day of the featured observations. Regions are numbered by the NOAA\/SWPC and are often provided in four-digit format (e.g. 3327), although I and other sources use the full five-digit designation (13327). Solar flares are described in terms of their X-ray intensity and optical “importance” (apparent brightness and area covered). One can learn more about the X-ray class of solar flares often discussed below by going to this website: https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/glossary\/flareclasses.html<\/a>.\u00a0Finally the SWPC 3-day forecast for solar activity is provided at the end of each entry.<\/p>\n

More information about solar flares can be found at these websites: https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/phenomena<\/a>; https:\/\/www.space.com\/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation<\/a>; and https:\/\/www.spaceweatherlive.com\/en\/solar-activity\/solar-flares.html<\/a>. I have also found the following website to be very useful: spaceweatherlive.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and a 16-bit, 3326×2504 pixel SBIG STF-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long for the red off-band continuum images and 0.5 second for the on-band H-alpha images. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

NOTE: Images of the March 14, 2025 total lunar eclipse are posted at https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/total-lunar-eclipse-1\/<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

NOTE: Images of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse are posted at https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/partial-solar-eclipse\/<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Observations have been conducted since then at the PVSO, primarily with H-alpha. There was a period of time when magnetospheric data were collected but the work had primarily been regional H-alpha images of active regions and filaments. Regular observations continued through the mid-2000’s, then became more sporadic through 2015. After a five-year pause, regular observations resumed (in their current format) on 8 January 2020.<\/p>\n

\n

February 26, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels yesterday (25 February) due to an M2.3 flare from AR 14379 at 15:59 UT. This region is coming into better view as the Sun’s rotation carries it around the east limb. It is actually two regions, the trailing region was designated AR 14380. Today’s strongest event was a C6.3 flare at 19:09 UTC from beyond the east limb. Currently, three designated active regions are visible on the solar disk, with a small pair os spots appearing in the northwest quadrant of the disk (it has not yet been numbered). A 15 degree long filament erupted from the southeastern limb\/disk of the Sun.<\/p>\n

Observations were again made under less-than-ideal conditions, with abundant cumulus cloud, persistent equipment problems, and limited observing time. We were not able to obtain H-alpha images, only white light images due to these factors. Each of the below images cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, are 0.09 second exposures, and are set so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14378 is the lone spot in the above image. It may be the leftover of AR 14366, which graced the Sun’s disk during\u00a0 the last rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A string of spots is visible in this image. The leading pair, oriented vertically, is AR 14379. The remaining spots closer to the limb make up AR 14380.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels through 1 March with a chance for isolated M-class flare activity.<\/p>\n

This will be the last posting as the observation program shuts down due to equipment issues and needed upgrades.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 24, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was very low all day yesterday, with the background X-ray flux “flatlining” to as low as B2.9 level. It has since returned to low levels with a C1.0 flare today (24 February) at 7:33 UT, from an active region just beyond the SE limb, near latitude S21. The Sun returned to spotless today but some signs of change in the solar activity has been presenting itself, with a steadily increasing X-ray flux background. Since 7:33 UT, there had been a series of undulations taking on the form of five broad peaks and 9 shorter peaks in the C-class range of the X-ray flux plot. One peaked at C2.9 at 13:02UT; another at C4.5 (the largest of today so far, through 23:35 UT) at 17:12; and a series of 3 shorter peaks with the first one at 18:49 at C3.5. The X-ray background has been steadily decreasing since, but it has stayed above the C1.0 level all day.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This frame is centered near the center of the solar disk, and only granulation is visible in this frame. There had been a small cluster of pores but they have since dissipated.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun as depicted immediately left, reveals the overall H-alpha texture and several filaments. The bright patch along the left of the image is an artifact of the imaging system setup.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The ENE limb of the Sun shows possibly a pore along with several faculae (bright patches).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The arrow points to some limb activity in H-alpha that may be heralding the return of AR 14366. The bright patch is internal system reflection of H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares and a very slight chance (1%) for an M-class flare through 26 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 23, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels as the Sun becomes spotless. That feat was actually achieved yesterday when the disk was virtually spotless. However, there were four low-level C-class flares yesterday. One was a long-duration C1.5 flare at 16:41 UTC on 22 February from an active region over the WSW limb. A 15 degree long prominence erupted off the SE limb at about 15:30 UTC on 22 February. The active regions that were expected to rotate into view by the end of last week never materialized. However, AR 14366 is expected to return in the next several days. It had been monitored (along with five additional much smaller spot groups) by the Mars Perseverance rover as the spot group crossed the far side of the Sun. Mars and the rover are on the far side of the Sun as seen from Earth. The below image, from spaceweather.com and NASA from 19 February.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Meanwhile today’s “nearside” solar image from the GONG (Global Oscillation Network Group) network of solar observatories reveals a much different picture:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares and a slight chance for an M-class flare, through 25 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 19, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels as the Sun becomes more spotless. There are only three spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, a larger spot and two small spot groups. An unnumbered region of plage produced a C2.1 flare at 20:42 UT, mentioned below on 18 February. Another unnumbered plage region produced a C2.0 flare from near N20W48 (the northwest quadrant). AR 14374 produced a C1.0 at 10:15 UT today, 19 February. AR 14374 is simplifying some as is AR 14377; AR 14375 remained stable. A filament disappeared in the northwest quadrant of the solar disk at approximately 21:00 UT on 18 February. Most of the material likely fell back to the solar surface.<\/p>\n

Observations were again made under less-than-ideal conditions, with haze, abundant cumulus cloud, and limited observing time. Exposures were lengthened due to the presence of haze. The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.25 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14375 (top center) and 14374 (right).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 has produced an occasional low level C-class flare but has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 continues to be small and simple.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 almost disappears in this image, which features a few small filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare, through 22 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 18, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. The strongest event, both yesterday and today (through 21:55 UT 18 February) was a long duration C2.2 flare peaking at 20:42 UT from an unnumbered region near S07 E61. AR 14374 produced a C1.8 flare at 23:23 UT, 17 February; and a C1.4 flare at 0:50 UT on 18 February. An unnumbered region (possibly the source of today’s C2) produced a C1.1 flare from near S05 E85. AR 14374 is slowly decaying, and AR 14373 has rotated over the western limb. There are a total of three spotted regions currently, AR 14374, 14375, and 14377. The latter two were mostly unchanged from yesterday.<\/p>\n

Another large filament erupted from beyond the southwestern limb starting at about 4:08 UT on 18 February. This produced a CME that will miss Earth. This is likely the same filament that graced the southern part of the solar disk last week.<\/p>\n

Observations were again made under less-than-ideal conditions. Exposures were lengthened due to the presence of high cirrus clouds. The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.25 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 starts to approach the western limb. It is the largest spot currently visible on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 had produced an occasional C-class flare but this part of the Sun has been quiet overall.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 (left) and 14375 (right) continue to persist on the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 and 14375, along with a lengthening filament, are visible in the above image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare, through 20 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 17, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was very low to low. A filament erupted and generated a C1.0 flare from an unnumbered region just behind the SE limb of the Sun. AR 14374 has grown slightly, with the rest of the sunspot groups (three in total, including 14374) remaining stable. A filament just south of disk-center began to erupt yesterday (16 February) around 12:30 UT. This produced a very faint CME that continued off the northeast limb.<\/p>\n

Observations were made under less-than-ideal conditions. Exposures were lengthened due to the presence of high cirrus clouds. The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.25 sec exposure.Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14373 (top center) and 14373 (lower right on Sun’s edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 has been quiet all day today, as has this zone of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 (left of center) and 14375 (right, on edge of frame), two tiny spot groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14377 is marked by bright plage (left) and a filament (just right of image center) is visible in this region of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 18 February with a slight chance of an M-class flare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 16, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels early today after an M2.4 flare that peaked at 4:35 UTC today (16 February). This came from an active region over the east limb and much of its energy was blocked by the Sun. This region will rotate into view sometime later this week. After this event, solar activity dropped to very low levels with only a C1.0 at 13:06 and an optical sub-flare from AR 14374 at 15:36. All five visible active regions were stable.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 (upper left) and 14373 (lower right) are the two largest spot groups on the visible solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Small localized brightenings were observed next to each of these regions during today’s observations, but were not recorded as sub-flare events by NOAA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This nearly blank region of the Sun contains two small spotted groups: AR 14377 near image center, and 14376 (single spot) above and right of it.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun hides the two tiny spot groups in H-alpha texture, but AR 14377 shows as a bright spot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 18 February with a slight chance of an M-class flare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 12, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued at moderate levels through early today with two M1.4 flares: one at 13:12 UT on 11 February, and the second at 2:40 UT today, 12 February, from newly-departed AR 14366. This region was the source of six C-class flares. Since the second M1.4 flare, solar activity returned to low levels, with the background X-ray levels steadily sloping downward as AR 14366 rotates further beyond the west limb. AR 14373 has shown some modest growth and additional sunspots; ARs 14369 and 14371 showed some minor decay. The rest of the regions were unchanged.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 14369\/14368 pair (upper right) is about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14373 (above) is the only spot group in a large “sea” of featureless solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14373 has remained quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 7.8’x11.4′ image depicts AR 14374 (right of image center) and 14375 (upper left) as they rotate into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 7.8’x11.4′ image shows the same view as at left, but in H-alpha. This zone of the Sun remains quiet as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 14 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 11, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels today. The largest was an M1.2 at 13:12 UT today from AR 14366. This region also produced a long duration, double-peaked M1.1 event, first peak at 0:44 UT. AR 14366 also produced eight C-class flares yesterday and today. AR 14366 has rotated over the west limb of the Sun and it was not visible either visually or in images taken this afternoon. Some modest limb activity in H-alpha marked the location of the region just over the solar limb. AR 14371 , 14373, and 14374 each produced C-class flares yesterday into this afternoon. AR 14371 and 14369 are in decay, with the other numbered active regions remaining stable. There is another region (AR 14375) that rotated into view behind AR 14374, but this was quiet.<\/p>\n

A large filament in the northwest quadrant of the solar disk lifted off and disappeared around 19:10 UT on 10 February. There was possibly another eruption from the west southwest limb of the Sun, seen around 19:24 UT and superimposed on the eruption from the filament. It is yet to be determined if all this has generated a coronal mass ejection.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14369 (upper most right), 14368 (upper right) and 14371 (just below and left of image center) appear modest in this view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun had been mostly quiet, except for an occasional C-class flare from AR 14371.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 (upper left) and 14373 (lower right) appear rather simple in this view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of these regions have produced low-level C-class flares today and yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 13 February. There remains a slight chance (10-15%) for an M-class and\/or X-class flaring from over the western limb by AR 14366.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 9, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels yesterday and early today, before returning to low levels all day today. AR 14366 produced two M-class flares, the largest of which was an M2.8 at 2:27 UT today (9 February). The region continues to be the largest, most magnetically complex on the visible solar disk, but it is approaching the western limb. It has also been on a slow decay. AR 14374 rotated into view and produced a C6.6 flare at 8:36 UT on the 9th. This, and the other active regions on the solar disk were largely stable. AR 14366, beside the M2.8 today, produced 6 C-class flares, the most recent of which occurred at 15:36 UT. Then it went quiet for the rest of the day (through 23:15 UT). AR 14374 produced another C-class flare, a C3.0 at 18:17 UT today.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 (right, near edge of Sun) prepares to rotate out of view. The remaining spots are\u00a0 (top to bottom) AR 14367, 14369, and 14368.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun, as well as the rest of the Sun, has been mainly quiet for the duration of our long observing session today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 (left, near edge of Sun) and 14373 (right) are the only spotted regions on the eastern half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14374 (near the edge of the Sun) produced two C-class flares so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with M-class flares likely and a chance for an X-class flare from AR 14366 through 11 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 6, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels today. Since the last of a series of M-class flares (an M1.1 at 22:18 UT yesterday, 5 February, from AR 14272, which has decayed to plage), there has been no further M-class flare activity today, through 23:15 UT. The most powerful flare of yesterday was a long duration M2.7 at 4:41 UT on 5 February from AR 14366. This region continues to slowly decline in magnetic complexity and optical appearance and today’s activity level matches these observations. AR 14371, however, showed rapid growth and became more magnetically complex. AR 14362 has also grown some and together with AR 14371, was the source for most of the C- and M-class flares yesterday. Today, only C-class flares, mostly from AR 14366; the strongest was a C6.9 at 10:20 UT today, 6 February. All of the other visible spotted active regions (there are seven total) were stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

A coronal mass ejection launched off the south\/southwest limb at 15:48 UT on 5 February, likely from the M1.8\/1N flare that was produced from AR 14362, which peaked at 15:13 UT on 5 February. We observed part of the tail end of this event. This CME may graze the Earth’s magnetic field anytime between late on 8 February and early on 9 February (UT).<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions (labeled) cross the center of the Solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 (right) has become increasingly quiet, only producing a few C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The two spots in the upper right appear in the top image. The one near bottom, left of center, is AR 14371.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14371 (left), and 14368 (upper right) along with a filament (bottom center). AR 14371 is becoming increasing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high due to continued M-class flaring with a chance for an X-class flare from AR 14366 through 8 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 5, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high due to the frequent occurrences of M-class flares from various regions today. There were ten M-class flares from three regions (AR 14362, 14366, and 14372). AR 14366 contributed most of these as it slowly decays and simplifies. AR 14369 grew some while 14370 decayed, and the remainder of the regions were stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

We monitored AR 14366 for most of the day today. We managed to observe one M-class flare but the other M-class flares that occurred during the period were from AR 14362 (two events, an M1.8 and an M2.2). No further X-class flare has happened since the impulsive X4.2 at 12:13 UT on 4 February.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 (larger spot group) is being trailed by 14367 (left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 has been the source of a couple M-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions are visible in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mainly quiet today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high due to continued M-class flaring with a good chance for an X-class flare from AR 14366 through 7 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 4, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at high levels due to the ongoing activity of AR 14366. It produced an X4.2 today at 12:12 UT today. This occurred nearly a day after an X1.5 flare at 14:08 UT on 3 February, followed by an M7.2. There has been a slight shrinkage in spot area, with the visual appearance of the spot group this morning being a little simpler than in previous days. It is by far the largest spot group of the 9 visible active regions, at 1100 MSH. AR 14372, in the southeast quadrant of the solar disk, emerged yesterday but is already in decay today. AR 14358 developed a few new sunspots after decaying to a spotless region yesterday. AR 14371 is showing growth, as is AR 14362. The rest of the active regions were stable or in slight decay.<\/p>\n

A large filament slowly erupted from the northwest quadrant of the solar disk beginning at 4:00 UT yesterday, 3 February. This generated a CME that lifted off the northwest limb around 18:00 UT. Several other filaments are visible today across the solar disk, as well as a well developed hedgerow prominence on the east southeastern limb.<\/p>\n

Observations resumed today but with glitches in communication between the mount and computer ongoing. AR 14366 produced an M1.8 flare at 15:34 UT, prior to our opening the dome at 17:00 UT. However, since opening and through our closure at 20:02 UT due to overspreading mid- to high-level clouds, solar activity dropped back to low levels. There had not been any further M-class activity since this morning’s M1.8, through 23:20 UT today (4 February).<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 is the largest spot group on the visible disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14366 was the most active spot group, and had been for four days now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Many small active regions trail AR 14366.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions have been comp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high due to continued M-class flaring with a good chance for an X-class flare from AR 14366 through 6 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 2, 2026<\/h2>\n

Another attempt to collect solar observations was made this morning. The connection was successfully established with the mount and camera, but when commanded to slew to the Sun, the mount put itself in a safe mode and would not move. This error repeated for all three of the attempts made. We will be making further attempts to get the problem fixed Wednesday and Thursday of this week.<\/p>\n

Solar activity has surged to very high levels in the last two days. A new spot group appeared on the Sun and grew explosively. It was invisible on the 28th of January, appeared as a simple pair of spots on the 29th, added new spots and began to fill in on the 30th; by the 31st it had grown dramatically and continued to do so through the 1st and 2nd of February. This is AR 14366, which, in the past 24 hours or so, produced 23 M-class flares and 4 X-class flares, the largest of which was an X8.1 that happened at 23:57 UT yesterday. The complex series of events launched a tangle of three coronal mass ejections into space, but they appear to be on track to mostly miss the Earth<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is an animated GIF image (click on the image for the animation) that shows the flare in action. It is an animated series of images taken in extreme ultraviolet light from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and posted to Spaceweather.com. Solar activity is expected to remain moderate through 4 February with frequent M-class flares (80% probability of occurrence) and occasional X-class flares (40 % probability of occurrence) due to AR 14366.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 28, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached has been low the last 7 days. The last X-class flare, an X1.9, was on 18 January; the last M-class flare, an M3.4, happened on 21 January. Unfortunately due to a malfunction in our system, we were unable to observe today after being offline for 9 days due to inclement weather. I have no information on when we will be able to remedy the issue, so for the foreseeable future, we will not be able to make further observations from the East Dome.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 19, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels yesterday (18 January) as a result of a long-duration X1.9\/3B flare from AR 14341. This event peaked at 18:09 UT on 18 January. This launched a coronal mass ejection that took only 25 hours to impact the Earth’s magnetic field, producing widespread bright aurorae in Europe. There are eleven spotted active regions on the Sun.<\/p>\n

After the X1.9 flare, solar activity returned to moderate levels, before trending to low later in the day. AR 14345 produced an M1.1 flare at 11:19 UT on 19 January. It the produced 8 C-class flares, ranging from C2 to C8 throughout the day. Only one other region flared, AR 14342, producing a C2. AR 14341 remained quiet all day long.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted groups are visible on the Sun these days.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone on the Sun was rather active, with most of the flare activity coming from the small spot group below AR 14341.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two spot groups are visible on this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14347 (single spot, left), and 14342 (just right of center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Some additional spots trail the main centers of activity and are labeled above.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the solar disk, remains quiet for the time being.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of additional X-class flares through 21 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 16, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. The largest flare so far today (through 22:30 UT, 16 Jan.) was a C6.6\/SF from AR 14345, a newly formed region just south of AR 14341. AR 14341 continues to be the largest (420 MSH) and most complex (beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration) active region on the visible solar disk but it also remained quiet all day. It only produced two optical subflares and a C1 so far today.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14336 departs over the west limb. It is the second largest spot at 150 MSH<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14336 (and this zone of the Sun) has been completely quiet today. Two filaments remain visible north of the region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14343 lower part) and 14340 (upper right). AR 14343 continues to grow while 14340 continues to decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14343 was the source of 2 C1 flares and one c4 flare today. This was one of the most active spot groups today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14342 (top center), 14347 (single spot near limb, upper left) and 14341 (bottom center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions were relatively quiet today. A filament is visible toward the right of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 18 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 15, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels due to an M1.6 flare that happened at 20:33 UTC on 14 January from AR 14341. This region also produced a C9.7 flare at 6:36 UTC on 15 January. Since then, and through 00:10 UTC, 16 January, solar activity returned to low levels, with only infrequent low-level C-class flaring. AR 14343 has grown quite a bit since yesterday, but was otherwise inactive. A Coronal Mass Ejection came from the area of AR 14340, but the bulk of this debris has been launched northward and is expected to miss the Earth.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The lone spot AR 14336 is rotating toward the limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image also includes a filament (top center), along with an inactive AR 14336.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14340 (top center) and 14343 (below left), the latter of which has grown since yesterday.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the sun remains quiet, with 14340 nearly disappearing in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14341 (below left), 14342 (upper right) and 14343 (lower right),<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14341 (lower left) and 14342 (upper left), along with a filament (just right of image center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a 25-30% chance for M-class flares from 15 to 17 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 14, 2026<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is now back to moderate levels. The largest flare over the last 7 days was an M3.3 at 23:10 UTC on 11 July from AR 14341, which was behind the solar limb at the time. Then there was a C9.6 at 3:50 UTC on 14 January. Just happened was an M1.6\/1F at 20:32 UT from AR 14341. Slight decay occurred in AR 14334 (barely visible as a single spot) and 14336 (a large spot with a few attendants trailing behind). AR 14340, which emerged several days ago, has also demonstrated some decay. AR 14341 and 14342 are situated along the eastern limb of the Sun and contributed almost all of the flaring activity over the last two days.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This active region sported many more spots a few days ago but has decayed to what is visible in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14336 along with a single filament (upper left quadrant of image). This part of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14340 nearing the solar central meridian.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14340 (top center) has been quiet. In the lower left corner, the bright spot marks another region emerging into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14341 (bottom) and AR 14342 (top) are rotating into view. Small spots from a newly emerging sunspot group are visible in the lower right corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14341 and 14342 as they rotate into view, led by a filament (just right of image center). A new sunspot group is emerging (lower right corner).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a 25% chance for M-class flares from 14 to 16 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2026 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved. Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9037","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:03","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":8098,"date":"2025-03-17T17:37:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=8098"},"modified":"2025-03-18T18:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:08:05","slug":"total-lunar-eclipse-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/total-lunar-eclipse-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Recent Total Lunar Eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Total Lunar Eclipse (March 14, 2025)<\/h2>\n

There was a total lunar eclipse visible from the local area in the early morning hours of March 14, 2025. This was the first such event since the total lunar eclipse of November 8, 2022. We used the department’s SeeStar50 smart telescope to capture images of the event, through many clouds, from a dark sky observing site just west of Columbus, TX.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the weather was not as cooperative as we would have liked but it was still possible to get plenty of peaks and photos through the frequent breaks and openings in the clouds. This continued through totality but the clouds increased shortly after the end of totality and the sky was soon overcast, with only stray moonlight filtering through unbroken clouds.<\/p>\n

The first image (below) was taken one minute before the Moon entered the penumbra, or outermost fringes of the Earth’s shadow. The next four showed the progressive shading darkening (along the bottom of the Moon) as the penumbral phase deepened. First contact with the umbra (the dark central shadow) of the Moon was at 5:09 UT. All mages \u00a9<\/em> 2025 by Brian Cudnik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As the partial eclipse progressed, the part of the Moon in shadow usually becomes visible as a faint glow minutes after umbral contact. However, this visibility was hindered due to high cirrus clouds that were present all evening but were slow to clear. As these cleared, the low stratocumulus began to come up from the south and provided an almost continuously varying view. It was only during the clearest moments, and when the partial eclipse became deeper, that the shadowed part of the Moon became visible (the bottom three images above).<\/p>\n

The next six images show the transition from partial to total eclipse. Totality began at 6:26 UT, so the Moon is shown in mage form some four minutes before and three minutes after second contact. The top (northern) part of the Moon was brighter than the rest throughout the event, with this bright “cap” slowly rotating counterclockwise as the Moon slid through the umbral shadow. The middle part of the eclipse, when the Moon is deepest into the Earth’s umbra, was at 6:59 UT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The image above and right was made using a different imaging technique: a camera held at the low power eyepiece of a 14-inch Cassegrain telescope. This shows more realistically how the eclipse appeared visually. The blue along the upper left part of the Moon is referred to as “the Ozone Fringe” where light passing through the ozone layer is sorted so that the reds and oranges are scattered away, allowing the blues and violets through. This is opposite to what usually happens at sunset and sunrise on Earth’s surface. The 65 minute totality came to an end at 7:31 UT. The last images below, particularly the ones taken at 7:56 and 8:07 UT, were taken when the breaks in the clouds were becoming shorter-lived, making it much more difficult to get a proper alignment for a picture. Partial eclipse ended (behind a solid deck of clouds) at 8:47 UT; the eclipse was completely over at 10:00 UT, when the Moon exited the penumbra. This otherwise unobservable event happened behind a solid deck of clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The next total lunar eclipse happens on September 7, 2025, but it is not visible from the Americas. This event will be seen in eastern Europe, Asia, India, and Australia. The next total lunar eclipse visible from this part of the world (Texas) will happen on March 3, 2026, a 58-minute long total eclipse.<\/p>\n

———————————————————————————–<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Total Lunar Eclipse (March 14, 2025) There was a total lunar eclipse visible from the local area in the early morning hours of March 14, 2025. This was the first such event since the total lunar eclipse of November 8, 2022. We used the department’s SeeStar50 smart telescope to capture images of the event, through <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":1267,"menu_order":100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"side-navigation.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8098","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:03","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8098\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":8008,"date":"2025-02-19T16:53:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T22:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=8008"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T23:09:32","slug":"solar-observations-2024-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2024-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2025 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be limited or non-existent. Whenever the Sun becomes active again, the observing program will become active as well, weather permitting. The Sun is expected to reach the maximum activity level of the current Cycle 25 solar cycle. So we anticipate more events in terms of active region size and number, and solar flares.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website,\u00a0https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is\u00a0www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from\u00a0https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at\u00a0http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is summarized in each day’s entry below, based on the forecast discussion product issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center each morning, along with observed activity (or lack of) the day of the featured observations. Regions are numbered by the NOAA\/SWPC and are often provided in four-digit format (e.g. 3327), although I and other sources use the full five-digit designation (13327). Solar flares are described in terms of their X-ray intensity and optical “importance” (apparent brightness and area covered). One can learn more about the X-ray class of solar flares often discussed below by going to this website: https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/glossary\/flareclasses.html<\/a>.\u00a0Finally the SWPC 3-day forecast for solar activity is provided at the end of each entry.<\/p>\n

More information about solar flares can be found at these websites: https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/phenomena<\/a>; https:\/\/www.space.com\/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation<\/a>; and https:\/\/www.spaceweatherlive.com\/en\/solar-activity\/solar-flares.html<\/a>. I have also found the following website to be very useful: spaceweatherlive.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and a 16-bit, 3326×2504 pixel SBIG STF-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long for the red off-band continuum images and 0.5 second for the on-band H-alpha images. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

NOTE: Images of the March 14, 2025 total lunar eclipse are posted at https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/total-lunar-eclipse-1\/<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

NOTE: Images of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse are posted at https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/partial-solar-eclipse\/<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Observations have been conducted since then at the PVSO, primarily with H-alpha. There was a period of time when magnetospheric data were collected but the work had primarily been regional H-alpha images of active regions and filaments. Regular observations continued through the mid-2000’s, then became more sporadic through 2015. After a five-year pause, regular observations resumed (in their current format) on 8 January 2020.<\/p>\n

\n

December 15, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at low levels today with C-class flare activity from AR’s 14304, 14307, and 14308. AR 14307 is growing and produced most of the C-class flares today and yesterday. The largest flare today (so far) and yesterday was a C3.9 at 17:28 from AR 14304, which has just rotated over the western solar limb. Some spots emerged just east of 14308 but it is not yet clear if these are a new group or part of the existing active region. Another cluster of new spots have emerged well northwest of the AR 14305\/14307\/14309 group; this appears to be a distinct, new active region. The remaining spotted groups remain stable and quiet.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The trio of spot groups (lower right part of image, labeled), along with a new spot group (upper left), yet to be numbered.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun appears quiet, even with a few C-class flares coming from these regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14308 (left and slightly above image center), along with a few newly-emerged spots (arrowed).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone near the center of the solar disk is a huge expanse of quiet. Aside from the C1.3\/SF from AR 14308 at 12:05 UT today, this part of the Sun remains very quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 17 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 12, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued at moderate levels with an M2.0 flare from AR 14296 at 5:05 UT on 12 December. This event triggered a sympathetic flare, an M1.1 from AR 14294 at 5:44 UT, some 39 minutes later. These regions are in the process of rotating over the west limb. AR 14307 continues to grow as it develops new spots. Since the pair of M-class flares early today, solar activity had dropped to low levels, with only low-level C-class flares occurring.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 14294\/14296 pair are rotating out of view. This image spans 7.8’x7.8′.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The 14294\/14296 pair are arrowed in this H-alpha view that covers 7.8’x7.8′.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 7.8’x7.8′ view of the Sun’s northwestern limb shows AR 14304 about to rotate out of view. AR 14299 is the bright patch right of 14304.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The northwest limb region of the sun as imaged in H-alpha. The AR 14299\/14304 pair have been quiet all day today, with neither of these being attributed as the source of any flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>As the spotted regions along the western solar limb rotate out of view, these two groups are visible: AR 14307 (top) and AR 14305 (bottom). AR 14303, which was right of 14305, has dissipated.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same two active regions as imaged left appear in this H-alpha image. These regions have been quiet all day, with no flaring activity attributed to them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The chance for flare activity steadily decreases from 12 to 14 December as AR 14294 and 14296 rotate further beyond the west limb. Chances for M-class flares go from likely to slight chance, and X-class flares go from slight chance to very slight chance over this three day period.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

December 11, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels because of multiple low-level M-class flares from AR 14294. The largest of these (from yesterday and today, through 22:10 UT) was an M4.4\/2B flare that launched a CME, which is expected to miss Earth. AR 14304 and 14305 each grew slightly, while AR 14306 and 14307 emerged and grew rapidly. AR 14299 did contribute two C-class flares today, with the rest of the six C-class flares from AR 14294. The largest of today’s events (so far) was a C9.7 from AR 14294 at 15:46 UT.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14294 and 14296 are about to rotate out of view. The small trio of spots in the lower left corner belong to AR 14306.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Nearly all of the solar activity today came from this zone of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14304 continues to grow, while 14299 decays somewhat as both approach the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite its lackluster appearance in H-alpha, AR 14299 (above image center) produced two C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14307 (top) joins 14305 (left) and 14303 (just below image center, the larger spot).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun remains absolutely quiet, but that may change if these regions continue to develop.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance of X-class flares, through 13 December, when the chances drop off due to the responsible active regions rotating over the west limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 10, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels. This is due to multiple low-level M-class flares, mostly from AR 14294. This region continues to display growth and instability. AR 14305 grows rapidly; everything else on the visible solar disk is stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14294 (cluster of spots) and 14296 (single spot removed left of cluster) approach the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions have been the source of most of the solar activity (flares) today, especially 14294.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14304 (with larger spot, near image center) and 14299 (smaller spots just right of larger spot) in the northwest quadrant.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14304 was the source of two flaring events today: a C2.5 and a sub-flare. Its neighbor, AR 14299, produced a C6.5.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14305 (large spots left of image center) with 14303 (tiny spots next to large spot). AR 14306 is visible in the upper right part of the frame.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun’s disk has been completely quiet, with no reported flares or other explosive events.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance of X-class flares, through 12 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 9, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels. There were a total of four M-class flares, three from AR 14294 and one, the largest one so far today, from AR 14299 (an M2.0 peaking at 0:58 UT, 9 December. There were many C-class flare events today, mostly from AR 14294, but one from 14299 and 14298 each. AR 14294 remains the largest (800 MSH) and magnetically most complex active region on the solar disk, but AR 14296 (500 MSH area) and 14299 (130 MSH area) are also magnetically complex. AR 14295 and 14300 have essentially decayed, but AR 14305 emerged over the last day or so. There are seven visible spotted active regions on the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The trio of spot groups is now approaching the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone is where the bulk of today’s activity has been occurring.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14304 (left) appears to be growing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14299 (right) maintains a fair level of activity in the form of occasional flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern half of the Sun’s disk is blank, except for these regions: AR 14303 (right) and 14305 (left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been quiet all day and are the only active regions in the eastern half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance of X-class flares, through 11 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 8, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high early today. AR 14298 produced an impulsive X1.1\/2B flare at 15:01 UT on 8 December. AR 14299 was the source of an M2.4\/2N at 0:12 UT on 8 December and an M1.8\/1N at 6:54UT on 8 December. AR 14294 produced an M2.0\/1N flare at 0:36 UT on8 December. AR 14294 and 14296 were the largest spot groups on the visible disk, with spot areas of 800 and 680 MSH, respectively. AR 14298 produced an M1.0\/SF at 13:05 UT, then there was a lull in the M-class activity until 21:17, when AR 14294 produced an M3.0 flare. This was followed by an M1.2 event 71 minutes later.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The large trio of active regions continues to rotate across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Most of today’s activity came from this zone of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four smaller regions follow the large trio. AR 14304 just emerged yesterday and is growing some.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view focusses only on the AR 14299\/14304 pair, which have provided some activity today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with M-class flares likely along with a slight chance for an X-class flare, from 8 to 10 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 2, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels after being high yesterday due to an X1.9 flare at 2:40 UT, 1 December from AR 14299. Since last week, the Sun had become active again with the return of old AR 14274, which has become three active regions: AR 14294, 14296, and 14298. AR 14294, at the middle of this three-AR complex, is the largest and most magnetically complex active region on the visible solar disk. AR 14296 is growing slightly by gaining a few spots. Since the X1.9 flare mentioned above, only C-class flares have happened through 22:00 UT today. These came from AR’s 14288, 14294, 14296, and 14298. Today’s largest event was a C5.4 at 20:38 UT, from AR 14288.<\/p>\n

There are a total of ten spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, all of which are depicted in images below. Although it doesn’t look like much, AR 14288 has been the most productive flare source today. It is about to rotate over the western limb.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.09 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14288 is seen on the very edge of the Sun right of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14288 actually stands out better in H-alpha, as a bright spot on the edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14297 is the spot lower left of image center, and the AR 14290\/14291 pair is nearing the western solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The active regions noted immediately left are almost invisible in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A complicated trio of active regions (bottom half of image) has rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite the impressive appearance, these active regions have been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>North of the complex lies AR 14295 (directly below image center), 14300 (left, near limb) and 14299 (upper left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun as seen in H-alpha reveals a relatively quiet zone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Isolated to occasional M-class flares are expected, with a chance for X-class flares through 4 December.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 25, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been at low levels for over a week now, with only C-class flare activity occurring. AR 14291 is the most magnetically complex active region on the Sun’s disk, but it has been quiet overall. AR 14290 produced a few flares yesterday but has been quiet today and is in decay. AR 14292 has grown and evolved and produced a C2.1\/SF at 15:56 UT today. The only other region recorded to have produced a flare (so far) today was AR 14288, which was the source of a C1.6\/SF at 16:28 UT today. Everything else was quiet on the Sun today.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These small- to very-small active regions are nearing the center of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Only AR 14288 (upper left) has produced any activity of note today, a single C1 flare so far.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions visible in this image, including a growing AR 14291.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14291 has been quiet all day today, with no flares attributed to it so far.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14292 (below) and a mostly blank western disk of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14292 was the source of the largest event today, a C2 flare earlier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight (15%) chance of M-class flares and an even lesser chance (1%) of X-class flares through 25 November. These probabilities may increase some through 27 November with the continued development of AR 14291.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 21, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. There has been low-level C-class flare activity from AR’s 14282, 14284, 14287, and 14288. The only event from AR 14282 was observed during our short session, a C1.6 at 17:50 UT. All of the five visible active regions were simple, stable, and quiet.<\/p>\n

Imaging was through\/between clouds early in the session, but more clear was experienced later. The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14282 is about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14282 is seen here with the afterglow of a C1.6 flare that peaked 8 minutes earlier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four simple spot groups have rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR’s 14287 and 14288 contributed some low-level C-class flares today. The remaining regions were quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low levels, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 23 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 20, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. Only four spotted active regions are currently visible on the solar disk. Two have rotated into view over the last day or two, and more may be on the way. AR 14284 is now in decay and produced only one C1.8 flare earlier today. AR 14286 produced a C2.3 about 30 minutes after the C1.8. Several other low-level C-class flares happened earlier (and a few later) but do not have a source region attribute. Radio sweeps and CME activity were observed by SWPC but all of this came from the far side of the Sun.<\/p>\n

Imaging was through\/between clouds today. The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.25 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14284 (top center) and 14285 (right of center) prepare to go over the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from a single C1 flare, this zone of the Sun has been very quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14288 (upper left near sun limb) and 14287 (below center) rotate into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from a few low-level C-class flares, this area of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low levels, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 22 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 18, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. The largest flare both yesterday and today, was a C5.4\/SF at 16:54 UT, 17 November. AR 14284 continues to grow. The remaining spots (two regions each with a single spot were observed besides 14284 during this morning’s sunspot count) were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a red continuum images, 0.09 sec exposure; and the second image is an H-alpha line center image, 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the two images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14284 is the only region easily visible in this image. The single spot below and right of 14284 is AR 14283.\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14284 was the source of half-a-dozen low level C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 20 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 17, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is now low. AR 14284 emerged onto the solar disk early yesterday and is growing in size and complexity. It produced 7 low-level C-class flares and 7 optical subflares (apart from any X-ray event). The largest event of today was a C7.5\/SF from AR 14284 at 1:30 UT today. AR 12474 has rotated over the western limb but it continues to produce occasional C-class flares, including a C6.1 at 16:06 UT. The three remaining spotted active regions are simple and quiet and only consists of one to two spots each.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a red continuum images, 0.15 sec exposure; and the second image is an H-alpha line center image, 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the two images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14284 (near image center) and 14283 below and left of 14284) are visible.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14284 (left) with the stretch between it and the west limb. Several tiny spot- and spot-less groups populate this area.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 19 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 14, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to high levels overnight (local time) with an X4.0\/3B from AR 14274 at 8:30 UT, 14 November. A CME became visible off the E limb at 8:00 UT. AR 14274 is about to rotate out of view, with slight decay happening in most of the active region. Some growth happened in AR 14280. The rest of the active regions were magnetically simple and stable or in slight decay. An approximately 30 degree filament erupted from the southeast quadrant of the Sun, beginning at 17:00 UT 13 November. Most of the material was reabsorbed but a small amount was launched into space, but was expected to miss Earth.<\/p>\n

AR 14274 was quiet for much of today, but it produced two impulsive M1.3 flares at 20:12 UT (observed during our brief session) and 21:31 UT. Another filament, about 20 degrees in length, lifted off the disk in the northwest quadrant from 18:00 to 19:30 UT. Most of the material was reabsorbed into the Sun except for a small component that launched as a CME starting 19:12 UT, 14 November.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x9.7′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top) and 14275 (below) as they prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 continues to display a fair amount of activity as it nears the edge of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14277 (top center), 14278 (near image center) and 14282 (lower left) are tiny spots and spot groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14282 (on limb, the “spike” coming off the edge of the Sun) as it has just rotated out of view. The other regions remain quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 16 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 13, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. AR 14274 continues to produce frequent low- to mid-level C-class flares, but nothing M-class or larger since the X5.1 over two days ago. The largest was a C6.1\/SF at 3:34 UT, 13 November. AR 14276 produced a C5.0\/SN at 13:26 UT, 13 November, the 2nd largest of today. It then started to produce C-class flares regularly this afternoon (four since the C5) while AR 14274 seems to be quieting down. Not much change lately with AR 14274, and the rest of the spot groups (6 in all besides 14274) were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top) and 14275 (bottom) continue to rotate toward the west limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 continued to be the source of almost all the C-class flare activity today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three small spot groups are shown, with AR 14281 about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14276 (bottom) has produced six C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Despite the ongoing behavior of AR 14274, high solar activity is still predicted to be likely, with M-class flares expected and X-class flares likely, through 15 November.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 12, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is back to low levels today. It has been such since the end of the X5 flare event yesterday (11 November) at 12:51 UT from AR 14274. Since then, only low-level C-class flare activity has occurred for the remainder of yesterday through the end of today (to 23:55 UT). The other six regions on the solar disk were stable or decayed slightly.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 is approaching the west limb and remains large.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 is the largest and most active spot group on the solar disk. It is surrounded by many filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions are small and stable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14276 was the only region other than 14272 to produce a C-class (or any kind) of flare so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a likely chance for X-class flares from AR 14274 through 14 November.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 11, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to high levels again early today. There was yet another X-class flare from AR 14274: an impulsive X5.1\/3B flare which peaked at 10:04 UT today, 11 November. This region continued to grow slightly with little changed to its high magnetic complexity. AR 14274 was the source of all but one of the flare events recorded today prior to 15:00 UT. Of the total of 19 optical\/X-ray events, one was the aforementioned X5 flare, a second was an M1.4\/SF flare at 8:09 UT today, and the rest were low- to mid-level C-class and optical sub-flares. AR 14279 produced a C2.9\/SF at 2:55 UT today, and AR 14277 was the source of a C2.7 flare today at 15:36 UT.<\/p>\n

There are 8 spotted active regions on the visible solar disk today. Aside from AR 14274, all of them are quiet, stable, and\/or in decline.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top), 14272 (tiny dot upper right), and 14275 (lower right, larger single spot).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Since the last activity at 15:36 UT today, AR 14274 has been mostly quiet through 21:00 UT. It produced a C4.2 at 16:58 today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14276 (right, middle), 14277 (upper right), and 14279 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mainly quiet, overshadowed by their larger neighbor to the northwast.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 13 November.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 10, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to high levels early today. There was another X-class flare from AR 14274: a long-duration X1.2\/2B flare at 9:19 UT, 10 November. The event launched a full halo CME straight toward the Earth, and a proton\/solar particle event is currently underway as well. AR 14274 changed little since yesterday and maintained a delta magnetic configuration. AR 14276 showed some growth, as AR 14277 lost some of its spots. These active regions were rather inactive, with only a few C-class flares each. The other spot groups were unchanged and inactive.<\/p>\n

AR 14274 produced nearly all of the recorded flares today, mostly C-class events, and an M1.5 that we observed peaking at 19:57 UT. We observed several more C-class from this region today as well.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top center) continues to be the largest sunspot group on the visible disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Nearly all of today’s flares came from AR 14274.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14277 (top right), 14276 (right) and 14279\u00a0 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14276 was the source of one small flare event today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 12 November.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 8, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at low levels. AR 12472 continues to be the largest and most active sunspot group on the visible solar disk. It has shown signs of decay recently. The region produced multiple C-class flares, the largest of which\u00a0 was a C6.9 at 15:51 UT on 7 November. This was the largest of all the flares yesterday and today. AR’s 14276 and 14277 both showed growth and produced several C-class flares. AR 14274 had not produced any further M-class or higher flare activity since the M8 observed on 4 November..<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top left of center) continues to be the dominant active region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top right), along with AR 14272 (single spot top right corner) and 14275 (lower right) and several filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14277 (near image center) and 14276 (below and right of image center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same two active regions, with a filament beneath them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate to high, with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 10 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 6, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity dropped back to moderate levels after yesterday’s M8.6\/2B flare from AR 14274 at 22:07 UT. No similarly or more powerful event has happened since (and this continues through 7 November, with only two low-level M-class flares and many C-class flares). The M8 flare launched a CME off the NNE limb of the Sun. AR 14274 continues to grow, but displays an unusual property that the spots’ magnetic polarities are lined up north to south. They are usually east-west. In spite of the NOAA\/SWPC assertion of further large flares, the largest that has happened was an M1.7 at 7:15 UT on 7 November.<\/p>\n

AR 14276 rotated into better view and was responsible for the X1.1 flare at 22:01 UT on 4 November. This region was the source of an M1.1 flare at 4:31 UT on 6 November. Active regions 14272, 14273, 14274, 14275, and 14276 each contributed at least one C-class flare on 6 November.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 continues to decay as it crosses to the western half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 (lower left) and a filament (right half) are the main features of interest on this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top center) dominates this zone of the Sun, with AR 14272 to the right. AR 14275 is located bottom center, and 14278 is the small spot lower left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of these regions have produced C-class flares except for AR 14278. Many smaller filaments also grace this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14276 (left of center, middle) rotates into view, accompanied by AR 14277 (upper left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun features a dark filament along with the two active regions mentioned in the left image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate to high levels as the active regions on the eastern half of the solar disk, especially AR 14274 continue to be active. There is an up to 80% chance for an M-class flare, and up to 35% chance for an X-class flare through 8 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 5, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high due to a pair of X-class flares yesterday. AR 14274 produced an X1.8\/1B flare at 17:34 UT yesterday, 4 November. This produced radio sweep signals, 10-cm radiation (160 solar flux units strong) and a partial halo CME mostly off the NE limb of the Sun. This CME may graze the Earth’s magnetic field in 1-2 days. AR 14274 continues to grow in size and complexity but the group as a whole began to spread out (east-west). An active region just beyond the ESE limb produced the second X-flare: an X1.1 that peaked at 22:01 UT on 4 November. This also launched a CME, but this will miss Earth entirely. AR 14272 produced an M1.7\/1F flare at 22:44UT, 4 November. A non-Earth directed CME launched off the NE limb, starting at 23:!2 UT on 4 November.<\/p>\n

Early today, at 11:19 UT, AR 14274 produced a long-duration M7.4\/2N flare. The region produced two more near-M class flares early today: a C8.0 at 3:01 UT, a C9.9\/SF at 5:05 UT; AR 14275 produced a C8.3\/1F at 14:30 UT, just before the start of our observing session. Since observations started at 14:50 UT all of this activity quieted down, and solar activity slipped back to low ranges. We monitored the AR 14272\/14274\/14275 all day today (expecting to be able to continue through 22:45 UT, when the Sun will get too low to observe). Then, at 22:07 UT, an M8.6 flare came from the north side of AR 14274, returning solar activity levels to high. We captured most of the event, before the Sun got too low. We plan to repeat the all-day monitoring again Thursday, 6 November.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 alone near the center of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 (below \/ left of center) with a long filament (right side of image), which continues well above the top frame of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 (top center), with 14272 (right) and 14275 (bottom center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 has been the source of most of the solar activity these last two days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate to high, with a 70% probability for M-class flares and a 25% probability for X-class flares through 7 November. The primary source of these flares continues to be AR 14274.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 4, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to high levels today with an X1.8\/1B flare from AR 14274 (after we had closed for observations for today…), peaking at 17:34 UT. This region produced all but two of the reported flares so far today (the two were low-level C-class flares, one from AR 14275 and the other from AR 14273). AR 14274 is experiencing moderate growth and a large delta magnetic configuration. AR 14273 grew slightly, as did AR 14275. AR 14267 rotated over the western limb today. A coronal mass ejection is in the process of erupting off the northeast part of the Sun. It is visible in the SOHO C3 (wide field coronagraph) image from 20:06 UT. It has yet to be determined if this CME has an Earth directed component, but based on the location of origin on the solar disk, it is not likely.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 remains mainly stable today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 is led across the solar disk by a filament (right half of image).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The trio of active regions is rotating into better view. The largest (upper left) is AR 14274. To its right is 14272, and directly below 14274 is AR 14275.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 has put out the lion’s share of solar flare activity today. AR 14275 did contribute one low level C-class flare early today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a 60% probability for M-class flares and a 10% probability for X-class flares through 6 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 3, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became high after some M-class events from AR 14274. The first was an M1.6 that peaked today, 3 November, at 9:25 UT. The second was a long-duration M5.0 that peaked at 10:11 UT. This was soon followed by an M2.9 at 12:35 UT. Finally, an M1.5\/SF peaked at 17:08 UT, and this was observed from PVSO. Since then, through 21:40 UT, only low level C-class events have happened. AR 14274 is the likely return of old AR 14246, which was active on its previous passage across the solar disk as well as its transit on the far side of the Sun over the past two weeks. AR 14267 produced a long-duration C8.2 flare at 12:46 UT on 2 November. The region has been quiet al day today. AR 14272 was the source of a few C-class flares, one of which was observed prior to the M1.5 flare at PVSO. AR 14273 rapidly emerged over the weekend but was mostly quiet, with no recorded flare activity so far today.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14267 prepares to exit the solar disk via rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14267 has been quiet, except for a long duration C8 flare yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14273 has grown since emerging over the weekend.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>No activity so far from AR 14273. Old AR 14271 (to its upper right) has long since decayed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The next active complex of sports rotate into view: AR 14272 (single spot top just left of center), 14274\u00a0 (larger complex left of 14272) and 14275 (below and left of image center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14274 has been the most active spot group on the Sun today. It had produced five M-class flares over a nine-hour period.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at mainly low levels, with an increasing chance for M-class flares through 4 November. On 5 November, M-class flares become likely, with a slight chance for an isolated X-class flares.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 31, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity rose to low levels again today with a series of long duration low-level C-class events from regions over the eastern limb. Yesterday’s C1.4 flare (30 Oct., 12:37 UT) followed a small filament eruption near the Sun’s west limb. At least four more low-level C-class events have occurred so far today, the largest of which was a long duration C7.1 at 20:42 UT today. The GONG imagery show no obvious source for this or the earlier C3. 7 event that happened earlier today at 16:52. Only three spots are easily visible (AR 14267 is the largest, then 14269 and 14261, each barely visible), as two others decayed. The Sun is nearly blank, but that could chance in 1-3 days as active regions on the far side of the Sun begin to rotate into view.<\/p>\n

An approximately 12 degree long filament erupted in the northeast quadrant of the Sun at 6:45 UT on 30 October and produced a CME, which blended (from Earth’s perspective) with another CME beyond the NE limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a red continuum images, 0.09 sec exposure; and the second image is an H-alpha line center image, 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the two images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low with a chance for C-class flares through 1 November. By 2 November, some more active spot groups are expected to return, raising the probability of C-class flares to likely and adding a slight chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 30, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been very low, but a long-duration C1.4 peaking at 12:36 UT raised it back to the low range. For the last three days, the X-ray background has been in the low- to mid-B range and since today’s lone flare, has “flatlined” again and continues to be such. One of the far-side regions about to rotate back into view was likely responsible for this event. Slight decay occurred in AR’s 14266, 14267, and 14269. AR 14271 rotated into view and is only a small, single spot.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a red continuum images, 0.09 sec exposure; and the second image is an H-alpha line center image, 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the two images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low with a chance for C-class flares through 31 October. By 1 November, some more active spot groups are expected to return, raising the probability of C-class flares to likely and adding a slight chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 28, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity persists at very low levels, with a single C1.7 flare today bringing it back up to “low” levels. This flare came from AR 14267 (while we were in the midst of the white light imaging session prior to H-alpha imaging) and peaked at 16:26 UT. The last C-class flare was yesterday at 10:15 UT, a C1.7. All of the 9 visible single spots and spot groups have simple magnetic configurations.<\/p>\n

What the active regions lack in interesting phenomena was made up for by an active filament. A large filament erupted around 23:30 UT yesterday, 27 October, then disappeared completely by 6:17 UT today (28 October. This was in the east-northeastern part of the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four small, simple active regions are strung along this image. AR 14266 is in the upper left, 14261 is bottom center, and the 14257\/14262 pair near the western solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun is absolutely quiet in H-alpha with no flare activity over the last two days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14267 (upper right) was flaring at the time of this image (a C1) but the event was not visible in the red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14267 with a long filament trailing toward the lower left part of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through 30 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 27, 2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. ARs 14256, 14262, and 14266 have produced low-level C-class activity over the last two days, the strongest of these was a C1.7 at 10:21 from AR 14262. All eight visible spotted active regions were quiet, small, and stable, and there are also six spotless numbered plage regions visible on the solar disk. The largest spotted active region was AR 14267, with an area of 140 MSH.<\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.25 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14261 (left of center), 14257 (top of spot pair) and 14262 (bottom of spot pair) along with several old faculae regions are shown.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same general zone of the Sun in H-alpha; AR 14262 has produced a few low-level C-class flares recently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14267 (large spot above\/left of image center), 14269 (below center) and 14270 (right of center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts so that 14267 is on the edge of the image, lower left. Small, emerging regions 14266 (top, left of center) and 14270 (bottom, left of center) are seen, along with 14261 (right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through 29 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 23,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Currently there are ten active regions (taking the form of single spots and small spot groups) on the visible disk, with three are barely there as they decay. All of these have simple magnetic complexities and are mostly stable or in decay. A new AR has rotated onto the solar disk, AR 14267, and has been the source of most of yesterday’s low-level C-class flare activity. There were six C-class flare events today between 1:59 UT and 14:50 UT today, but only one has been (so far) attributed to AR 14267. Since 16:00 UT and continuing through the time of this writing (23:10 UT), solar activity dropped to very low levels.<\/p>\n

A few filaments have erupted yesterday and today, but none resulted in coronal mass ejections. This is likely due to the material being reabsorbed into the corona or the Sun itself or source locations being on the far side of the Sun. There were several unrelated CME’s but none of them was Earth directed. One event of interest was a fast far side CME highlighted on today’s (October 23, 2025) spaceweather.com page (image animation below, click on to set in motion). It is headed directly to Venus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first column below includes red continuum images, each 0.15 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.30 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14252 (far right near edge) is about to rotate out of view, followed by AR 14254 (top center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been quiet, with only a few filaments visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The smaller spots and groups around these three have largely dissipated, leaving AR 14261 (left), 14257 (right, top spot) and 14262 (bottom spot).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun had been featuring several filaments in addition to the active regions. No flare activity has occurred here today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance for isolated M-class flares through 25 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 22,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. A C3.7 flare happened at 6:49 UTC on 21 October, coming from an active region beyond the northeastern solar limb. This was the largest flare that occurred yesterday. Early today, AR 14257 produced a C4.4\/SF at 0:34 UT, and at 1:52 UT, AR 14259 produced a C4.7 flare flare. The latter was the largest of today (so far, through 23:15 UT). ARs 14252 and 14263 grew slightly, and the remaining active regions were stable and unremarkable. A filament disappeared north of disk center at 9:00 UT on 21 October. Between 6:00 and 14:00 UT today, four additional C-class flares occurred, but no information on these are available as of this writing.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14254 (upper left) and 14252 (right).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14254 and 14252, along with a small solar filament.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 14257 (top of pair) and 14262 (near image center) are the largest spots on the disk. AR 14261 is seen at the left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14261, 14257, and 14262 along with several smaller filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance for isolated M-class flares through 24 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 21,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is low. With the source of all the activity of last week rotating out of view several days ago, activity levels have returned to low levels. The overall X-ray flux has declined over the last three days, with the most recent M1.0 flare being 5:25 UT on 20 October. There were only two low-level C-class flares today, one from AR 14248, which just rotated out of view. There are currently ten small spots and spot groups, all of which are quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These small active regions have crossed over to the western half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Little activity is happening here. There are a few filaments visible in the frame.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More small regions are seen on the eastern half of the solar disk (labeled).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The image centers on the AR 14257\/14262 pair. The tiny dot at the right edge of the image is AR 14256.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares through 23 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at moderate levels due to ongoing M-class flare activity from AR 14246. This region continued to produce many C-class and M-class flares yesterday and today. So far today (through 20:55 UT) the region has produced 7 to 8 M1 flares (the number depends on whether a broad peaked M1 flare with two muted peaks 5 minutes apart gets counted as one or two events). AR 14248 has been very quiet in comparison, having contributed only one C8 flare early today. This region is little changed. AR 14255 rotated into view and is emerging\/growing\/evolving. A filament near AR 14250 launched itself off the Sun around 5:20 UTC today, but nothing has been seen in coronagraph imagery.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The most active spot region on the Sun, AR 14246, appears near the top of the image. AR 14248 is near the bottom and the dark streak is a surge from this region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The region in H-alpha, shows AR 14246 “simmering” as it continually emits elevated levels of X-rays. AR 14254 (bottom) remains quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14252 (right) has added a few tiny spots. AR 14255 (just below and left of image center, tiny spots) hangs on, with AR 14254 (upper left) following the first two across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>I’ve noticed quite a few filaments on the solar disk today. Otherwise, this zone of the Sun appears rather quiet, with some additional plage appearing behind the main spot of 12452 (right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14256 (below center) and 14257 (left, on solar limb) as they rotate into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14256 appears to be growing, as seen by the bright plage in its area. Other than that, this part of the Sun mainly features filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate, with a good chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 18 October. These chances go down with AR 14246 rotating over the WNW limb.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 15,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at moderate levels due to ongoing M-class flare activity. AR 14246 is the source of most of the flares the last two days. The largest of these was a long-duration M4.8\/2N flare peaking at 4:15 UT on 15 October. This blew out a CME that is expected to pass north of the Earth. AR 14248 produced an M2.0\/1N flare at 12:47 UT on 14 October. As of 19:00 UT today (15 Oct.) AR 14246 has produced 9 C-class and 3 M-class flares, with no other region having been recorded as adding to the events. In addition to the M4.8 flare, AR 14246 produced an M3.7 at 7:18 UT today, and an M1.1 at 14:10 UT today. Since the M1.1 event, the X-ray background\u00a0 flux very slowly declined, finally dropping below C5.0 at 17:28 UT, almost 3.5 hours after the peak of the M1.1 event. AR 14246 also produced a near-M event: a C9.1 at 3:45 UT. Additional C-class events were embedded in the slowly declining X-ray flux. No further M-class flares have occurred until 22:00 UT when a slow-rising M2.7 flare occurred, peaking (so far) at 22:28 UTC.<\/p>\n

ARs 14246 and 14248 both continue to grow in size and magnetic complexity. AR’s 14250 and 14252 were stable while 14251 showed some decay. Spotless region 14247 produced a C3.6 flare yesterday (14 October) at 14:55 UT, and other active regions just over the East and West limbs of the sun contributed C-class flare activity mainly yesterday. Currently there are six spotted active regions on the solar disk, and more may rotate into view in the coming days.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR AR 14246 (upper right) and 14248 (bottom center) are the two largest spot groups on the visible solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14246 glows with the “afterglow” of the M1.1 flare that it generated some 35 minutes ago. It has been the source of all the activity so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14254 (upper left) and 14252 (lower right) with a new spot emerging (bottom just left of center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the solar disk has been very quiet. Only the small spotted regions and a few filaments adorn this area.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate, with a good chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 17 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 14,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels due to ongoing M-class flare activity. AR 14246 underwent some significant evolution, gaining size and new spots, and was the primary source of activity, including an M1.2 flare at 13:18 UTC on 13 October, an M2.0 at 12:47 UT today (14 October) and an M3.1 at 20:36 UT today. It also produced numerous C-class flares (16 so far today and counting, four of which occurred during our observing session) and optical flares. All of this activity has launched several CMEs into space, with potential Earth-directed components. A prominence erupted off the ENE limb of the Sun, first observed by satellite after 0:36 UT, 14 October. The debris is not Earth-directed.<\/p>\n

There are seven spotted active regions on the visible disk of the Sun today, most of which were unremarkable. AR 14248 grew in length, while AR 14247 and 14250 decayed. The new active regions that recently rotated into view (AR 14252 and AR 14254) were both quiet.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The two largest and most complex spot groups on the Sun: AR 14246 (upper right) and 14248 (bottom center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Both of these active regions show “hot plage”, an indication of high activity. AR 14246 shows the “afterglow” of earlier flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been quiet all day.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>No events have been attributed to these regions so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate, with a good chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 16 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 13,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at moderate levels with multiple M-class flares from AR 14246: an M1.9\/1N flare peaking at 5:26 UT today (13 Oct.), an M2.7 flare at 9:19 UT, and an M1.2 at 13:19 UT. There were two C9 events from this region as well. The M1.9 produced a faint CME, which may be headed for Earth, more details and modeling are needed to know for sure. AR’s 14246 and 14248 produced many C-class flares yesterday and today. AR 14246 produced four C-class flares during our three-hour observing session this morning, the largest of which was a C7.2 at 16:53 UT. The region also produced an impressive looking C8.0 flare at 19:06 UT today.<\/p>\n

The remaining five active regions on the visible disk are either stable or in slow decline.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The small active region, AR 14247 (center right of image, the brightish patches hosting a few tiny spots) is about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>We had been following AR 14247 all week last week, and it continues to be quiet as it gets ready to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Growing AR 14246 (top just right of center) dominates, as does the pair AR 14250 (bottom, left half) and 14248 (right half).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14246 has contributed almost all of the activity today, with AR 14248 providing a few events.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares through 15 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 10,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. The only event today (so far, through 19:30 UT) was a C2.3 flare at 6:29 UT from AR 14241. Then at 20:16, AR 14246 produced a C1.7 flare. It appears little more than two tiny spots next to each other and was considered spotless yesterday. There are seven tiny spot groups on the visible disk of the Sun today, the largest of which is AR 14248 at approximately 150 millionths of solar hemisphere (MSH) surface area.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three small spot groups are visible in this image (labeled).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In addition to the spot groups, part of a filament is visible here (bottom center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two more active regions have rotated into view: AR 14248 (top) and 14249 (bottom).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun appears quiet in H-alpha. Several filaments are present elsewhere on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a slight to low chance for M-class flares through 12 October. The chances may increase over the next several days as larger, more active regions rotate back into view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 9,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels with a long-duration M2.0 flare at 12:31 UT today from over the Sun’s western limb. This was likely from AR 14236 as “debris” was visible above the area on images taken two hours after the event. AR 14232 produced low-level C-class flares as it rotated over the western limb. AR 14242 produced a C1.2 flare at 12:48 UT on 8 October. AR 14241 produced a C1.7 flare at 5:17 UT today (9 October) and decayed some in its leading spots. AR 14247 has grown a bot. A CME launched off the NE limb starting at around 6:30 UT on 9 October. This was associated with an active filament in the northeast quadrant of the Sun. Other filaments remained intact as of this writing.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>There is only one tiny active region, just below image center. The arrow indicates where AR 14232 rotated out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Post-flare arches are highlighted in this image (arrow), which indicates a possible source region for this morning’s M2 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The rest of the visible active regions are shown here. There is a single spot that had just rotated over the ESE limb and a pair of tiny spots over the E limb, but neither have received a number.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same zone of the Sun as shown at left. Not much activity has taken place in this part of the Sun. Overall the Sun is becoming very quiet, but that may change in a few days with the return of more active spot groups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a slight to low chance for M-class flares through 11 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels. AR 14236 produced a C5.6 flare at 11:29 UT yesterday, 7 October. Yesterday’s (7 October) C9.1 flare (peaking at 20:07 UT) from spotless region 14233 came from the eruption of an approximately 4 degree long filament close to the region. Only three low-level C-class flares have happened so far today: a C1.9 at 4:37 UT from AR 14232, a C1.0 at 5:15 UT from AR 14242, and a C1.2 at 12:48 UT, also from AR 14242.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14236 is on the edge and invisible; below it is 14232 (the single spot lower right on limb). AR 14241 is visible bottom center of the image (the single spot).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been largely quiet, but some interesting limb activity associated with AR 14236 was noted during today’s short observing session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Newly emerged region 14247 (lower left) appears to be growing, while the 14242\/14245 pair (upper right) seem to be decaying.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14242 produced two low-level C-class flares so far today, but 14247 appears to be the more interesting one. The latter region has been quiet all day so far.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 10 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 7,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at low levels. AR 14232 produced most of the activity these last two days, including a few low-level C-class flares. AR 14236 maintains itself in terms of size and magnetic complexity but only produced a C5.3 flare today at 11:29 UT. Spotless region 14233 produced an almost M-flare today: a C9.1 flare, the largest in more than four days. AR 14241 grew another spot. AR 14242 also grew some while another active region, 14245 emerged just ahead of it. The filament eruption of late 5 October did not produce a CME. Yesterday’s C5.1 flare from spotless region 14233 was caused by another filament eruption. This debris is projected to cross well ahead of Earth. Another filament erupted near AR 14244.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 14236 (upper spot) and 14232 (lower, larger spot) prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two spots, and the white patch above and left of them, were the centers of activity these last few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>With the larger spot groups rotating over the solar horizon, all that are left are small groups like these. AR 14244 is lower left, and the 14242\/14245 pair is in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region near the center of the solar disk includes ARs 14244 (lower left) and the 14242\/14245 pair (upper right), but these are even harder to detect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare, through 9 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 6,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at low levels. The last M-class flare happened on 3 October at 14:40 UT, and there has not been any further M-class activity through 21:10 UT today. Low-level C-class flares came from a source over the west limb and that has been the strongest of activity yesterday through today. AR 14241 produced a C1.9 flare at 8:49 UT on 6 October. AR 14232 produced a C1.7 flare at 12:41 UT, 6 October. AR 14232 and 14236 were the largest sunspot groups on the visible disk (areas of 260 MSH and 190 MSH, respectively), but neither produced any notable activity (except for the C1) yesterday or today (so far). And then, at 20:36UT, spotless region 14233 produces a C5.1 flare, the largest in three days. There are currently seven (7) spotted regions on the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

A filament in the southeast quadrant of the solar disk erupted, beginning around 20:00 UTC on 5 October and continued through the early part of today.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The two largest regions on the solar disk are visible in this image, nearing the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR’s 14235 (small area top center of image), 14236 (upper right) and 14232 (large single spot) appear active but they have been quiet. AR 14241 is visible to the lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14241 is the group of spots in the upper right, 14242 is upper left, and 14243 is lower right. The white “fingerprints” near 14241 are artefacts of image processing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The disk center region of the sun appears very quiet in this image taken at the indicated time. Only AR 14241 produced a C1 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare, through 8 October.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

October 3,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at moderate levels because of an M1.5\/2N flare that peaked at 5:23 UT early today from AR 14236. This flare was associated with a filament disruption event, where part of the filament was launched into space, creating a faint CME that was first observed today at 5:48 UT. It is not yet determined where this is headed. There are 10 spotted active regions currently visible on the solar disk. Another CME erupted from just behind the west limb of the Sun around 11:00 UTC today.<\/p>\n

AR 14232 produced a double-peaked C9.7 flare that occurred at 6:11 UT.\u00a0 A long duration M1.2 flare peaked at 14:36 UT today but does not (yet) have an associated active region listed. It may have come from behind the east or west limb of the Sun. The same may be true for a C6.1 at 12:37 UT, a C7.9 at 15:35 UT, and a C7.3 at 17:16 UT today. None of these had optical signals as they occurred during the observation session; again, they may have originated beyond the solar horizon. Aside from a C2.5 “bump” at 20:06 UT today, all has been quiet since the C7.3 event (through 21:10 UT). At 2110 UT, AR 14242 started to flare. It was a rather compact and bright looking C3.0 that peaked at 21:14 UT.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 14230 and 14238 are rotating over the western limb. The leading spot of AR 14236 is visible near the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun appears to be rather quiet in H-alpha. No events have (yet) been reported from the regions on the solar limb today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The main cluster of larger active regions is visible in the right half of the image, with smaller regions (lower left) following.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two large regions on the right were the main event for today, each producing a C9 or M1 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low to moderate, with a slight chance (10%) for an X-class flare, through 4 October, and a decreasing chance of M-class flares through 5 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 2,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity stayed at moderate levels with an M1.2 flare from AR 14226 at 2:09 UT on 2 October. This flare launched a CME (coronal mass ejection), which is expected to cross Earth’s orbit well ahead of the Earth. AR 14232 grew in size and magnetic complexity. ARs 14232 and 14236 are situated at the center of the solar disk and produced only a few low-level C-class flares. ARs 14233, 14235, and 14236 produced several C-class and optical subflares today. Since the M1.2 flare, solar activity returned to low levels, where it continues through 22:30 UTC today.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The cluster of three active regions has begun to rotate out of view. AR 14226 is visible right on the edge in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14226 produced an M1.2 flare on its way out. Lots of empty Sun exists between the cluster (right) and AR 14236 (left).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The group of four active regions (right half of image) are (top to bottom) ARs 14235, 14233 (which went almost spotless yesterday but returned today), 14236 and 14232. AR 14241 is in the lower left corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of the above active regions were responsible for some sort of flare activity over the last two days. This area has been mainly quiet since yesterday’s M1.2 flare from AR 14232.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low to moderate, with a slight chance (10%) for an X-class flare, through 4 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 1,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels today due to M-class flare activity coming from AR 14232. It produced an M1.2\/1N flare that peaked at 2:26 UT today. This was followed by another M1.2\/1N flare from the same region at 16:50 UT, which was observed at PVSO. There were three larger C-class flares as well, the largest being a C8.6 at 11:35 UT from AR 14236. AR 14232 maintains a stable size and stable magnetic complexity. The most magnetically complex active regions are AR 14230 and AR 14236. Both showed a higher frequency of C-flare production yesterday, but that frequency has dropped off today apparently. We focused on AR 13230 because forecasts and its MacIntosh spot classification indicated that it had the highest probability of producing an M-class flare today. However, it remained quiet throughout the two hour monitoring and has (so far, as of 19:01 UT) only produced the above mentioned C8 flare.<\/p>\n

There are currently nine spotted active regions visible on the solar disk today. Three of these regions (AR 14230, 14232, and 14236) are responsible for the continued likelihood of moderate solar activity in the coming three days.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14238, 14230, and 14226 continue to rotate closer to the western solar limb.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun has been much quieter today than yesterday. The only event of note so far was a C7.8\/SF from AR 14230 at 1:54 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex above the large spot of AR 14232 is AR 14236, which has been quiet all day. AR 14235 is the single spot toward the upper left, and 14233 (which had been situated between 14235 and 14236) has mostly decayed.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two M-class flares (so far) today came from the large spot at the bottom, AR 14232. The second is pictured above near its X-ray peak.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance for X-class flare, through 3 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 30,2025<\/h2>\n

Ongoing M-class flare activity maintains the moderate level of solar activity. AR 14232 produced an M1.2 flare at 0:56 UT on 30 September as it grew in spot number, area, and magnetic complexity. AR 14226 produced an M2.7\/1N at 9:40 UTC on 30 September and remained stable in size and magnetic complexity. AR 14230 doubled in overall area and became more magnetically complex; and AR 14236 grew as well in spot number and magnetic complexity. AR 14228 produced an M1.8\/SF at 12:27 UT today. This was the last M-class flare to happen for the rest of the day, with the Sun being quiet after 12:30 UT. After this time the largest event was a C4.0 from AR 14226 at 21:42 UT. Altogether, eight spotted active regions are visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The cluster of active regions, below just right of center. consists of AR’s 14230 and 14238, with AR 14226 (far right) leading them.\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\u00a0\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun is rather active with two of today’s three M-class flares coming from this area.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four regions are stacked up and nearing the solar meridian. From top to bottom they are AR’s 14235, 14233. 14236, 14232.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun was the source of mainly C-class flares, with one M1 flare from AR 14232 early today (UT).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance for X-class flare, through 2 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 29,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity increased to moderate levels, and continues to be so going into today. AR 14232 produced an M6.3 flare at 8:42 UT on 28 September, then an impulsive M3.6 flare today at 1:45 UT. These events launched CMEs. AR 14236 produced an M1.0\/SF flare at 11:08 UTC today. There were four M-class flares from three different regions so far today (AR’s 14232, 14233, and 14236), with the most recent (as of 21:00 UT) being an M1.0 at 11:59 UT. Since then, only frequent C-class flares have occurred from ARs 14227, 14230, 14232, and 14236. There are ten visible spotted active regions on the Sun today, the largest of which is AR 14232, with an area of 180 MSH.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.15 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14230 is the largest group of spots visible below and left of center. AR 14226 is the single spot toward the upper right.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 14230 had produced some flares recently. Otherwise, this part of the Sun is quiet. Note the large prominence on the right edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This is where much of the day’s activity has occurred. AR 14235 is the top most spot, with growing 14233 below it. The growing complex is AR 14236, just below center. AR 14232 is the bottom most large spot.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been the most active in recent days, where most of the C- and M-class flares have come from. AR 14236 is rapidly growing and could provide ideal conditions for larger flares later this week.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance for X-class flare, through 1 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 26,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. So far today, only low level C-class activity has occurred, two of which came from new AR 14232 which just rotated into view on the eastern limb. The others came from AR 14217 and 14227. At 20:01 UT today, solar activity increased to moderate with an M1.6 flare from an unspecified region. AR 14221 also produced a C7.8 at 19:05 UT. Aside from these, all the regions on the Sun were mainly stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.20 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The cluster of active regions continues to rotate over the western limb. The large spot just above image center is AR 14225.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The regions on the solar limb continue to be quiet with only the occasional low-level C-class flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This group of regions is now near the center of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has generated some activity, including two C-flares and an optical sub-flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 28 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 25,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has returned to low levels today after reaching moderate levels yesterday. AR 14224 produced an M1.6 flare yesterday (24 September) at 19:13 UT. The region remains simple, although it has grown slightly. AR 14229 and 14217 flank AR 14224 to its north and south, respectively; and another region, 14231, emerged east of all these. These regions (except for 14231) were the sources of multiple C-class flares, both yesterday and today. AR 14217 only produced low-level C-class flares today (so far, through 22:21 UT). AR 14226 also produced C-class flares yesterday, and a single C2.4\/SF today at 19:21 UT. The remaining spot groups were quiet.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.20 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions continue their steady march toward the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>As seen by the bright plage fields, AR 14217 and its neighbors have been a bit active lately.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another group of active regions nears the center of the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Only AR 14226 produced a single C-flare today. Otherwise this part of the Sun remains quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 27 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 24,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels. AR 14217 produced an M1.0 flare at 9:31 UT today. Then AR 14224 produced an M1.6 flare at 19:13 UT this afternoon. Rather frequent C-class flaring occurred from AR’s 14223, 14224, and 14226. In fact, AR 14226 grew some more since yesterday. It and AR 14217 have similar spot areas, at 170 MSH each. The third largest region is AR 14220, at 150 MSH. All of the other visible active regions are much smaller, stable, or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.20 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are displayed. They continue to rotate toward the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area has been active, especially AR’s 14217 and 14224, each with M1 flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted active regions are being carried toward the solar CM by its rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of these regions are quiet except for AR 14226, which has produced 4 C-class flares so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 26 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 23,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels as a result of an impulsive M1.0\/SF event today at 10:34 UTC from AR 14217. The only other event so far today (through 22:25 UT) was a C1.9 at 18:25 UT from an unidentified source. There are twelve spotted active regions currently visible on the solar disk, all of which were quiet with the above noted exception. The largest is AR 14217 with a surface area of 250 MSH (Millionths of a Solar Hemisphere). Two others have surface areas greater than 200 MSH and two more have areas of 100 and 180 MSH. Of these, AR 14226 grew slightly.<\/p>\n

The camera used for imaging to this point had “died” and had to be switched out for another camera that covers a smaller surface area. This will be the camera used going forward.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.09 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.20 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This group of active regions continues to rotate toward the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of these regions have been quiet, except for AR 14217 (bottom center), the source of the M1.0 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14225 seems isolated near the center of the visible solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun has been quiet for the most part today and in the last few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted active regions continue to rotate into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of these active regions have been quiet so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 24 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 22,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels all weekend and all day today after the late-day Friday isolated -class flare from AR 14220. AR 14223 produced the largest event over the last two days, a C6.6\/SF that peaked at 21:14 UTC on 21 September. ARs 14228, 14220, and 14224 produced smaller C-class flares yesterday. Today, only two C-class flares have been reported so far: a C1.7SF at 7:16 UT today; and a C4.2 at 16:09 UT today, possibly from the spot group that is now rotating into view over the ESE limb and has yet to be numbered. Various prominence on various limbs erupted over the weekend, producing various CME’s, but none of these are Earth-directed.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.25 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The western half of the solar disk with six spotted and one unspotted active region visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from a single C1.7 flare today, this part of the Sun remains relatively quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions visible in this image of the eastern half of the Sun, with 14225 being near the disk center. Spots just below and left of the two larger spots of AR 14226 may actually be a separate active region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The active regions along with a quiescent filament in the east southeastern region of the solar disk. Activity remains low for this part, and the entire Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 24 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 19,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity rose to moderate levels. The second largest flare of the day is a C5.8, which peaked at 21:12 UT, from AR 14216. This was followed by an M1.5 that peaked at 21:41 UT. This was the largest event in over seven days. Aside from these events, only 3 more low-level C-class flares came from three different active regions: 14217, 14219, and 14223. AR’s 14220, 14216, and 14223 each experienced slight growth. The remaining regions remained mostly unchanged. An approximately 10 degree filament eruption from the southwest edge of the Sun took place around 18:06 UT, 18 September. It is not yet clear whether this produced a CME.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.25 sec exposure; and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 sec exposure. Each of the four images covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The western part of the solar disk, showing three spotted active regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions (the bottom left one is AR 14217) are captured in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern part of the solar disk displays four spotted active regions and a spotless region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts southward to include a filament near the southeastern limb (below and left).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 21 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 18,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. AR 14216 produced low-level C-class flares yesterday but not today (so far). AR 14216 and 14221 grew slightly, while AR 14220 grew slightly more. AR 14220 produced 5 low-level C-class flares today (through 23:05 UT), the largest of which was a C3.6\/SF at 15:41UT. We observed the optical counterpart of the C1.8 flare at 14:47 UT. AR 14225 also produced an optical sub-flare at 16:19 UT. AR 14217’s leader spots separated. The rest of the spotted active regions were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five of the seven visible sunspot groups are visible in this image. They were mainly quiet. Extra “negative spots” below and right of center were due to image processing artefacts.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four of the five regions imaged in the left image are shown in this line-centered image. AR’s 14216 (upper right) and 14220 (lower right) have moderately complex “beta-gamma” magnetic patterns.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The east-northeastern quadrant of the Sun is mostly quiet, except for the northern hemisphere spot groups shown along the image bottom.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The quiet sun is evident in this image at H-alpha line center. The spot groups appear mainly quiet and a few small filaments are visible as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with the chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 20 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. Only low-level C-class activity has occurred from the following regions: AR 14216, 14217, 14220, and 14223. Only two C-class flares were reported today, both from AR 14216. AR’s 14220, 14221, and 14224 have grown slightly. The rest of the visible active regions were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes a red continuum image, and the second and third columns host a H-alpha line center images. Each of the three images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>All but one of the visible spotted active regions were captured in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The regions shown at left in continuum are depicted in H-alpha light above. All but one are visible (AR 14216).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14216 is visible near the center of this image. It was the most active spotted region today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 19 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 16,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Only low-level C-class activity has occurred, with a total of five C-class flares (so far) coming from AR’s 14217, 14220, and 14223. The largest flare of today so far (through 23:00 UT) was a C3.5\/SF from AR 14220 at 9:58 UT. There are now a total of eight spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, all of one being on the eastern half of the disk. This is up dramatically from only four total a few days ago. Slight growth has taken place in all of these regions (see first image below, labeled).<\/p>\n

The first column includes a red continuum image, and the second column hosts an H-alpha line center image. Each of the two images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>All but one of the visible sunspot groups can be found in this image of the eastern zone of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In Hydrogen-alpha light, this zone of the Sun appears very quiet despite the larger number of active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with the chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 18 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 15,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 14217 has been the primary sources of flares, with several C-class flares yesterday, including a C3.8 at 15:18 UT on 14 September. This was the largest of both yesterday and today’s activity. Today, AR 14217 produced three more C-class flares early then stopped. After this, AR 14213 produced three such flares, and AR 14216 generated one\u00a0 C-flare. The largest flare today was a C3.5 from AR 14213. AR 14216 grew overall but remained quiet except for a single C2.1\/SF event today at 9:55 UT. AR 14218 rotated over the western limb and remained unchanged, while AR 14219 emerged yesterday but was mainly quiet.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, and the second column hosts H-alpha line center images. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14216 (just below image center) and 14221 (lower right) are now visible on the eastern half of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14219 (arrowed) emerged but remained quite small, having difficulty growing much.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Further south, AR 14217 is the large spot just below and left of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image combines the two regions at left to reveal three active regions and a filament (lower right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with the chance for an isolated M-class flare, through 17 September.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

September 12,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has dropped to very low levels today, with the X-ray flux staying below C1.0 level since 22:30 UT, 11 September. So far today, aside from a B9 enhancement around 14:50 UT day, there has not been a single solar flare. This continues to be the case through 22:50 UT today. Only three spotted active regions are easily visible today, and each is either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The second column contains H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposures, each covering 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>All of the spotted regions on the western disk have either decayed or rotated out of view, except for ARs 14211 and 14213.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two filaments that have been trailing the two active regions remain visible on the solar disk, being carried along with the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14216 (left) and possibly a new spot (lower right corner).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The Sun is very quiet today and this is seen clearly in the image above, showing AR 14216 rotating into slightly better view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a slight chance for M-class flare through 14 September.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

September 11,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low to very low levels. Low level C-class flares continue to happen occasionally from ARs 14206 and 14207, the latter of which has grown slightly as it approaches the western limb of the Sun. AR 14207 produced a C7.1\/SF at 15:21 UT today, the largest event in nearly five days. AR 14213 is decaying slightly, but it produced a single C1.0 flare at 19:24 UT today. AR 14216 rotated into view overnight and appears to be a medium-sized active region, but has not produced any flares yet. The Solar Orbiter has observed this region and it shows the region to be rather complex. Its presence increase the chance of M-class flares to 35% for 12-13 September.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The second column contains H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposures, each covering 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14207 is becoming more difficult to see as it rotates out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14207 (top center) is highlighted by bright plage, the “afterglow” of the C7.1 flare from earlier today. AR 14210\/14214 are below and right of image center (the elongated bright patch below the filament).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 14210\/14214 pair appears at top, just right of center. The AR 14211\/14213 pair are the larger spots below center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts again as we follow these two filament fragments across the Sun, trailing the AR 14211\/14213 pair (upper right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14216 (lower left) is a new active region that just rotated into view in the past day or so.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part (the eastern part) of the Sun appears very quiet, but AR 14216 is beginning to rotate into view. This region has the potential to increase solar activity levels in the coming days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a 25-35% chance for an isolated M-class flare through 13 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 10,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low to very low levels as the Sun continues the steady process of “wiping its face clean” of spots as this latest batch of spots approach the western limb. No spots are visible east of AR 14213, centered about 20W. Occasional low-level C-class flares came from ARs 14210, 14207, and 14206. There was slight growth in AR 14213, currently the largest active region on the solar disk at 220 MSH. The rest of the spotted regions were either stable or in decay. There are a total of seven spotted active regions on the visible solar disk. Another region, AR 14205, has become a spotless plage.<\/p>\n

There was a coronal mass ejection observed from just beyond the west limb at 12:00 UT, 9 September. This is expected to miss Earth by a wide margin.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions continue to rotate toward the western limb, with a new spot (AR 14215) just added.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun looks like a quiet sun image. The large dark splotch in the left half of the H-alpha images is an artefact of unknown origins.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These are the dominant active regions currently visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is shifted toward the east to allow imaging of three filaments along with the two active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare through 12 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 9,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels, with only a few minor C-class flares yesterday, continuing into today. The flares came from AR 14207, 14210, and 14213. ARs 14210 and 14213 have grown slightly. The rest of the visible spotted active regions remain stable or in slight decay. is growing and evolving, developing an increasingly complex beta-gamma magnetic configuration. Now all of the sunspot groups are west of the solar central meridian\/west half of the solar disk, with the exception of a single, un-numbered spot near N16 on the solar CM.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14207 (top) and three other groups rotate closer to the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14207 (top) has produced a few low-level C-class flares, but this part of the sun is generally quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>What initially appears to be three large spots is actually two active regions. The single right-most spot is AR 14211; the rest make up AR 14213.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts ESE to include two filaments visible in the southern solar disk. AR 14213 has been the source of a few low-level C-class flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare through 11 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels. There were only a few minor C-class flares yesterday and today. AR 14207 is slowly decaying but maintains good form. AR 14213 is growing and evolving, developing an increasingly complex beta-gamma magnetic configuration. There were a total of seven spot groups on the visible disk, six of which is numbered and all but one west of the solar central meridian\/west half of the solar disk. Most of these regions are either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and covering 13.8’x15.8′ on the sky. The second column contains H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposures, each covering 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the Sun’s spotted regions are in the northwest quadrant of the disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mostly quiet, except for a couple of low-level C-class flare events from AR 14212.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The rightmost spot is AR 14211; the rest of the spots below to AR 14213.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These active regions appear a bit more active, with some growth and increasing flare potential possible over the next few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare through 10 September.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

August 18,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity, following yesterday’s C3.3\/SF flare event from AR 14180 at 19:58 UT on 17 August, solar activity slipped to very low levels, with background X-ray flux levels staying in the B-class range continuously since 20:07 UT on 17 August. It’s been flat through 20:52 UT, with not a single flare occurring thus far today. After 20:52 UT, the flux started slowly climbing. Currently, there are only four tiny spot groups are visible on the solar disk today, including a simple round spot that just rotated into view over the ESE limb.<\/p>\n

Solar activity bumped back up to the “low” category at 21:35 today with a C2.1 flare, peaking at 21:52 UT, from an unidentifiable source (nothing is showing on the GONG H-alpha images at this time), probably from over the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The image on the left is a red continuum image, 0.25 second exposure. The image on the right is an H-alpha images (line-center) image, a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. The camera power supply failed part way into the H-alpha sequence, so observations are halted for the foreseeable future after today (until a replacement is secured).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This view of part of the solar disk looks more like solar minimum than maximum. Three small regions (labeled) are visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In H-alpha, the two smaller spots\/groups are lost in the H-alpha detail. Only AR 14188 is visible easily at lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through 20 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 14,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels with the overall X-ray background flux steadily declining over the last few days. The more complex spotted active regions have decayed some. AR 14172 produced a C4.0 flare at 20:03 UTC, 13 October. AR 14178, on the solar limb, produced 4 C-class events today (through 20:00 UT), the strongest of which were two C2.3 flares at 2:43 UT and 6:04 UT today. AR 14172 produced 3 low-level C-class flares today, each in the low C1 range. There are a total of 12 spotted active regions, most of which are small and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky, except where indicated otherwise. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the active regions in the western half of the solar disk is visible in this image. Off the top edge is AR 14169.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The image is shifted north to include AR 14169, the single spot about 11 o’clock from AR 14172.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern part of the Sun is mostly blank, as seen in this 13.8’x13.8′ image. AR 14179 is off the edge of the image, below and right of 14180.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The image expands to include a filament which had been visible on the disk for the last several days, since it rotated into view. Otherwise, this part of the Sun’s disk remains unremarkable with quiet and small and few active regions present here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a chance for an isolated M-class flare (due to AR’s 14172 and 14178) through the end of 16 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 13,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity dropped to low levels. Since the M1.8 flare that happened early yesterday, there had been no further M-class or greater flare events through 23:00 UT today. There was only C-class activity, with AR’s 14172 and 14178 contributing nearly all of these events. AR 14172 is remaining mostly unchanged as part of it grows a bit and another part decays slightly. AR 14175 added a few spots, as has 14177, but both are quiet. AR 14180 has also grown slightly and produced C-class activity, including a single (so far) C1.8 at 10:39 UT 13 August.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A total of 11 spot groups are visible, eight of which are shown above. A single spot south of AR 14372 remains unnumbered as of this writing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of the same region of the Sun as depicted immediately left. AR’s 14172 and 14178 have been the sources of nearly all of today’s activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two of the active images from the first image, along with two more numbered and one unnumbered (above\/left of 14180) rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun remains quiet. AR 14180 had produced a C-class flare early today and appeared to be flaring this morning during the session (but this was not reported).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at low levels, with a good chance for an isolated M-class flare (due to AR’s 14172 and 14178) through the end of 15 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 12,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be at moderate levels, with a few M-class flares. Most of the flaring activity had come from just beyond the western limb of the Sun. The largest event of this was an M1.8 flare at 1:23 UT today, likely from recently “departed” AR 14168. Only 24 minutes before that was an M1.5 flare that probably came from the same region. Since these two flares, there had only been C-class flares through 21:30 UT today. With the exceptions of three C-class flares from AR 13172 (the largest of these was a C8.3 at 18:43UT, none of the other 10 C-class flares have active region numbers attributed to them as source regions. This likely means that each event occurred just beyond the solar limb.<\/p>\n

AR 14172 has grown some in its central region while decaying a bit in its trailing region, while neighboring AR 14178 grew some, as did AR 14180. There are a total of 9 spotted active regions on the visible disk, and aside from the three mentioned, are all stable or slowly decaying.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many active regions (labeled) pepper the solar disk today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of these regions have been mainly quiet all day so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More small active regions pepper the eastern half of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun also remains quiet for the most part.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at moderate levels, with a slight chance for an X-class flare from now through the end of 14 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 11,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be at moderate levels, with a regular occurrence of low-level M-class flares. AR 14168 was the source of several M-class flares today and yesterday, including an M2.2\/SF at 15:07 UT on 10 August and an M1.5 at 15:35 UT today (obscured by clouds at our location). It also produced a C9.9 at 3:05 UT today. Yesterday’s M2.2 launched a Coronal Mass Ejection off the western limb of the Sun. It is not likely Earth-directed. AR 14173 produced an M1.3 flare today at 3:52 UT as it rotated out of view over the WSW limb. AR’s 14172, 14174, and 14178 each showed growth. The remaining active regions were either stable or in gradual decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Seeing worsened for the H-alpha sequence of images, hence the fuzzier appearances. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many spotted active regions (labeled) are visible on the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Hints of limb activity are evident as AR 14168 rotates out of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted active regions are visible across the middle of the solar disk. All but two active regions are in the northern solar hemisphere.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14173 has been the most active of these active regions, having been the source of an M1 flare earlier today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate, with a good chance of further M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare, through 13 August. The probability of M-class flares drops to slight by 14 August as the source active regions rotate over the western limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues its stretch of being at moderate levels as M-class flares continue to come from AR 14168. The active region\/sunspot group has continued to increase in overall length and the size of its leading spot, as well as its magnetic complexity (sporting a “delta” configuration). AR 14172 produced a few C-class flares and is continuing to grow slowly. AR 14168 produced an M3.9 flare at 11:31 UT yesterday, 7 August, and this generated a coronal mass ejection (CME). This CME is forecast by SWPC to pass ahead of the Earth in its orbit sometime on the 9th or 10th of August.<\/p>\n

We imaged part of a slow C8.1\/1F event, which peaked at 14:35 UT. AR 14168 also produced a C7.2\/SF flare at 0:57 UT today, an M2.8\/SF at 3:53 UT today, and a few low-level C-class flares. AR 14170 produced a C9.7\/SF at 16:57 UT today and also has the potential for M-class flares. There are a total of 12 spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, most of which are unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Active regions of the western solar disk (labeled). Two are rotating out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Much of the recent activity came from AR 14168. This is indicated by the bright patches near the active region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions are small and scattered and mostly inactive.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14172 (just below and right of image center) has some activity potential.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate, with a good chance of further M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare, through 10 August. The likely sources of this activity are AR’s 14168 and 14172.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

August 5,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity elevated to moderate levels with an M1.9 flare at 13:57 UT on 3 August from developing AR 14168. This was the first M-class flare in several weeks. Since then it has produced three more M-class events, the largest of which was an M4.4\/1B today at 15:53 UT. AR 14168 also produced an M1.1 flare at 2:12 UT on 5 August, and a M2.0 flare at 4:57 UT on 4 August. This region was responsible for the majority of the flares that have been occurring over the last three days or so.<\/p>\n

AR 14168 continues to develop today, but is only the third largest of the five visible active regions (90 millionths of a solar hemisphere, or MSH). AR 14165 just to its north is slightly larger, at 110 MSH. AR 14167 continues to be the largest spotted active region on the visible disk, at 280 MSH, but it is about to rotate over the western limb. It contributed C-class flares and showed signs of growth.<\/p>\n

The M4.4 flare was observed almost in its entirety today. Throughout much of the observation period, AR 14167 seemed to glow with elevated plage glow or various optical sub-flares. This region also produced a C4,4 at 19:39 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 14165 (top part) and 14168 (bottom part) form a triangular batch of spots. AR 14167 (upper right) and the lead spot of 14161 (lower right) are also visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The M4.4 flare near its optical and X-ray peak. This flare was a quick event, taking less than five minutes to rise to maximum.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14161 is the spot group below and left of image center. The largest single spot has been around for the last many days, but the spots below it emerged on 3 August and seem to be a separate region, though it has not been designated as such.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The 14165\/14168 pair is visible to the left, with 14161 seen below and right of center. AR 14167 is visible at the upper right corner of the image. It has produced a number of optical sub-flares today<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern half of the solar disk is quiet. The lone spot is AR 14169, which just rotated into view two days ago.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14169 has produced only one optical subflare (SF) today so far, at 15:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through 7 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 31,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. There were only low level C-class flares occurring today, yesterday, and for the last many days. AR 14155 is showing signs of decay while producing C-class flares. So far, it has not produced anything today, but mainly yesterday. AR 14161 produced a few C-class flares as it also decayed some. AR 14165 is rotating into better view but it has been quiet. AR 14166 has emerged rapidly and is joined by an unnumbered group to its east (AR 14167), which is also growing. AR’s 14154 and 14153 each produced a C1.4 flare today, at 2:42 UT and 10:20 UT, respectively. AR 14153 produced a C1.6 at 18:52 UT, and 14155 produced a C1.7\/SF at 15:43 UT (which was seen visually on monitor whilst the focus and contrast were being checked).<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Six active regions are visible (labeled), with two more on the edge of the Sun (labeled, but the spots are no longer visible).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun, like the entire solar disk, has been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two modest sized regions are visible in this image: AR 14165 (top left) and 14161 (bottom right).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts north a bit to include a filament (top center) along with the existing spotted active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through 2 August.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 28,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity persists at low levels. AR 14161 produced the strongest flare of either yesterday or today (so far). It was a C3.1 at 18:32 UTC on 27 July. AR 14153 produced a C1.5 at 3:21 UT today, and AR 14154 produced a pair of optical sub-flares at 15:48 and 15:49 today. All of the visible active regions are little changed over the last day or two.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A cluster of sunspot groups continue their march across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mostly quiet all day today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More small active regions are rotating into view and across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The southeast quadrant of the Sun displays several small active regions and a large U-shaped filament.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through 30 July.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 24,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. AR 14149 is undergoing decay, while AR 14150 added new spots in its front half. It produced a C2.5 flare at 13:37 UT on 23 July. This was yesterday’s largest flare. AR 14153 is evolving, and growing a bit but remaining quiet overall. More AR’s had rotated into view in the eastern part of the sun, with AR 14143 rotating out of view. Today’s flare activity was sparse, with five events noted through 20:00 UT. Two did not have a source identified, two (including the largest today so far, a C5.7 at 18:35 UT) came from AR 14149, and one came from AR 14155.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first image is in red continuum, 0.25 second exposures. The second image is an H-alpha image (line-center), 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Many active regions are found in the eastern half of the Sun.<\/td>\nOf all these active regions, only AR 14149 and 14155 produced C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through 26 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 23,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. AR 14149 has grown a bit but otherwise remains quiet. AR 14150 was the source of a C6.4 flare at 20:12 on 22 July, the largest since a C7 early on 20 July. AR 14153 produced a C3.4 flare yesterday at 17:26 UT. The rest of the visible spotted active regions were quiet and inactive. A filament near the disk center of the Sun erupted around 5:00 UT early today. It may have produced a CME but this has yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14143 is about to rotate over the west limb and is the only easily visible spotted active region in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Things are lookin even quieter in this H-alpha images of the western part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions are visible here. A fifth region is out of view below the image bottom center boundary.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Only occasional low-level C-class flares have come from this area of the Sun day. AR 14543 is the region out of the field of vied<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through 25 July.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 22,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low, with mainly low-level C-class flare activity through today (at 21:00 UT). AR 14149 is growing in size and spot number. So far, AR’s 14143 and 14153 are the only sources of a handful of flares that were observed so far today. The other visible active regions were mainly unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun is now very quiet. The largest spot is AR 14142; AR 14143 can be seen very close to the solar limb near the top. AR 14150 is the tiny dot left and up from 14142.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from a few C-class flares and optical sub-flares, this part of the Sun continues to be quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14149 (Large pair of spots, top center) has been quiet despite its large size. AR 14150 is the large single spot with several smaller spots nearby.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts southward a bit to include newly numbered AR 14153 (bottom left, small dark dot next to a bright spot). This AR was the source of at least one C-class flare today so far.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through 24 July. There is a slight chance for an X-class flare today (22 July) from AR’s 14136 and 14143 as they rotate away from view but this threat decreases markedly after today.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 21,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. There were only C-class flares through yesterday, the most recent being a C5.1\/SF from AR 14143 at 0:09 UTC 21 July. Since the C5.1 there has been no further C-class activity, only an optical subflare from AR 14136.The majority of the C-class flare activity came from AR’s 14136, which is rotating over the western limb, and 14143, which is following close behind. AR 14136 produced a C6.5\/1F yesterday, 20 July at 15:37 UT. There had not been a single M-class flare for the last seven days. There was a long duration, low-level C2.8 event, peaking around 21:00 UT, starting two hours earlier, and still near the peak as of 22:25 UT, but no information is yet available on this event.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial\/Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex we had been following last week is rotating out of view (top just right of center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14136 and 14143 have been the source of almost all the solar activity recently. They are rotating over the western limb.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several small regions are present, with AR 14149 dwarfing them in size.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>No reported flaring events have occurred so far today from this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a decreasing chance of M-class flares through 23 July.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. The largest flare today so far (through 22:15 UT) was a C5.9 at 9:28 UT today from AR 14136, which has grown some since yesterday. Also growing were AR’s 14142, 14143, and 14148. AR’s 14136, 14142, and 14143 became more magnetically complex. These regions, along with AR 14139, have higher probabilities of producing M-class (and even a slight chance for an X-class), which may increase if these continue to grow in size and complexity. An interesting note about AR 14142: it lies almost perfectly along the solar equator, but a slight excess of its surface area is north of the equator versus south. The magnetic polarity configuration of the region matches those of the northern hemisphere active regions.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The string of active regions continues to rotate toward the western solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR’s 14139 and 14143 contributed, along with 14142, all of the C-class and optical sub flare activity so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A sparser distribution of regions is seen in the eastern zone of the Sun. The largest group, right of image center, is AR 14142.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14142, along with AR 14139 and 14143, have contributed all of the C-class and optical sub flare activity so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to become moderate, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, through 19 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 16,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. The largest flare of the day(through 22:30 UT, 16 July) was a C5.0\/SF at 3:58 UT on 16 July from AR 14143. AR’s 14139, 14142, and 14143 showed moderate growth, with 14142 and 14143 producing C-class flares. These regions continued to be the source of almost all the low-level C-class and optical sub-flares reported today. AR’s 14139 and 14145 each showed minor growth, while the rest of the visible spotted active regions were either stable or in decay. There are a total of 10 sunspot groups adorning the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14143 continues to grow as it makes a unique ring-shaped structure.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Except for a single optical sub-flare from AR 14139, AR 14143 was the only region in this zone of the Sun that was active.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14142 seems to be growing and is accompanied by several much smaller groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All is quiet in this part of the Sun except for 14142 which has been the source, along with 14143, of much of today’s activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares, through 18 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 15,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. The largest flare yesterday, 14 July, was a C4.5 at 17:06 UT from AR 14141. The largest (and one of only two C-class flares so far today) was a C2.4 from AR 14142 at 17:07. This region produced many optical sub-flares today but nothing of any significance so far (as of 20:25 UT today. ARs 14139, 14142, and 14143 have each grown slightly, while the remainder were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The 65 degree long filament that was, earlier this week, nicknamed “the beast” on the limb of the Sun, was observed lifting off the solar disk from the northeast quadrant at 5:30 UT yesterday, the 14th.\u00a0 The CME from this event was observed at 7:48 UT and is not expected to impact Earth at this time.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Spotted active regions (labeled) continue to march across the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been quiet for the last two days or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted active regions are emerging and rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14142 (just left of center) is the only region with any activity so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an increasing chance of M-class flares through 17 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 14,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low, with only C-class flare activity going on. The largest of these over the last two days was a C8.9 at 21:50 UT on 13 July from AR 14141. AR 14142 emerged over the last 24 hours and produced several C-class flares yesterday and today. The remaining six active regions were mainly quiet and unchanging, with the exception of AR 14138, which has grown a bit. AR 14141 is about to rotate out of view. Most of the remaining active regions on the visible solar disk are capable of producing M-class flares.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Visible active regions (labeled) in the western half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts east a bit to include a larger active region, AR 14136.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More regions are visible in this continuum image centered on the disk center of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts eastward to show the eastern limb of the Sun and some new regions coming into view (left center, AR 14142).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low to moderate, with a chance for M-class flares through 16 July.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

July 11,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. There were only C-class flares occurring today, the largest of which (in the last two days) was a C8.9 at 19:36 UT on 10 July from AR 14140 as it begins to rotate into view. This same region was the source of most of the flaring activity yesterday. ARs\u00a0 14136, 14137,14138, and 14139 contributed a fair share of low-level C-class flares and optical sub-flares. AR 14138 produced a C8.0 flare at 17:09 UT today, part of which was observed during today’s session.<\/p>\n

AR 14136 has grown slightly, while AR 14137 decayed some. New spots emerged and became AR’s 14138 and 14139. A 10 degree filament lifted off from the northwest quadrant (just northwest of disk center) at approximately 2:29 UT early today. This produced a CME which is not expected to reach Earth.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The western part of the solar disk is largely spotless, with AR 14137 (top center) and 14138 (upper left, on edge of image) the only significant regions visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>There has been some activity from this part of the Sun in the form of low-level C-class and optical sub-flares, all from AR 14138.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 14138 and 14139 emerged onto the solar disk in the last 24 hours, while 14135 and 14136 remain stable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four active regions, with AR 14138 in flare (upper right). This was the view six minutes after the flare’s optical peak.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The view shifts slightly to include the new AR 14140 rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>So far, AR 14140 does not look like much in this image, but it has been the source of a number of flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares (due to AR 14136 and 14140), through 13 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 10,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low with only low level C-class flaring occurring, from ARs 14135, 14136, and another region just over the ESE limb. This hidden region is possibly old AR 14117, about to make a second pass across the visible solar disk. The largest flares were a C3.8 from off the ESE limb today at 6:42 UT, and a C3.9 from AR 14130 at 18:04 UT today. A filament erupted yesterday, 9 July, at 5:24 UT and generated a pair of CMEs, which appeared to merge as they headed away from the Sun. This mass of charged particles is expected to miss the Earth.<\/p>\n

Later in the day, a C8.9 flare event (the largest today so far) peaked at 19:36 UT today from an undisclosed location, possibly the new active region about to rotate into view over the ESE limb.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14137 emerged within the last 24 hours. The three regions labeled at the bottom are in decay and about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The main regions that show up in this image are AR 14137 (top) and 14130 (lower right, bright areas).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14136 (top) and 14135 (bottom) are rotating into better view. The latter seems to be in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two AR’s are easily visible, with a third revealing its presence as bumps in the lower left part of this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares (due to AR 14136), through 12 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 7,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was (and has been) low, with only low-level C-class activity happening. Over the last week, the larges event was a C2.4 on 4 July–until today when, at the time of this writing, a c2.9 just peaked from AR 14125 (based on GONG images at 19:26 UT). AR 14127 is growing slightly, while the remaining five visible spotted active regions are either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

There had been many filaments on the visible solar disk the last two weeks or so. One of these, near N35 E05 (the north central solar disk) lifted off beginning around 1:00 UTC today, 7 July. This event produced a CME which became visible to the SOHO LASCO C2 camera at 3:12UT. This CME is expected to miss Earth.<\/p>\n

The top row of images are red continuum images, each 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and 0.25 second exposures. Then the skies clouded up for two hours before allowing the bottom two H-alpha images to be obtained. Each of these is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nThese images illustrate how quiet the Sun is today. The H-alpha images include AR 14135, which just rotated into view. The other regions are labeled above. The single spot in the first image is AR 14125.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 9 July.<\/p>\n

____________________________________________<\/p>\n

June 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity started at moderate levels but returned to low levels. There was an M1.1 flare that peaked at 14:55 UT on 16 June. There were also some C-class flares, including a C9.9 from beyond the east limb at 6:21 UT on 17 June. A C5.5 flare at 0:21 UT on 17 June produced a CME that may give a glancing blow to Earth\u2019s magnetic field early on June 20.<\/p>\n

Solar activity jumped to high levels with an X1.2\/2B flare from AR 14114 which peaked at 21:49 UT, which was imaged in its entirety at the Observatory. The optical peak was two minutes earlier. This may have triggered an M2.2 at 14115 at 22:05, an example of sympathetic flaring.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of AR’s continues their march across the solar disk. The white spots in the upper and upper right are artefacts of processing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from occasional optical sub-flares, this area of the Sun had been quiet for most of the day, until the X1.2 flare event of later in the afternoon (image below).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is very quiet, but a new active region (arrowed) has started to rotate into view. This was the source of several C-class flares today and yesterday.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The new active region (the bump on the left edge of the Sun) appears as an elongated white spot in H-alpha imagery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The next images show the X1.2 flare from AR 14114 near its X-ray maximum (left image), then the secondary M2.2\/SF from AR 14115 (right image, the left hook-shaped glow).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Today’s X1.2 flare (bright splotches) near its X-ray maximum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>As the X1.2 event decayed, a second event (upper left) occurred, which may have been triggered by the larger event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 19 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 16,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has reached high levels because of several M-class flares. AR 14105 produced a C6.5\/SF event at 1:48 UT today from just over the western solar horizon. AR 14105 started becoming more active late on 13 June with an M1.2 at 21:10 UT. Then on the 14th, AR 14105 produced an M1 at 18:04 UT followed by an M6.8 at 23:01. There were a pair of lower level M-class flares, an M2.2 at 7:56 UT and an M1.8 at 10:26UT, both on 15 June (no source region information immediately available). Then AR 14114 became active and produced an M8.4\/1B at 18:07 UT on 15 June, followed by an M6.5\/1B at 9:38 UT today.<\/p>\n

AR 14114 grew considerably over the weekend and became a complex active region in both spot configuration and magnetic complexity. It was responsible for most of the activity today. AR 14114 could become more complex in the next day or so. All of the rest of the spotted active regions on the visible disk were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8\u2019x18.0\u2032 on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14110 is in the process of rotating out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from the activity from AR 14105 (which just rotated out of view), this zone has been generally quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The main focus of activity is AR 14114, which dominates this group of active regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun had been quiet, with only optical sub-flares and C-class flares, during our monitoring of this region today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 18 June.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

June 13,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels, but several new groups have appeared since the last observing session three days ago. C-class flares came from AR’s 14105, 14017, and 14115, the largest of these was a C5.8\/1F flare at 17:48 UT on 12 June. C-class flares and optical sub-flares came from AR’s 14105, 14110, and 14114 today through 19:45 UT, then AR 14105\u00a0 broke a nearly 9 day string of no M-class flares with an M1.2\/1F that peaked at 21:10 UT today. Each of the eight visible active regions were mostly stable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.50 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images (line-center), each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The regions we’ve followed earlier this week are now about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14105 and 14110 are the most active on the visible disk currently and have been the source of several minor flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new batch of active regions rotates into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mainly quiet aside from a few minor events from AR 14114.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares through 15 June. This is due to the combined flare probabilities of ARs 14105, 14107, and 14114.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 10,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. AR 14105 was the region with the most flaring yesterday producing B- and C-class flares. Then today, AR 14107, which is growing and produced nearly all the flares today, including a C5.5 flare at 10:52 UT. Solar activity was at low levels. The region with the most flaring was AR 14107, which produced 10 c-class flares (including the C5.5) between 3:00 and 11:00 UT today. AR 14105 was much quieter, with only two B-class flares and an optical sub-flare. Everything else was quiet on the visible solar disk today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>One batch of sunspot groups resides in the southwestern quarter of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Nearly all of today’s minor flare activity came from this area of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14111 rotates into better view, with another unnumbered spot following (on the solar edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun was entirely quiet, except for two optical sub-flares from AR 14111 early today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 12 June.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

June 9,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Since 6 June, the Sun had been quiet, with only low-level C-class flares (2 C4 events on 6 June, 1 C3 on 7 June, and only low level events of decreasing frequency yesterday and today). The larges event yesterday and today was a C1.8 from AR 14105. AR 14111 rotated into view and 14110 emerged west of 14111, and both of these were quiet. Today, so far, there was only a C2.0 flare from AR 14105 and a C1.2 at 19:09 UT, the only events attributed to a region so far. All the regions are either stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A collection of four small spot groups, the larges of which is 14105. Aside from an occasional C-class flare, this area of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The same view as the image immediately left, but in H-alpha, with the regions visible along with a short filament in the lower right corner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a>AR 14111 (upper left) and 14110 (lower right) as seen in this image. Both regions remain quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun as depicted immediately left, but shifted slightly southward to bring in AR 14105 (below right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 11 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 6,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued at low levels today. AR 14105 continues to produce frequent C-class flares, 8 so far today (through 19:30 UT today), the largest of which, today, was a C4.5 that was observed briefly at the Observatory. This event peaked at 17:02 UT. AR 14100 produced two C-class flares today as it prepares to rotate out of view. AR 14107 emerged yesterday west of 14106 and has grown slightly today. AR 14105 grew slowly, as did 14107; the rest of the visible sunspot groups on the disk were in slow decay. ARs 14100 and 14099 are in the process of rotating over the western solar limb.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 14100 and 14099 are rotating out of view and getting more difficult to see. AR 14106 (upper left) is in slow decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The three regions are more difficult to spot in H-alpha as they blend in with the general texture.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14105 (center) and 14107 (right) are visible in this image. The former is slowly growing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14105 appears rather active in this H-alpha image. It was the source of many C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 8 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 5,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity briefly touched moderate levels late yesterday with an M1.1 flare from AR 14100 at 23:28 UT on 4 June. This was the largest event of yesterday and today (through 20:35 UT). The last M-class flare was an M1.4 from the same region at 13:00 UT on 3 June. AR 14100 and 14099 both decayed some, while AR 14104 decayed completely to plage. Although the solar region summary indicated that AR 14101 had one spot, it was not visible during this morning’s visual sunspot count. AR 14106 emerged yesterday as a small cluster of spots near the disk center, and AR 14105 continues to rotate into better view. AR 14100 produced three low-level C-class flare early today, while AR 14099 and 14101 each produced one C3 early today. All of this activity happened before 14:00 UT. Then at 14:39 UT today, AR 14105 produced a C1.8, which was followed by a C8.7.<\/p>\n

The C8.7 flare was an interesting long-duration event that was caught by our camera while the flare was intensifying, about five minutes prior to X-ray maximum. The event started as the X-ray level rose above C1.0 at 15:35 UT, peaked at C8.7, declined slowly, then intensified slowly again, achieving a secondary peak of C5.7 at 17:12 UT. Finally, the X-ray level decayed back to C1.0 at 19:22 UT, nearly four hours after the event started.<\/p>\n

Each of the images in the first row spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each of the ones on the second row cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14100 (top) and 14099 (bottom) are about to rotate out of view. AR 14101, which is right and below 14100; and 14104, which is directly left of 14100; have lost their spots.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This was the most active zone on the Sun prior to 14:00 UT today before these regions quieted down and AR 14105 became activated. AR 14099 stands out due to bright plage.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14105 (lower left) and newly-emerged 14106 (upper right) grace what would otherwise be a bland part of the Sun. A single spot is visible directly right of 14106, which may be a new active region emerging.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image was taken near the X-ray peak of today’s largest event (up to 20:55 UT today), the C8.7 flare. The optical part was rated a “sub-flare, faint” and peaked at 15:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 7 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 3,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is moderate due to a pair of M-class flares. One of these came from AR 14100 yesterday at 21:42 UT; another from AR 14105 that just rotated into view. The second M-flare was a long-duration (M1.4) event that peaked today at 13:03 UT. The C9.3 flare from yesterday at 21:00 likely came from AR 14105 just before it rotated into view. Slight decay occurred in AR’s 14099 and 14100; AR’s 14101 and 14104 also appear to have decayed some, while AR 14096 rotated over the west limb.<\/p>\n

Each of the images in the first row spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Each of the ones on the second row cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14100 (above center) remains the largest visible spotted region, with 14099 directly below it second largest. AR 14101 (lower right of 14100) and 14104 (directly left of 14100) remain visible but are in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been mainly quiet today, with only optical sub-flares occurring. We observed a C2.8\/SF from 14100, peaking at 15:10 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This region, AR 14105, just appeared over the eastern limb this morning. Otherwise, the Sun seems to be clearing itself of spots currently.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14105 was the source of most of today’s activity so far: one M1.4 flare and 5 low-level C-class flares. It appears as a bright spot on the edge of the Sun above center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate with a slight chance of X-class flares through 5 June. The primary source of this activity is likely to be AR 14100.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 2,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels early today. There was an M3.3\/2B flare from AR 14100 at 11:18 UT, the strongest of yesterday and today (so far). This region is slowly decaying and the other four regions are only little changed. The five regions are mostly on the western half of the Sun with nothing spotted on the eastern half (except for 12404). A long-duration C9.2 flare that peaked this afternoon at 21:00 UT appears to have come from behind the eastern limb, signaling the imminent appearance of another active region. AR 14100 also produced a C1.7 at 14:57 UT today and an M1.1 at 21:42 UT today (after we had closed the observatory for the day). All the other regions were quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first image is a red continuum image, 0.25 second exposure. The second is an H-alpha images, 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>All five of the currently visible active regions are displayed here, with AR 14096 about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All five of the active regions on the Earth facing solar hemisphere are seen here. Most of the activity came from AR 14100.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Moderate solar activity is likely with a fair chance of M-class flares and a slight chance for an isolated X-class flare through 4 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 29,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. The largest flare so far today was a C7.0 from AR 14100 at 3:01 UT today; it also produced a B9.8 two-and-a-half hours earlier. There were a handful of low-level C-class flares from 14100 more recently 18:00 – 19:00 UT today) but all is quiet otherwise.<\/p>\n

Each of the images in the first row spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each of the ones on the second row cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14096 (top) and 14092 (lower right) remain quiet as they approach the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions depicted in the image immediately left are shown here also.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14100 (top center), 14099 (bottom center) and 14101 (right of center) in continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three active regions and at least five filaments are visible in this emission line image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares, and a slight chance for X-class flares, through 31 May. The combined probability of an M-class flare from AR’s 14099 and 14100 is 50%.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 28,2025<\/h2>\n

From late 24 May through the end of 26 May, solar activity reached high levels, peaking with an X1.1 at 1:50 UT from AR 14098 on 25 May and an M8.9 at 16:30 UT, also from AR 14098 on 25 May. The region then decayed and quieted down. Currently, solar activity has been low with the largest flare from yesterday and today being a long-duration C5.0\/sf at 10:11 UTC yesterday the 27th from AR 14100. This region is the return of AR 14079, which was the return of 14055 which emerged and developed rapidly in April before rotating out of view. Parts of the current AR 14100 is showing some growth, but the only events that have happened yesterday and today were low-level C-class flares. In fact, AR’s 14099 and 14100 were about equally responsible for the flares today. AR 14099 is also growing slightly. These two rotated into view three days ago.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Various spotted and un-spotted regions are labeled in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been quiet the last few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The two largest active regions on the visible disk were the source of all the small flares today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14101 (below and right from 14100) emerged yesterday. This area of the Sun also features many filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance for X-class flares, through 30 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 19,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity briefly reached moderate (R1-Minor) levels after an impulsive M3.1 flare today at 8:21 UT. This came from a region just over the ENE limb of the Sun. Activity has then returned to very low levels. Prior to this flare, only low-level C-class flares occurred. AR 14087 is losing spots (only three this morning) but it maintains a degree of complex magnetic activity. All the other regions were stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

The filament we had been watching last week, which had rotated into the north central quadrant of the solar disk, lifted off the disk between 21:00 UT on 18 May and 1:00 UT on 19 May. This produced a CME which should skim the Earth’s magnetic field by 23 May.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure The first image is a red continuum image; the other two are H-alpha line center images. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four of the five visible active regions are seen in this image. All of the regions shown here, except for 14087, are small and simple.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as on the left, but in H-alpha. A filament lies in the midst of these regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts eastward to show the new AR 14092 near the limb of the Sun. AR 14090 and 14901 are toward the lower right.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through 21 May. Flare probabilities may increase starting 20 May if the active region that produced today’s M3 flare rotates into view and remains active.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 16,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has returned to low levels. The last M-class flare was an M2.1\/1F at 17:21 UT on 15 May. Since then there had been only low-level C-class flares (except for the near-M flare, a C9.6 that happened five hours after the M2 flare). There has been little growth in AR 14087, in fact it seems to have decayed somewhat. The region only produced four low-level C-class flares today (and two B-class flares as the X-ray background has dropped well below C-level for the first time in a while). AR 14088 was mostly inactive; ARs 14089 and 14090 rotated into view and contributed some minor C-class flare activity. Altogether there are four spotted active regions visible on the Solar disk.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14088 (the single spot near the edge of the Sun below and right of image center) is about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14088 is essentially hidden in the H-alpha texture, but a dark filament is visible to its east. This part of the sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 is at top right, AR 14089 is top center, and 14090 is lower left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun had been active but the activity is now reduced to low-level C-class flares and B-class enhancements.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low to moderate, with a slight chance for an M-class flare, through 19 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 15,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at moderate levels. The overall trend in activity is downward as there had been no further M-class or X-class activity since yesterday’s M4 flare, until this afternoon’s M2 flare from AR 14087 at 17:21 UT. The region had produced many low-level C-class events today, and another near-M-class event: a C9.6 at 22:19 UT. AR 14087 continues to maintain a complex magnetic profile but has been less active. AR 14088, nearing the western limb, grew but was quiet; AR 14082 is rotating out of view.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 comes into better view, carried along by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region has been where nearly all the significant solar events have taken place.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun appears almost blank as AR 14082 is right on the limb (below bottom edge of this picture). AR 14088 (right of center) has increased a bit in size.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14088 appears as a slight brightening right of center. A fairly dark filament is visible along the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

NOAA-SWPC has given AR 14087 a 65% chance of producing an M-class flare, and a 30% chance for an X-class flare from 15 to 17 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 14,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at high levels with an X1.2\/1B flare yesterday at 15:38 UT (observed at PVSO), then an M5.3\/SN flare at 3:25 UT on 14 May, then a multi-peaked X2.7\/2B flare at 8:25 UT today. Thes events each produced coronal mass ejections, but each ejection was directed well ahead of or behind the Earth in its orbit. Then AR 14087 produced an M7.7 flare at 11:19 UT today. Later in the day, the region produced an M4.7 flare at 18:11 UT, the entire event was documented in images at PVSO (see image immediately below). In addition to these major events, AR 14087 produced a large number of C-class flares.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each of the images (including the one above) spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 (lower right) is about to rotate out of view. Barely visible top center is newly emerged AR 14088.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two filaments accompany the two tiny active regions in this zone of the Sun. This part has been quiet and stable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 appears as two large spots on the solar surface.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A large filament is situated north west of the large spot pair\/group (14087).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-flares through 16 May<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 13,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity briefly spiked to high levels with a surprise, impulsive X1.2 flare from departing AR 14086. This was the first X-class flare since 28 March 2025 and came as a surprise, since there was less than a 1% probability of an X-class flare occurring currently. The flare caused a brief short-wave radio blackout over the Americas, launched a CME into space, and is bathing the Earth in protons as of this writing (21:22 UT). The protons are being guided by what is called the Parker Spiral, a magnetic connection between the Sun’s western limb and the Earth’s magnetic field. This is expected to intensify in the near term.<\/p>\n

We caught the flare just before it reached its X-ray peak (15:38) and it’s optical peak (15:39). We then followed the area through the flare decay and watched further limb activity associated with this event through 16:00. Prior to this, solar activity had been at low levels, with only five small spotted active regions visible on the solar disk. AR 14087 produced some C-class solar flares yesterday, and a B9.9 event this afternoon. AR 14086 had grown some, then decayed some more while maintaining a simple structure overall. All the other regions were quiet and simple in magnetic structure.<\/p>\n

Each of the PVSO images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, unless otherwise indicated. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. The middle row contains a NASA\/SDO extreme UV animation of the flare (left) and a close-up of the flare region (right), in H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14085 (upper left), 14086 (right, on solar limb) and 14082 (single spot lower right). It’s been mainly quiet in this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>It was quiet until AR 14086 produced the X1.2\/1B flare, seen here near its peak.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Click on the image for the animation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Closeup of the X1 flare with associated structures.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 is rotating into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14087 has been quiet all day today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a slight chance of an isolated M-class flare from AR 14087 through 15 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 12,2025<\/h2>\n

There was a brief uptick of solar activity to moderate levels with an impulsive M7.9 flare produced by departing AR 14079 at 0:01 UT on 12 May, from just over the west limb. Since this event, solar activity has returned to low levels. AR 14086 has grown a bit, with the other visible regions decayed somewhat. A new region, AR 14087, is rotating into view over the eastern limb and it produced a C2.7 flare today at 15:02 UT. A filament started lifting off the Sun beginning around 9:00 UTC today. It was in the process of lifting off at 11:27 UT. Only traces of it remained on the surface by the time of our observations this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Only small active regions remain visible now.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A few filaments are also visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new AR along with some old faculae (bottom left) have rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is mostly quiet, as is the rest of the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 14 May<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 9,2025<\/h2>\n

Low solar activity continues. AR 14082 produced a C7.1 at 14:54 UTC yesterday, 8 May. This was the strongest flare of yesterday and today (through 21:35 UT). AR 14082 only produced one flare today, a C1.0 at 6:19 UT. This region is decaying in the trailing spots: only two tiny trailing spots along with the single round leader remains visible. AR 14079 produced frequent low-level C-class flare activity yesterday and today (six such events today so far, the largest of which was a C4.9 at 11:21 UT). This region remained stable as it prepares to rotate out of view. AR 14081 and 14084 were in slight decay or stable, respectively. There are quite a few filaments visible on the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images in the first row below cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; each in the second row cover 13.8’x18.0′. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 (right) and 14081 (center) approach the solar edge.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 is distinguished by its large “mane” of plage. Note the large filament at bottom just right of center (curve gray feature).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun is getting very barren and quiet. AR 14084 (left) and 14082 (right) are imaged here.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>There are quite a few more filaments than sunspot groups visible in this part of the sun. All these are quiet and stable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 11 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Low solar activity continues with the second strongest flare so far today being a C7.0\/SF at 11:41 UT today from AR 14082. This was slightly exceeded by a C7.0\/1N flare from the same region at 15:00 UT, the tail end of which we observed. AR 14079 continues to produced numerous weak C-class flares and has shown some signs of decay. AR 14081 showed some minor growth, as has 14082. AR 14084 rotated into view and produced C-class flare activity.<\/p>\n

Two filaments erupted yesterday early on. The first was one from the NW limb between 9:00 and 10:00 UT; this generated a fast moving CME that was observed by SOHO starting at 9:24 UT. This will miss Earth by a far margin. The second eruption was off the NE disk from about 11:16 to 13:48 UT, with the SOHO satellite observing a CME starting at 11:25 UT. This debris will also miss Earth by a wide margin.<\/p>\n

Each of the images immediately below are 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14081 (center) and 14079 (lower right) are two of four spotted active regions currently visible on the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 has so far produced four C-class flares up to 21:45 UT. AR 14081 has been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The other two active regions visible on the solar disk are AR 14084 (left) and 14082 (right).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The filament observed to be a bit active (below and right of image center) is still there today. AR 14082 produced 3 C-class flares so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 10 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 7,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 14079 continues to be the dominant region on the Sun but has not produced the expected large flare so far. It produced the largest flare of yesterday and today (so far as of 21:50 UT), an impulsive C4.5 at 17:07 UT on 6 May. A filament erupted near the south central solar disk happened at the same time and launched a narrow CME. A second filament launched more slowly from the northwest part of the solar disk, and there is still a third active filament in the far NW part of the disk (pictured in the previous entry from May 4). AR 14079 produced numerous small C-class flares today. There were a total of three spotted regions visible on the solar disk today, with a fourth, small group rotating into view just south of the solar equator on the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 (right) and 14081 (left) continue to march across the solar disk, carried along by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 has produced 10 low-level C-class flares today, the largest of which was a C4.0 at 2:52 UT today. AR 14081 has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14082 (the only visible spotted group). The thin streak below this region is real: it is the blue-shifted component of a filament that is moving and may lift off soon.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14082 was the source of at least one low-level C-class flare and an optical subflare. The filament fragment below and left of it was over four times longer than now as recently as 9:03 UT today. Most of this has disappeared.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 9 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 4,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was low. AR 14079 continues to be the dominant region on the Sun but several new regions have emerged. AR 14080 emerged south and west of 14076 and rotated out of view. AR 14081 emerged east of 14079, and AR 14082 has emerged in the southern hemisphere near the eastern limb. AR 14079 only produced one C1.3 event today so far, but newly emerged AR 14082 produced four low-level C-class flares today. AR 14081 produced one C1 flare early today. AR 14079 was largely unchanged today, as was AR 14076. AR’s 14081 and 14082 have grown.<\/p>\n

Each of the top row of images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; each of the bottom row covers 13.8’x18.0′. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The lone spot in this zone of the Sun prepares to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun appears quiet in H-alpha, with little activity currently occurring.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 (right) is trailed by 14081 (above center) and 14082 (left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All three of these active regions have contributed low-level C-class flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 7 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 3,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. AR 14079 produced most of the C-class flare activity yesterday and today and continues to grow. The flares it produced were mainly C1 and C2 level events. AR 14078 was stable and quiet and continues to be such today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, unless otherwise indicated. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14076 and a spotless 14075 (the white area just right of bottom center) are visible here. This image is 13.8’x13.8′.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is shifted north some to include part of a large filament residing in the northwest quadrant of the solar disk. Otherwise, this area of the solar disk continues to be quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 (lower right) and emerging AR 14081 (small spots below and left of image center) are seen here.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts to include a large filament in the northwest quadrant of the solar disk, along with another north of AR 14079.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 5 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 1,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Five spotted active regions remain on the visible disk but three of them are becoming harder to see visually as they continue to slowly decay and\/or rotate out of view. AR 14076 remains as only as simple single spot, with a very thin light bridge across the central umbra. Two spotted groups are about to rotate out of view. The dominant region, AR 14079, continues to produce a few low-level C-class flares, even with its size and magnetic complexity.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted regions and one spotless region (14073) are seen here. AR 14078 has a single well-hidden spot and 14070 is a small cluster of tiny spots.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun continues to be quiet, with only the small decaying active regions and a number of filaments visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 is the dominant spot, with an area of 1040 MSH.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The bright plage (white areas) are featured here as is a filament (right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 3 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 30,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels with an M2.0 flare (the largest in a while) coming from AR 14079 at 7:51 UT today. This region is a large sunspot group with a complex magnetic configuration. AR 14070 decayed some and 14072 grew a bit, but both were quiet as were the remaining active regions. There is a downward trend in numbers of groups and sizes of groups over the last several days; there were eight spotted active regions on the Sun on 28 April, six yesterday (29 April), then four today.<\/p>\n

The images in the top row each span 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The images in the bottom row are 13.8’x13.8′. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14070 (right of center near sun’s edge) prepares to rotate out of view. AR 14072 (left of center) seems to be decaying overall.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun was quiet all day long, with no flare events reported so far.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The true size and nature of AR14079 is becoming clearer as it rotates into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region has produced all the reported flares so far today: one M2 flare and four low-level C-class flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 2 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 29,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became moderate with several low-level M-class flares. There was an M1.7 from AR 14079, at 5:13 UT today. AR 14070 is decaying somewhat, 14072 is growing somewhat, but was quiet, AR 14078 developed and produced an M1.3 flare at 10:02 UT today and an M1.6 at 10:57 UT today. Since these events, only C-class events occurred, coming from AR’s 14070, 14075, and 14079; AR 14077 produced a few optical sub-flares.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions continue to be mainly quiet as they approach the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14070 was the most active of these three regions, producing three C-class flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 is seen in the upper left corner, with 14076 near the right edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14079 was one of the more active sunspot groups today, along with AR 14078.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

A surging prominence was observed on the southwest limb for about 15 minutes before dissipating. Each of the below images of this event were 0.5 second exposures and cover 11.5’x9.7′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance of M-class flares through 1 May.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

April 28,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Eight spotted active regions are visible on the solar disk, including large AR 14079, just rotating into view over the eastern limb. This is the return of old AR 14055, which was tracked as it rotated across the far side of the Sun and has now been brought back to Earthly view. It produced the largest flare in several days: a C3.2 at 21:52 UT today. We were monitoring a simultaneous flare at AR 14077 which boosted the X-ray peak a bit. AR 14070 produced a C1.4\/SF flare at 17:24 UT, 27 April. This region is growing some. AR 14064 produced a C2.1 flare at 18:49 UT yesterday and this one is decaying a bit as it readies to rotate out of view. AR 14069 decayed to a spotless region but that did not stop it from producing a C2.2 flare at 6:02 UT today. The remaining sunspot groups were all unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four small active regions, with the fifth (AR 14065) just out of view near bottom center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Thin cirrostratus clouds diluted the view in H-alpha but several filaments are visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A large spot group is coming into view in the upper left, the return of AR 14055. Other smaller regions are visible here.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The cirrostratus has thickened a bit for this image, making H-alpha details less distinct. The bright spot bottom center is a low-level C-class flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance of M-class flares through 30 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 24,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Only low-level C-class flaring continues. There are thirteen spotted active regions on the solar disk, both large and small, and the ones near the disk center have been the largest and most magnetically complex. These C-flares have come from these regions. AR 14064 remains the largest spot group on the visible disk and was the source of a C2.4 flare at 14:34 UT today, followed by a C2.0 at 15:41 UT today (while the clouds continued to cover most of the sky at the Observatory). There had been some growth in this region over the last day or so. Altogether, AR’s 14064, 14067, and 14070 were the ones who produced the flares today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Lots of labeled active regions are seen in this image just west of the Sun’s disk center. AR 14066 is a spotless region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two of the three regions in this frame, AR 14064 and 14070, produced a few weak C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More regions are shown, including two more groups that have just rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view is shifted northward from the previous frame. AR 14073 appears near top center, and AR 14076 is rotating into view upper left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with a chance of M-class flares from 24 to 27 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 23,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. Only low level C-class flaring activity has happened over the last two days. Most of the 9 visible spotted active regions on the solar disk are magnetically simple. AR 14069 has experienced a fairly rapid rate of magnetic flux emergence and has taken on the appearance of a flattened ring. The region has been quiet so far but does have the potential for further development. There were four low level C-class flares today so far, from AR’s 4064 and 4070.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions remain mostly quiet, although AR 14064 appears to be growing some.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun, near disk center, has seen some minor activity. AR 14069 shows the decay of a minor optical subflare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions also appear rather quiet and simple.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In addition to the spotted regions, some small filaments are also visible on this part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with a chance of M-class flares from 23 to 25 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 22,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels early but has returned to low levels today. There was a long duration M1.3 flare from a location beyond the western solar limb at 10:48 UT today. Low level C-class activity occurred from AR’s 4062, 4063, and 4064. An unspecified source produced a C9.9\u00a0 at 1:00 UT today. Since yesterday, four more spotted active regions emerged on the solar disk, all in the southern solar hemisphere. ARs 14069 and 14070 were among these and showed continued growth. AR 14062 and 14064 showed some decay in parts of these regions. Otherwise everything else is mainly quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions pepper the center of the Sun’s disk today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts south to include AR 14065 (single spot lower left).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four regions including some newly emerged flux is visible in this image. Yet another spot is just appearing on the eastern solar limb (near the top, un-labeled).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun appears mainly quiet in H-alpha. The regions toward the left (14070 and 14068) were sites of some very minor flaring activity during today’s observing session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares from 22 to 24 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 21,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at moderate levels today. AR 14068 rotated onto the solar disk yesterday and produced an M1.0 flare at 12:11 UT on 20 April. This was the first M-class flare since an M4.4 that occurred at 23:50 UT on 18 April. Then AR 14062 produced an impulsive M1.9 flare today at 18:37 UT (after this morning’s observation session. Only minor changes have occurred in the visible active regions over the last two days. AR 14064 produced a C3.9\/SF at 0:31 UT today, and AR 14063 produced a C2.1 flare at 6:42 UT today.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 14060 and 14063 have decayed since last week and are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14063 appears to have some residual activity as evidenced by the bright plage (below right, brighter patch). AR 14062 is visible at left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions continue to make their way across the disk of the Sun, carried along by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These five active regions have been mainly quiet today. AR 14062 (right of center) was the source of an M1 flare this afternoon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares from 21 to 23 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low level with only minor C-class activity. AR 14062 produced most of this activity early today and yesterday, including two of the four documented C-class flares today. AR 14064 produced the largest flare for today so far (as of 23:35 UT), a C4.6 at 14:22 UT. AR 14060 also produced a C1 flare. AR 14062 is also the most complicated region on the visible solar disk today. The other six active regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is mostly quiet. AR 14056 (lower right near the edge) is about to rotate out of view AR 14060 (top center) seems to be decaying.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Cirrus clouds were starting to move in when this image was taken so the contrast is reduced. This part of the Sun also appears quiet in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14064 (top) and 14062 (just left of center) are the most complex regions currently visible. Just left of 14062 is 14066, and 14065 is visible at the lower left corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A few filaments (upper right) remain. This part of the Sun is a bit more active than the rest of the Sun, but is still unremarkable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is an increasing chance for M-class flares (due to the increasing magnetic complexity of ARs 14062 and 14064) and a slight chance for X-class flares through 19 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 16,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity drop from moderate levels to low levels. The most recent M-class flare was an M1.3 at 18:13 UT on 15 April from AR 14055 from over the western solar horizon. This region also produced a C8.1 at 4:39 UT, 16 April. Since the C8, there had only been three further low-level (c1 to c2) flares, one of which came from AR 14062. As of 23:05 UT today, no further M-class flares have occurred. AR 14060 has progressed to the western half of the solar disk, carried along by the Sun’s rotation. The region was stable but showed some minor growth for a time yesterday. There are three un-numbered regions currently on the solar disk, in addition to three numbered regions. The largest of these is AR 14060, with 180 MSH of surface area. This is the same coverage as AR 14062.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14060 appear at upper left. The whitish areas at upper right are what is left of now spotless region 14061; 14056 is visible at bottom, right of center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Since the last C8 flare from (invisible) AR 14055, this part of the Sun has been very quiet. AR 14060 had been the source of at least one weak C-class flare today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14062 (largest region, left of center) is accompanied by newly numbered AR 14063 (single spot near right edge of image) and 14064 (above 14062, coming into view). One more spot (bottom, near solar limb) remains unnumbered.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun shows the potential to become more active, but for the time being it has been quiet. Several filaments continue to be seen here and across the rest of the northern solar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares from 16 to 18 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 15,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels, with an M1.5 flare at 10:20 UT from AR 14055. An M1.3 flare occurred at 18:13 UT, also from AR 14055, which is no longer directly visible. It is situated just over the western limb of the Sun, but, in addition to the two M-class flares, was the source of two C-class flares early today. During today’s observing session, there were no observed structures in H-alpha associated with AR 14055 (there are typically surges and other elevated structures that signify the location of an active region just out of view). Another sunspot group, AR 14061 did grow a bit but quickly decayed again to only a handful of tiny spots. AR 14060 has grown just a bit but was quiet overall. AR 14062 rotated into view and has elevated the background X-ray flux level a bit but was otherwise quiet. A structure resembling a large active region just out of view (arrowed, last image below) appears to signify the imminent appearance of another large active region, which should come into view in a day or two.<\/p>\n

Each of the images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14060\u00a0 is visible in part in the upper left part of the image; 14056 is the single spot bottom center. The arrow marks the approximate location of AR 14055 which has rotated out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14056 appears centered in this image. The arrow marks the approximate location of AR 14055 just over the limb. No elevated structures were seen associated with this active region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14062 (left) and 14060 (right) have mainly been quiet all day today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The arrow points to a pair of “horns” that may be associated with another large active region about to rotate into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels (80% chance of M-class flares on 15 April) 15 -16 April, then return to low levels by 17 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 14,2025<\/h2>\n

The Sun continued at high levels of activity through early today, as the frequent M-class flares continued, but became much less frequent. The last M-class flare so far today (as of 21:30 UT) was an M4.2 at 6:50 UT. This region is severely foreshortened on the limb so it is difficult to say what it is doing for certain. Another fairly large region at solar latitude 3 degrees south has rotated into view on the opposite limb. This and all the other active regions beside AR 14055 were stable and mostly unchanged.<\/p>\n

Each of the top row images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the bottom row images are 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.25 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14055 (right, on edge) is about to disappear over the limb. AR 14056 (left) is the single spot following it.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>So far today, AR 14055 produced five C-class and two M-class flares. It was quiet during our one hour flare watch today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14061 (off the right edge of the image) appears to be in decay. AR 14060 is visible toward the right edge. A new AR is starting to come into view on the limb (left, center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from an extra filament (image center), this zone of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to return to moderate levels, with a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 15 April. This changes to a slight chance for M-class flares on 16 April as AR 14055 rotates further over the solar limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 12,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels today due to frequent low-level M-class flares from AR 14055. The largest of these today was an M2.7 at 11:43 UT today. For the entire UT day of 12 April, AR 14055 produced 8 C-class and 7 M-class flares. AR 14060 added a sub-flare and a C5.6 flare; AR 14054 produced a single C4 event. AR 14055 had grown significantly in the last two days. There was slight growth in AR 14058, and the rest of the numbered regions remained about the same.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14055 (upper right) has grown significantly since two days ago (compare with 10 April image). AR 14056 is the single spot at upper left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The plage in between the large spot groups of AR 14055 glow with the after glow of many flares. No significant activity was noted during today’s 1 hour flare watch.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14060 (left) and 14061 (right) grace the northern hemisphere of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of these two active regions remain quiet for today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 14 April, due to AR 14055 flare potential.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 10,2025<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to demonstrate low activity. AR 14055 had been the main source of solar flares for the last couple of days. So far today, it has produced three low-level C-class flares (the strongest was C3.2 at 6:28 UT). Departing AR 14045 produced a C3.7 at 16:51 UT (prior to this morning’s session) and AR 14060 produced two flares: a C2.3 at 4:50 UT today, and a C5.3 (today’s largest so far, through 23:00 UT) at 7:52 UT. AR 14055 is growing overall, the rest of the regions are small and simple.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four AR’s approach the western solar limb, carried along by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Only AR 14055 (top center) has produced any significant activity in the last 48 hours.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>New regions rotating into view. AR 14060 is a bit active.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two of several filaments (the long, dark gray entities bottom center and below\/left of center) are visible alongside the spotted regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at low levels, with a chance for M-class flares from 10 to 12 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 9,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity briefly touched moderate levels late yesterday with an M1.5\/1B flare from AR 14048, prior to our late afternoon session. This region is decaying some as it prepares to rotate out of view. AR 14054 follows it along and has displayed some slight growth. AR 14058 continues to grow. Today’s activity included only C-class flares, the largest of which was a C9.0\/1N flare from AR 1405 at 17:30 UT today. It was the source of most of the flares, with 14048 being the source of two earlier C-flares.<\/p>\n

The X-ray flux has been showing a steady upward climb, rising then leveling, rising then leveling, since 21:00 UT. It has started rising again at 22:49 UT and as of this writing, appears to be leveling off again at C3.0 levels (23:00 UT). No obvious source of this is noted on the GONG H-alpha images.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>From top to bottom: AR 14058, 14055, 14054, and 14048. AR 14046 is barely visible center right on edge of Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone and five active regions are visible in this line-center image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A fairly large new active region is rotating into view, (top, near edge of sun). AR 15056 is the single spot just below and right of center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone and three active regions (and at least three filaments) are visible in this line-center image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at low levels, with a chance for M-class flares from 9 to 11 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels with none of the “likely” M-class events materializing. The quiet persists through today (up to 22:00 UT), with only occasional, low-level C-class events occurring. AR 14057 produced a C3.0 flare (the largest of today, so far) earlier today at 6:03 UT. This generated a coronal mass ejection. There are eight visible spotted groups on the solar disk, seven of which are numbered.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun is the most spotted, but these regions have been largely quiet today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Some of these regions have begun to rotate out of view with others following.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This zone of the solar disk features only four small spotted regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A dark filament (upper left corner) is added to the scene in the light of H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance for X-class flares through 10 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 7,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels, with only low-level C-class activity observed. The last day with M-class flares was 1 April, when there were two such events: M5.5 at 6:46 UT, and M2.4 at 22:31 UT. Since then, and through the time of this writing, there had only been low-level C-lcass flares. AR’s 14048 and 14054\u00a0 are the most complex active regions on the visible solar disk and they are growing and evolving over time. The trailing end of 14048 appears to be an entirely new AR emerging, but it has not yet been designated as such. AR 14048 produced all five of the C-class solar flares observed today. The largest of these was a C5.3 at 15:36 UT (just before opening). No events were noted during our observing session today. The remaining solar active regions were either stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Another batch of active regions starts to approach the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14048 is where all the activity has taken place today, so far (as of 20:55 UT).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is much quieter. The rest of the sun (except the zone on the Sun shown in the top row) does not show spots.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun also shows a conspicuous lack of detail in H-alpha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares continue to be likely, with a slight chance for X-class flares through 9 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

March 31,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels yesterday due to the high number of M-class flares. Between 21:00 UT on 29 March and 10:30 UT on 31 March, there were 9 M-class flares. The largest of these was an M1.6 flare at 16:42UT on 30 March. This region was the source of an X1.1 flare that occurred at 15:19 UT on 28 March (when we usually observe, but it was cloudy), the first such flare in over a month. The last X-class flare was an X2 from AR 14001 at 19:27 UT on 23 February. There have been a total of five X-class solar flares in 2025 so far. The largest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 was an X9 on 3 January 2024.<\/p>\n

The CME from the most recent X-flare event narrowly missed Earth. Had it impacted, it would have produced a major storm, comparable to those experienced 11 May 2024 and 11 October 2024. In the meantime, AR 14048 is growing, as is AR 14043, but the latter remained relatively quiet. AR 14044, 14046, and 14047 all showed growth. So fare AR 14048 produced the vast majority of the frequent C-class flares today, along with a single M1.2 at 10:24 UT. AR 14046 contributed a handful of events today. Apart from these two, the rest of the active regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14043 appears top center in this image. Above and left, on the edge of the frame, is the leader spot of 14044. Directly below 14043 is part of 14047.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This entire zone of the Sun has been quiet all day today and likely for the last several days. The opposite end of the solar disk is showing much more activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14048 is the largest group left of image center. AR 14046 is near the top, 14045 is the small spot just right of image center, and 14049 is located at bottom center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions, especially 14048 and 14046, produced all of today’s activity. There appears to be a weak C-class flare in progress next to 14049<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a 60% chance overall. There is a slight chance, 15%, for X-class flares through 2 April primarily due to the activity of AR 14048.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 25,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels, with only C-class flares occurring. There was almost an M-class flare this morning: a C9.5 peaking at 12:29 UT from an undisclosed region (GONG imagery seems to indicate AR 14028 as the possible source). This was the largest flare since the M1 we observed on 21 March. After this, the largest flare was a C5.2 from AR 14035 at 7:37 UT on 24 March. This region has been decaying. AR 14036, however, has been growing and was the source of most of the flares yesterday and (at least early) today. The region appeared notably larger and more complex during this morning’s visual sunspot count observations, and there are indications the magnetic complexity is increasing as well. However, this region is about to rotate over the western limb so it will be out of our view in three days.<\/p>\n

There are a total of seven spotted regions (6 numbered, one un-numbered) and six numbered spotless regions on the visible disk of the Sun. Aside from ARs 14036, 14030 (on the west limb) and a new spot grouping on the east northeast limb, the whole of the solar disk is almost completely spotless.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14036 and 14030 prepare to be carried out of view. AR 14033 (top) is spotless and 14035 (top left) is in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun in H-alpha appears to be rather quiet. AR 14036 has been producing C-class flares regularly, though.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new spotted active region rotates into view (upper left) and seems to have grown just a little since yesterday. The arrow points to what’s left o AR 14039, which is in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun seems to be rather quiet also, but the bright plage around the new AR near the Sun’s edge may indicate some increased activity to come.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a 30% chance for an isolated M-class flare and a 5% chance for an X-class flare (would most likely come from departing region 14036) through 27 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 24,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low level. AR 14028 produced a C4.5 flare at 14:22 UT, yesterday, 23 March as it slowly decays. AR 14035, despite its very weak appearance, produced a C5.2 flare today at 7:37 UT.\u00a0 AR 14026 produced a C2.3\/SF at 13:36 UT today. Otherwise these, and all the spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, remained quiet. A C1.8 flare occurred at 20:49 UT (the biggest since the C2.3 event earlier), and may have come from 14:36, but no event reports after 14:00 have been posted.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first image is a red continuum image, 0.25 second exposure. The second is an H-alpha images, 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The two largest spot groups on the visible disk are about to be carried over the edge by rotation.\u00a0 The rest of the regions contain very tiny spots and are otherwise quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite its growth and flare potential, AR 14036 (right, above center) has been mainly quiet today. AR 14030 is the single spot near bottom center of image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected to continue, along with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 26 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 22,2025<\/h2>\n

After Friday’s M1.2\/1N flare from AR 14028 at 15:34UT, 21 March, solar activity returned to low levels. The flare produced a fast, faint partial halo CME which is expected to impact the Earth’s magnetic field early on 23 March. AR 14033 returned as a group of tiny spots; AR 14036 is growing rapidly, gaining additional spots and magnetic complexity. New spots in the eastern half of the solar disk were small and quiet. AR 14035 is in a state of decay.<\/p>\n

AR 14035 produced a C5.0\/SF at 17:17 UT today, and AR 14036 produced a trio of subflares from 14:01 to 14:49 UT; all else was quiet all day.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The cluster of active regions on the western side of the Sun seem to be in decay, except for AR 14036 (top center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image centers on AR 14036, with 14033 appearing just above it, about halfway to the top of the frame.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14035 (lower left) seems to be in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Some activity is apparent in 14035 as seen in the bright spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected to continue, along with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 24 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 21,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels today. AR 14028 produced an M1.2 flare at 15:58 UT today, the largest of the period and the largest since the M1.0 earlier this week. Prior to that AR 14025 produced a C4.4 flare at 17:10 UT on 20 March. We observed a significant part of each event at the Solar Observatory. AR 14031 is developing additional spots in its trailing half. Several new (and tiny) spot groups were noted on the Sun: two emerged near the central meridian north of the solar equator and are growing rapidly, and two rotated into view along the eastern limb. The remaining numbered active regions remain quiet and small.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted near the eastern limb at 18:13 UT yesterday (after our observing session ended) but no CME was observed from this event. A fairly large prominence was seen on the eastern limb, which appeared to be lifting off (one footpoint remains on the surface, the other end is aloft). As of this writing, (21:00 UT) it appears to be thinning and disappearing. This prominence and the M1.2 flare one minute after its X-ray peak, are shown immediately below. Each is a 0.25 second exposure in H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The M1.2\/1N flare (white fingers of light) as seen one minute after its X-ray peak. The optical peak was at 15:56 UT and consisted of a parallel ribbon configuration. This image, with celestial north up, west right, covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A large arching prominence over the east limb of the Sun. East is up, north right in this 12.2’x13.8′ image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many of the active regions that had been visible on the Sun are preparing to be carried over the limb and out of direct Earth view by solar rotation. Several more follow behind them.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha view shows the M1.2 flare in its developing stages (9 minutes before optical peak, 11 minutes before X-ray peak). The remaining active regions are quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>In contrast to the western half of the Sun, the eastern half is very quiet, almost blank. AR 14035 is the pair of spots in the upper right, and 14034 is just visible in the lower right. A small, tight pair of spots (top, near sun’s edge) has rotated into view, along with a tiny, single spot (left center near sun’s edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>It appears as if the Sun is wiping itself clean again. As the more active spot regions depart over the western limb, the eastern half of the Sun only shows a few small spotted regions and filaments. A surge observed near the arching prominence may indicate a more interesting region about to rotate into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected to continue, along with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 23 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 20,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels after yesterday’s M1.5 flare. Today, there has only been three C-flares so far: a C5.6 from AR 14031, a C2.5 from AR 14022, and a C4.4 from AR 14025. We observed this flare from four minutes after its peak until the end of the X-ray event. ARs 14028, 14034, and 14035 have grown slightly while ARs 14020, 14022, 14025, and 14031 all appear to be decaying. Currently there are 11 numbered active regions and 2 un-numbered active regions on the visible disk today, but everything has remained mainly quiet (through 19:39 UT, 20 March).<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many small active regions continue to pepper the western half of the Sun. Although ARs 14020 and 14023 are reported to each have one spot, no spots were seen visually or in these images today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The C4 flare appears as brighter patches right of AR 14022 (NOAA-SWPC attributes the event to 14025). AR 14026 (bottom) had spots re-emerge from a spotless plage area since yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern half of the Sun is beginning to look rather bland, with only a few sunspot groups visible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun continues to be quiet, with little activity observed from any of these active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected to occur, along with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 22 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 19,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels with an M1.5 flare from AR 14031 at 20:40 UT today. Prior to this, only minor C-class flares happened yesterday and today, rendering the activity level low. There are 11 spotted active regions on the visible disk today (down from 13 yesterday) and several of these have grown slightly. AR 14025 is growing overall but had not produced any flares so far today. In addition to the M1.5 flare, AR’s 14028, 14030, and 14031 have each produced one C2 event so far today (through 21:05 UT). All the other regions are unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.50 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This batch of sunspot groups is approaching the west limb. AR’s 14020 and 14023 became spotless, based on this afternoon’s visual sunspot counts.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14021 (below image center) produced an optical subflare today at 17:37 UT. AR 14031 was the source of a C2.0 at 10:25 UT and a M1.5 at 20:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions are being carried across the Sun by its rotation. The pair of spots below the time stamp have not been numbered yet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun appears quiet in H-alpha. AR 14028 and 14030 (bottom) were the sources of a C2.8\/SF at 16:39 UT and a C2.9 at 11:41 UT, respectively.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

More C-class flares are expected to occur, along with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 21 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 18,2025<\/h2>\n

After briefly reaching moderate levels with the C9.8\/M1.0 double flare from AR 14033, solar activity has returned to low levels. Frequent C-class flaring occurred before and since this event, but mostly ended with a C3.0 from AR 14028 at 4:26 UT this morning. Since then, nothing significant has occurred or been reported, through 23:00 UT (the flat X-ray plot was punctuated by a C2.1 at 21:12 UT today but no information is yet available about the source). The double-flare produced two Coronal Mass Ejections which may weakly impact the Earth’s magnetic field on 19 March. There are a total of 13 spotted active regions visible on the solar disk, but all of them are rather unremarkable. However, AR’s 14025, 14028, and 14031 each have what is called a beta-gamma magnetic type, meaning conditions are somewhat favorable for each of these to produce C- and M-class flares.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.50 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposures. The H-alpha images were made through a thin veil of cirrus, reducing the H-alpha contrast. The cirrus lingered for much of the morning, then cumulus clouds appeared by mid-day. The winds kicked up and atmospheric seeing was expected to deteriorate after 17:00 UT. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Lots of spotted active regions occupy this part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of these regions have been quiet today and yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14028 produced the only flare so far today (up to 23:00 UT), a C3 at 4:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region of the Sun as viewed through thin cirrus. Overall, things are quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The three active regions with the “beta-gamma” magnetic configurations mentioned above combine to provide a chance for isolated M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through 20 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Although solar activity had been reported to be at low levels (prior to this afternoon’s M1.0 flare), this morning’s NOAA-SWPC discussion contains a lot of action. AR 14028 is growing and is one of the largest of the 13 visible spotted active regions on the Sun. It produced a C6.5\/SF at 22:32 UT, 16 March, and a C7.8\/1F flare at 5:42UT today. It produced a C2.7\/SF at 14:30 UT today, then has been mostly quiet. ARs 14025 and 14031 continue to grow but were mostly quiet. ARs 14021 and 14034 also showed some slight growth but were otherwise quiet. Everything else was quiet and stable. A double peaked C-class event (C6.6 at 16:04 UT, and a C5.3 at 16:18 UT) was observed during today’s session. Later in the day, AR 14033 produced a C9 flare at 19:19 UT, which was immediately followed by a long-duration M1.0 event from the same active region, which peaked at 19:33 UT. These events were not observed at PVSO.<\/p>\n

There was a disappearing solar filament yesterday which produced a CME, heading north away from the solar disk. A pair of eruptions occurred yesterday from AR 14032. These produced a pair of CMEs, which could offer a glancing blow late on 19 March but details are still pending. At around 10:32 UT today, an approximately 5 degree long filament erupted from the northwest quadrant of the solar disk. It is not yet clear whether this produced a CME. AR 14032 decayed to spotless plage yesterday.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 1.00 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The batch of regions on the east side of the Sun last week has now rotated to the west side of the Sun this week.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions but viewed in H-alpha. The light colored features around AR 14019 (lower right) is the precursor glow of a double-peaked C-class event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Some more spotted active regions are on the east side of the sun (white splotches are processing artifacts). Most lie along a row in the southern hemisphere.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from some C-class flaring, this part of the Sun has been mainly quiet today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 19 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 12,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is slowly increasing with more frequent C-class flares, which include two near-M-class events. No region is (yet) attributed to the C-class flares reported today, although most of these have come from AR’s 14024, 14027, and an unnumbered region that is just starting to rotate into view on the ESE limb. AR 14012 is quiet and continues to slowly decay as it starts to rotate out of view; AR 14024 is also decaying as it rotates out of view. ARs 14019 and 14020 are slowly growing, as are AR’s 14025, 14026, and 14027, each of which emerged on the disk in the last day or two.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below is a 0.5 second exposure and spans 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated). Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x13.8′ image shows AR 14012 (just right of center with a few spots) and 14024 (whitish spotless area upper right corner) as they begin to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are shown in this H-alpha image, with the addition of AR 14018 (upper left). This AR has only a few additional tiny trailing spots (just out of the image frame).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Six active regions (labeled) are shown. Another region just rotating into view is just off the bottom edge of the image, on the edge of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as depicted at left, but shown in H-alpha. Off the bottom left, below 14021 is AR 14026; AR 14018 is below and right of 14019 (lower right corner).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is an increasing chance for M-class flares through 14 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 11,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low with only low-level C-class flare activity occurring. There was a bit of an uptick in activity today as newly emerged AR 14024 (due north of 14012) began to flare. It produced an M1.1 at 13:04 UT today, then a C5.8 at 18:30 UT. There was a C7.2 event at 19:16 UT today and a C9.6 at 21:22 UT today but no information is yet available as to the source(s) of these events. AR 14012 continues to decay as it approaches the western limb and it remained quiet yesterday and all day today. AR 14019 is growing and may have increased potential for M-class flare activity in the coming days. There are a total of 8 spotted regions visible on the Sun today: two small ones are about to rotate out of view, and the remaining occupy the northeast quarter of the solar disk.<\/p>\n

Each of the top row of images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; each of the bottom row images cover 13.8’x18.0′. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14012 is the few spots nearing the edge of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is adjusted to include AR 14024 (about halfway from image center to top edge).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five of the six regions in this part of the Sun are shown; the location of the sixth is indicated: directly above the arrow and near the edge.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from a sub-flare from AR 14021, this part of the Sun has been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares through 13 March as AR 14019 grows in size and complexity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 10,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels. Only minimal C-class activity occurred yesterday and today. A lone M1.6 flare occurred on 7 March at 21:00 UT, but everything has been quiet since. The largest event since yesterday’s C2.5 at 18:54 (from an unnumbered region that is just rotating into view) was a long-duration C2.0 flare that appears to have come from AR 14020 (based on GONG imagery). This event peaked at 20:32 UT today. AR 14012 continues to decay and produced a few minor C-class flares yesterday, nothing today. AR 14019 is beginning to grow but was quiet all day today. It did produce a C1.7 flare yesterday at17:21UT. AR 14018 is also showing signs of growth, but has been quiet. All the other numbered regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below span 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14012 is the only spotted region visible in this part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>There are signs of a new AR emerging directly above 14012 (just above image center). All remains quiet, though.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The other side of the Sun features a scattering of small active regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14019 (above center) is slowly growing and may begin to flare soon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares through 12 March as AR 14019 grows in size and complexity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 6,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low today with only occasional low-level C-class flaring. AR’s 14007 and 14012 have decayed some, AR 14016 has grown earlier but is now mostly stable, and the rest of the spotted active regions are either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the top row of images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; each of the bottom row images cover 13.8’x18.0′. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Only two spotted regions are visible as the others in this part of the sun have either dissipated or rotated out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14007 is the pair of spots in the lower part of the image, close to the edge of the Sun. AR 14009 is the single spot directly above 14007, near the top.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are in various stages of visibility. Each of these are stable or slowly decaying.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14016 is the only region so far to have reported being a source for a C1 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares from 6 to 8 March due to ARs 14012 and 14016.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 5,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity bumped up to moderate levels with an impulsive M1.7 flare at 11:50 UT today (5 March). This was the first M-class flare from any region in over one week. Since the event, the Sun returned to low activity levels with only a C1 flare from AR 14007 at 17:38 UT. AR 14016 produced a C1 flare at 0:44 UT today, and AR’s 14009 and 14012 each produced a C1, at 2:54 UT and 8:26 UT, respectively. ARs 14012 and 14016 continue to grow. The remaining spotted active regions appear to be in decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14007 continues to rotate toward the solar limb. Aside from a single C1 event, it has been quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14007 (bottom right, 2 spots), along with AR 14009 (single spot above and right of image center), AR 14014 (tiny spot above 14009), and 14006 (bright material right of 14009) are shown in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14012 is the large complex right of image center. The remains of 14011 consist of the small spots below and right of the leading spots of 14012. AR 14016 appears below left of 14012. A new spot at rotated into view, left center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The small AR 14016 was the source of today’s largest flare event, an M1.7, and the first M-class flare in over one week. AR 14012 remained comparatively quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a 40% chance for M-class flares and a 5% chance for X-class flares from 5 to 7 March as AR 14012 has grown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 4,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low and has been so since last week. The largest flare (yesterday or today) was a C4.6 event at 15:45 UT from AR 14012. This region, along with AR 14006, has been responsible for all of the flares, all low-level C-class. AR 14006 is in decay as it rotates out of view, but AR 14012 is growing in size and spot number. AR 14007 also showed some growth but remained quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Large AR 14007 is the large pair of spots bottom center. Just right of center, the single spot is 14006. Just above and left of center is a vertical string of spots: 14009 and 14014.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite its larger size, AR 14007 was virtually quiet all day today. The small AR 14006 was the center of activity early today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14012 is the largest region visible in this image. It is flanked by AR 14001 (single spot lower right) and AR 14016 (small spot group lower left of 14012).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14012 was the source of many of the flares that occurred today. So far (through 22:00 UT today) it produced 7 C-class flares (compared to 4 from AR 14006).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class events through 6 March. If AR 14007 and\/or 14012 continue to grow in size and complexity, the M-class events could become more likely, and a slight chance of X-class events could be possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 28,2025<\/h2>\n

With clear skies once again, follow up observations of a quiet Sun were made in the late morning hours. Solar activity continues to be at low levels with only C-class activity (C5 and less since 0:00 UT, 28 February through at least 23:11 UT) occurring fairly regularly. AR’s 14009 and 14010 emerged onto the solar disk (see labeled image below), and they weren’t visible (through the thin clouds) yesterday. All of the regions were stable or in decay. AR’s 13998, 14006, and 14007 were the sources of the flares.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ of sky. The first two are identical red continuum images, the second of which is labeled. The third (right most) image is H-alpha line center. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>All of the currently-visible active regions are captured in this single image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same image as displayed immediately left, but labeled.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In H-alpha, this part of the Sun still looks fairly quiet. AR 14007 and 14006 produced C-class flare activity today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class events continue to be forecasted to be likely today (28 Feb.) and tomorrow (29 Feb.), with a chance of X-class flares during this period. There is a chance for M-class flares on 2 March, with X-class flaring unlikely by then.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 27,2025<\/h2>\n

Weather was cloudy today but the clouds thinned enough to allow the Sun to shine through fairly strongly. This was enough for a complete set of continuum images, although they were made through cirrostratus clouds of varying thickness. H-alpha imaging was attempted, unsuccessfully, due to even the presence of thin clouds greatly reducing the contrast.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remained at low levels. AR 14007 produced a C5.7 flare at 12:42 UT on 26 February. AR 13998 produced a C5.7 event at 6:34 UT on 27 February. This region decayed some as it exited the solar disk, being carried away by the Sun’s rotation. Shortly after this flare, AR 13998 produced a C7.5 event at 12:36 UT, then was quiet for the rest of the day. AR 13996, also rotating out of view, produced a near-M-class event: a C9.3 flare at 23:24 UT, the largest in over two days.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted in the southwest part of the solar disk on 26 February and produced a CME that became visible to SOHO by 14:48 UT. This CME is expected to miss the Earth, passing by ahead of the Earth in it’s orbit.<\/p>\n

Each of the below red continuum images is a 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ of sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14002, top center, appears as a scattering of tiny spots. AR 14000’s leader spot is just visible close to the edge just above and right of image center. AR 13998 is easily seen bottom just right of center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several AR’s appear in this image: AR 14006 is the largest in the image, above and right of center. AR 14008 is the single spot in the upper left corner. AR 14007 is at bottom center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flare events continue to be likely, with a chance for X-class events, from 27 February t0 1 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 26,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels. The last M-class flare (to date, as of 20:45 UT) was the long-duration M3.6\/1F flare at 11:59 UT yesterday from AR 13998. Since then, only occasional low-level C-class flares have occurred. AR 14007 produced a pair of C-class flares: a C3.6 at 3:45 UT today, and a C5.7 at 12:42 UT today. After these, AR 13998 produced a pair of C-class flares: a C2.9 at 14:29 UT today and a C4.4 at 18:50 UT today. The remaining regions were quiet today and most of yesterday.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14000 (top) and 13998 (bottom, with 13993 on the edge below it) prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun has become mostly quiet in the last 1.5 days or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14006 (right) was completely quiet despite its increasingly complex magnetic bundles. AR 14008 is the single spot toward the left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 14006 and 14008 appear at the top and top left; the pair of spots below and left of center are AR 14007 (source of 2 C-class flares) and 14004 below it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely with a chance for X-class flares from 26 to 28 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 25,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels. ARs 14000 and 14001 produced M-class flares yesterday, and AR 13998 only produced C-class flares yesterday. Today, it was the source of an M1.3 flare at 2:47 UT and an M3.6\/1F flare at 11:59 UT. The Sun has been mainly quiet since, punctuated by a C4.2 from 13998 at 17:58 UT; and a C4.1 at 18:10 UT from AR 14000 (just as the clouds began to break up at the PV observatory. Except for the two C-class events, the X-ray curve has been quite flat (gently sloping down) since 112:45 UT, through at least 21:10 UT.<\/p>\n

The long duration M3.9 flare from yesterday actually came from a region off the southwest limb at solar latitude S14. The flare peaked at 23:02 UT, and a CME emerged from this location a few hours later. The cloud of charged particles is expected to pass ahead of Earth in its orbit, missing it totally.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13998 (bottom center) was the main source of activity today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions (AR 14000, top; 13998, bottom; 13996, below and right of 13998) have been mostly quiet since this morning’s M-flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 14006 (top right) continues to grow but remains quiet. The pair of spots bottom center is 14007 (top spot) and 14004 (bottom spot).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from bright plage and a few miscellaneous filaments, this part of the Sun has been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely with a chance for X-class flares from 25 to 27 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 24,2025<\/h2>\n

Since 20 February, solar activity increased to high levels. From 21 February to this writing (23:15 UT, 24 February), nine M-class flares and one X-class flare occurred. The X class flare was an X2.0 from just over the Sun’s western limb from departing AR 14001. It also produced an M1.3 flare today (24 February) at 1:46 UT. This region since became quiet as it rotated out of view, but may be responsible for the current longer-duration M-class flare (peaking at M3.9 at 23:06 and has slowly started to decrease). The GONG H-alpha images have not shown any signs of flare activity during this event. AR 14000 produced an M1.3 flare at 7:02 UT, and an M1.5 at 21:01 UT today. AR 13398 was the source of four C-class events, the largest of which was a C8.7 at 13:20 UT today.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The western side of the Sun with 5 of 6 active regions on display (13996 is just below the bottom center edge of the image).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Most of today’s activity has come from this part of the Sun, especially 13998 (below, left) and 14000 (top center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The eastern side of the Sun with 4 active regions visible. The largest of these is 14006, which has remained mostly quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The eastern zone of the Sun in H-alpha shows the same regions as depicted left, but with the addition of a few faint filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely with a chance for X-class flares from 24 to 26 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 20,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at low levels, with no M-class flares since the M1.0 event at 15:15 UT on 17 February. Since then, only C-class activity was observed. The largest event since then (up to the time of this writing, 21:20 UT) was a C8.1 at 23:45 UT on 19 February, which came from near plage associated with spotless region 13991. This produced a Coronal Mass Ejection off the SW part of the solar disk. AR 13996 is the largest and most complex active region on the visible disk, but only produced some C-class flares. AR 13998 is showing some magnetic flux emergence but has been quiet, producing only a C1.3 flare at 14:08 UT on 19 February. AR 13996 had been responsible for most of the flares observed today. It produced 4 low-level C-class flares (3- c1 and 1 C4) between 0:00 and 23:15 UT today.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A scattering of small spotted active regions are visible in the western half of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13996 (lower left) has been the most active of these regions today. AR 13990 (lower right) produced one C-class flare today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>With the focus of this image on disk center, several more active regions are visible, including the 13996\/13998 pair (below center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13996 is the largest region on the visible solar disk, at 330 MSH. It was the source of most of the C-flares today as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 22 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 17,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels, except for an M1.0 flare from AR 13992 at 15:13 UT which briefly bumped it up to moderate. AR 13990 is in decay with most of its western spots dissipating. AR 13992, as it departs over the western limb, produced a C5.9 flare at 4:46 UT today and grew a bit in the process. AR 13996 has shown some magnetic shear activity but was quiet overall. AR 13998 has shown rapid emergence of magnetic flux and produced a C6.1 flare at 18:38 UT on 16 February. AR 13999 is also growing rapidly but stayed mainly quiet. Prior to today’s M1.o flare, the last M flare was around 21:00 UT on 14 February, with three preceding this on the 14th and 13th of February.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A widely scattered group of sunspot groups rotates toward the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Of these regions, AR 13992 was most active, with 3 C-class and 1 M-class event so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More small active regions grace the eastern half of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Of these regions, AR 13998 was most active, with 6 C-class events so far today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 19 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 13,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has returned to low levels and has been mostly at low levels since the AR complex rotated over the solar limb a few days ago. Only occasional M-class flares have occurred since 8 February, about one every day or two. The most recent was an M1.0 from newly-emerged AR 13992 (just east of AR 13987). This event occurred at 11:09 UTC today. Since then, only minor C-class flares have happened from this rapidly growing active region as well as AR 13990. Another medium-sized spot is rotating into view over the Sun’s east northeast limb, bringing the total of spotted active regions to 9 (this includes a pair of spots that just emerged at S19 E 11). A long duration C9.0 flare peaked at 22:43 UT today and, based on GONG imagery, appears to have come from the eruption of part of a filament.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures. The second column contain H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13992 is a newly emerged region that has shown some activity.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from 13992, these regions have been mainly quiet today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13990 is the largest spotted region on the Sun today. It was mainly quiet with a few C-class flares.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Late in the day, the curved bright region shown left of 13990 (the largest spot with companion below image center) erupted in a flare event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with a chance for M-class flares through 15 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 8,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels briefly early today when AR 13981 produced an M2.0 flare today at 9:27 UTC. This was the largest event since the M7.6 nearly exactly 24 hours earlier. Since then, and for the rest of the day, no further M-class flares occurred. AR 13981 also produced five documented C-class flares today, through 21:30 UT. AR 13894 has started to produce flares, with six documented during this period. The largest of these was a C8.0 at 12:54 UT. AR 13981 has shown signs of decay, while AR 13978 has grown some. The dark filament south of the AR complex appeared to be active during the observation period but has not shown any indication of launching or disappearing through 22:00 UT.<\/p>\n

The active region complex is approaching the western limb of the Sun. Solar activity remained at low levels since the M2 flare. A new large spot is starting to rotate into view on the ENE limb. This, and most of the visible active regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

Each image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The first column and the top image of the second column are red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposure. The remaining images are each H-alpha, each 0.5 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The active region complex continues to approach the west limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same image as the one immediately left, but with the regions labelled.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Nearly all of today’s solar events occurred from the active region complex.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The opposite limb of the Sun looks quiet, with only small, simple spots showing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun in H-alpha looks rather unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The southern third of the Sun’s disk displays several filaments (arrowed).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at moderate levels, with a chance for isolated X-class flares from now through 10 February. This is due to the active region complex nearing the NW limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 7,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high today because of an M7.5 that happened overnight (in Southeast Texas), 9:21 UT today from AR 13981. This region produced an additional pair of M-flares prior to this larger M-class event: an M1.6 at 6:30 UT today, followed by an M3.2 51 minutes later, at 7:21 UT. AR 13978 also produced an M2.3\/1N event yesterday, 6 February at 23:27 UT.<\/p>\n

There was a near-M flare at 12:14 UT today from the same region, AR 13981, a C9.1 event. Since then, through the time of this writing, there had only been occasional low-level C-class events, mainly from 13981. This region experienced some decay in the trailing end, and some new spot emergence in the leading end. All of the other spotted regions were either stable or in decay. There are currently a total of 9 spotted active regions on the visible disk.<\/p>\n

The weather was clear enough this morning only for a brief interval, allowing only red continuum images to be obtained. Contrary to the forecast from most sources for today, sunny skies did not return (overcast conditions did, just after these images were taken) and skies remained cloudy the rest of the day. Each of the below is a 0.25 second exposure and covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>West disk frame of the routine 9-image mosaic sequence featuring AR 13981, which dominates starting with the large spot just right of image center and extending leftward. AR 13976 is the single spot close to the limb. Above that is 13977, to the left and below is 13978. AR 13985 is the pair of spots near the top, left of center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>East disk frame of the routine 9-image mosaic sequence features AR 13983 (upper right in image), 13986 (top, just left of center, the largest spot in this image), and 13987 (left near center). These regions have been quiet all day, with only very low level C-class activity (C2) from 13986 around 17:10 UT today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to return to moderate levels (after being at low levels after 12h UT today), with a chance for isolated X-class flares from now through 9 February. This is due to the active region complex nearing the NW limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 6,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high today due to an M7.6 flare from AR 13981 at 11:04 UT today. This event produced ejected material visible in extreme ultraviolet satellite images and a coronal maxx ejection later in the day. AR’s 13981 and 13977 produced the majority of the flaring over the last two days. There were some contributions of C-class activity from ARs 13976 and 13984.<\/p>\n

Since the M7 flare, there had only been low-level C-class events. And then AR 13976 produced a C9.3 event at 22:35 UT. This was followed by an M2.3, peaking at 23:27 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images spans 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. Except for the filament image immediately below, the first column images are red continuum images, with 0.25 second exposures. The second column (including the filament image) are H-alpha images of 0.5 second exposure each. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex, dominated by AR 13981 just above image center, has begun to approach the west limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone on the Sun has been the most active over the last several days. There is still potential for an X-class flare from here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>On the opposite end of the Sun, AR 13987 (just above and left of image center), AR 13986 (largest spot center of top edge of image), and 13983 (right of 13986) have rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from these small, simple, and stable active regions that have just rotated into view, a filament (lower right) is visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at least at moderate levels with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 8 February, due to the complex of active regions in the northwest solar quadrant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 4,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity for today remained at moderate levels as the frequency of M-class flares has decreased considerably. Since (and including) the M4 event at 18:36 UT yesterday, there had been 8 M-class flares, the largest of which was an M4.8 from AR 13981 at 11:21 UT today. The most recent event was an M1.1 at 13:45 UT today. Since then, through this writing at 0:00 UT (5 February), there has been no further M-class activity, only low-level C-class flares. AR 13981 continues to be the source of the vast majority of flare and is continuing to grow in size and magnetic complexity. AR 13978, as of today, has become AR 13978 (south part) and 13984(north part).<\/p>\n

Outside of this cluster of active regions, there are only tiny sunspot regions that are either stable or in decay, and are magnetically simple. AR 13983 is a newly visible region on the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

(Seeing was rather poor today, hence the slightly blurred images.) Each image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first is a red continuum image of 0.25 second exposure, the rest are H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The active region complex as imaged in white light. AR 13981 is the group starting with the large spot near image center and continuing left in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same region as imaged in H-alpha. This area has quieted down somewhat today, but still dominates the Sun in terms of sunspots.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two large filaments, along with several smaller ones, remain visible in the southern solar hemisphere.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 6 February, due to the complex cluster of active regions in the northern solar hemisphere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 3,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high due to a high number of M-class flares, 14 total from 10:14 UT on 2 February to 23:30 UT on 3 February. The largest of these was an M8.8, which came from AR 13981 at 3:58 UT on 3 February. It also produced an M6.1 at 13:18 UT on 3 February. This region was responsible for nearly all of these flares. It is the trailing region (and largest region) of the 5 region active region complex currently marching across the solar disk, carried along by its rotation. Taking all 5 groups together, this complex covers 860 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH).<\/p>\n

Each image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first is a red continuum image of 0.25 second exposure, the rest are H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This cluster of active regions dominates the near-side disk of the sun. AR 13981 starts with the large spot at image center and works eastward (leftward) in the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13981 (now left of center) produced nearly all of today’s solar flare. The wide gray band in the upper right of the image is an artefact from the imaging system.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These two large filaments were visible on the solar disk (the large darker patch above the large filament on the right is an imaging artefact).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 5 February, due to the complex cluster of active regions in the northern solar hemisphere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 31,2025<\/h2>\n

Solar observations resume with the Sun returning to active levels. There was an M1.0 from AR 13976 at 6:10 UT on 31 January. This region is part of a triangular-shaped three group complex which is rotating into view from the ENE limb. Then, less than 8 hours later, at 14:06 UT, the region produced an M6.7\/1N event, which is also imaged below by Solar Dynamics Observatory. The extreme ultraviolet image is an animated gif that will show several images highlighting the flare’s activity. All three regions of this complex (AR 13976, 13977, and 13978) have shown minor growth recently, and this flare event was the largest in at least one week (likely longer).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A solar filament, about 18 degrees in length on the Sun, centered near Solar Coordinates S35 E30 disappeared between 13:00 and 15:00\u00a0 UT on 30 January. This produced a coronal mass ejection off the SE limb, which is expected to deal a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field on 2 February.<\/p>\n

The power cord for the H-alpha filter was unavailable so only continuum images were taken during one short session today. The below is two copies of the same field of view, which includes all but one of the active regions currently visible on the solar disk. The image was taken at the time indicated and is shown in both labeled and un-labeled format. The image, a 0.25 second exposure, covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate levels between now and the end of the day, 2 February, primarily due to the flare potentials from the active region complex in the northeast quadrant of the Sun.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2025 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved. Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8008","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6973,"date":"2024-01-19T15:06:05","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T21:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=6973"},"modified":"2025-02-19T16:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T22:58:13","slug":"solar-observations-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2024 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be limited or non-existent. Whenever the Sun becomes active again, the observing program will become active as well, weather permitting. The Sun is expected to reach the maximum activity level of the current Cycle 25 solar cycle. So we anticipate more events in terms of active region size and number, and solar flares.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website,\u00a0https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is\u00a0www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from\u00a0https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at\u00a0http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is summarized in each day’s entry below, based on the forecast discussion product issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center each morning, along with observed activity (or lack of) the day of the featured observations. Regions are numbered by the NOAA\/SWPC and are often provided in four-digit format (e.g. 3327), although I and other sources use the full five-digit designation (13327). Solar flares are described in terms of their X-ray intensity and optical “importance” (apparent brightness and area covered). One can learn more about the X-ray class of solar flares often discussed below by going to this website: https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/glossary\/flareclasses.html<\/a>.\u00a0Finally the SWPC 3-day forecast for solar activity is provided at the end of each entry.<\/p>\n

More information about solar flares can be found at these websites: https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/phenomena<\/a>; https:\/\/www.space.com\/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation<\/a>; and https:\/\/www.spaceweatherlive.com\/en\/solar-activity\/solar-flares.html<\/a>. I have also found the following website to be very useful: spaceweatherlive.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and a 16-bit, 3326×2504 pixel SBIG STF-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long for the red off-band continuum images and 0.5 second for the on-band H-alpha images. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

NOTE: Images of the April 8 solar eclipse are posted at https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/partial-solar-eclipse\/<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Observations have been conducted since then at the PVSO, primarily with H-alpha. There was a period of time when magnetospheric data were collected but the work had primarily been regional H-alpha images of active regions and filaments. Regular observations continued through the mid-2000’s, then became more sporadic through 2015. After a five-year pause, regular observations resumed (in their current format) on 8 January 2020.<\/p>\n

\n

November 15,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels due to an M1.1 at 1:46 UTC on 15 November from AR 13893. There was an M1.0 from the same region at 12:15 UTC on 15 November. Since these two events, the Sun had not produced another M-class or higher events for the rest of the day, only low level C-class flares occurred, mostly from AR 3889. The rest of the spots were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

A CME was observed associated with a filament that erupted off the east southeast limb of the Sun. This became visible in the SOHO C2 instrument at 20:24 UT on 14 October. A second CME was seen associated with a filament eruption in the southeastern part of the Sun’s disk Both CME’s are being analyzed for an Earth directed component.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These two regions are starting to rotate toward the west limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The filaments remain near these two active regions. This part of the Sun remains quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is almost spot-free, aside from two small spot groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13893 (bottom) was the source of two M1 flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a chance for an X-class flare, through 18 November.<\/p>\n

This will be the last solar blog entry for the rest of the calendar year as we plan to ship the H-alpha filter to the manufacturer to get it refurbished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 14,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity dropped back to low levels. In spite of its magnetic complexity, AR 13889 has not produced any further M-class or greater flares (through 22:55 UT on 14 November) since the M1.7 we observed yesterday.\u00a0 reached moderate levels due to an M1.7 flare at 13\/1708. This region has grown slightly but has been quiet otherwise. AR 13894 emerged on the east northeast part of the sun’s disk since yesterday. All the other spot groups were stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The M1.7 flare produced a narrow coronal mass ejection that was observed by the SOHO satellite, starting at 17:12 UTC on the 13th (while the flare was still in progress). There is a weak impact on the Earth’s magnetic field possible on 17 November.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13886 is barely visible on the edge of the Sun in the upper right part of the image. AR 13889 is just left of image center,\u00a0 followed by 13891 below and left of it. ARs 13891 and 13892 have decayed away.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions have been quiet all day. Several filaments continue to be visible near the active regions and between the 13889 and 13886 groups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Behind the larger regions are only two tiny spot groups that have emerged and rotated into view. The top is newly emerged AR 13894 and the bottom is AR 13893.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image shows the two active regions depicted at left, but in H-alpha. AR 13893 is at the bottom edge of the image, and 13894 can just be seen near the top, just left of image center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a chance for an X-class flare, through 16 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 13,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at low levels, then returned to moderate levels today midday. The first M-class flare happened after the all-day observation session yesterday: an M1.0\/1F from AR 13889 at 0:22 UT on 13 November. Then there was a C8.2 flare at 14:01 UTC yesterday related to a filament eruption on the WNW limb of the Sun. Some decay was noted in AR’s 13883 and 13889, and the rest of the 8 (total) spotted regions were stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

An M1.7 was observed from AR 13889 (it appeared to be from a location between 13889 and 13891), peaking at 17:08 UT. The image below shows the event one minute after the X-ray peak.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the continuum images cover 13.8’x18.0′, while the H-alpha images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Only AR 13886 is visible as a pair of tiny spots nearing the edge of the Sun (above and right of image center). AR 13889 is at the lower left corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region of the Sun remains mostly quiet as more regions rotate out of view. A large filament is featured in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13889 (right half of region, near image center) and 13891 (lower left of 13889) in continuum light. AR 13891 is decaying, only seen as a pair of small spots below and right of the main spot of 13889.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 1889\/13891 with accompanying filament. So far, as of 20:10 UT, AR 13889 was the source of all the flares observed on the Sun today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a chance for an X-class flare, through 15 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 12,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity dropped back to low levels. There was a 65% chance for AR 13889 to produce an M-class flare, and a 25% chance for it to produce an X-class flare, but our observing session, which lasted all day, found neither. Instead, AR 13889 produced five C-class flares, all of which occurred before we opened at 14:45 UT. The largest event today was a long-duration C8.2, which did not come from a numbered region. The largest flare that AR 13889 produced, yesterday or today, was a C4.4 at 14:28 UT on 11 November. This quiet continued right through 23:45 UT today.<\/p>\n

AR 13890 was the source of a C1.7 flare at 21:19 UT today, and AR 13884 produced a C4.2\/SF event at 7:58 UT today. The filament eruption from November 11, 14:28 UT produced a CM that will not hit the Earth.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The formerly impressive AR complex has largely decayed away as it begins to rotate over the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13884, the right spot of the pair of spots below and left of image center, was the source of a C4 flare, otherwise this area was quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun became three active regions: AR 13892 on the left, and 13891 (the single spot) below and right of the main region AR 13889, very close to image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun continues to be the source of most activity, with AR 13889 being the largest and most magnetically complex spot group on the visible disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely, with a chance for an X-class flare, through 14 November.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

November 11,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels yesterday as AR 13889 produced an M9.4\/2B flare at 12:06 UT on 10 November. It was also the source of an M4.2\/1B at 0:15 UT yesterday and an M4.9 flare at 20:21 UTC yesterday. This region remains the largest and most magnetically complex active region on the visible disk. AR 13889 then produced a pair of M1 flares 17 minutes apart starting at 5:26 UT, 11 November. Since then there were only two C-class flares and, as of 21:55 UT, 11 November, no further M-class or greater flares. So today, solar activity drops back to moderate levels.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted in the NE quadrant of the solar disk around 0:00 UT on 11 November. This produced a narrow CME that was observed by SOHO beginning at 1:25 UT. There are several prominent filaments visible on the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The formerly impressive string of sunspot groups has decayed and only displays small spots as they rotate toward the W limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Except for one optical sub-flare from AR 13890, there has been no reports of activity from this zone of the Sun. There are some interesting-looking filaments, though.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13889 is the largest spot group on the visible disk, at 480 millionths solar hemisphere.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13889 with accompanying filaments. This region continues to flare regularly, though lately it’s been only C-class activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a continued likelihood for M-class flares, with a chance for an X-class flare, through 13 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 7,2024<\/h2>\n

Sky conditions became partly cloudy by midday to allow observations of the Sun and monitoring of several active regions that have the potential of flaring. From yesterday through today, there was a total of 14 M-class flares and the X-class flare mentioned yesterday. No further X-class flares have occurred through 23:00 UT today. AR 13883 continues to grow, while AR 13889 is in the process of rotating into view. The rest of the spotted regions are stable or in slight decay.<\/p>\n

A filament in the southeast quadrant of the Sun began to erupt beginning at 5:05 UTC on 7 November. This generated a CME that became visible at 5:53 UT launching off the southwest limb of the Sun. This CME is expected to miss Earth.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. The continuum images each cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the top H-alpha image spans 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun; the bottom, 13.8×15.4′.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The west-northwest solar disk shows five spotted regions and a spotless region. AR 13888, north of 13881, has decayed completely.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same part of the Solar Disk as imaged in H-alpha shows an extra filament or two. There had been modest activity today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The long string of active regions continues over the SE limb of the Sun. Each of the spotted regions is labeled above and range in size from the single spots of 13884 and 13890 to the spread-out cluster of spots that is 13886.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>We focused our observational efforts on AR 13883 in the upper right part of the picture. This region was given a 35% probability of producing an X-flare today. So far it has only produced M-class flares. AR 13889 is off the lower left side of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with continued M-class flaring and a chance for an X-class flare through 10 November. AR 13883,\u00a0 13886, and 13889 continue to drive the high flaring probabilities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 6,2024<\/h2>\n

Beautiful clear skies and high flare potential meant for a day long observation session. There was a 35 % probability for an X-class flare to happen from AR 13883. Unfortunately it happened too soon for today’s observing session. It peaked at X2.3 at 13:40 UT, a little over one hour from opening. Also, new AR 13887 produced an M5.8 flare at 8:50 UT today. This region grew quickly over the last day and a half but contained a simple magnetic configuration. AR 13883 had produced M-class flares yesterday and today. Some of the M-class flares came, and continue to come from beyond the SW limb of the Sun. The likely culprit of these is AR 13872. AR 13886 grew some and maintains a fair amount of magnetic complexity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The above image is a solar dynamics observatory (SDO) still image taken five minutes after the peak of this morning’s flare. All was quiet during our 7 hour observing session, but we may have captured an M1.3 flare which occurred during one of the automated imaging series. It peaked at 20:42UT from AR 13883<\/p>\n

The top two frames of the left column displays the red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the remaining frames are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. The bottom two images are off-band H-alpha line exposures at -0.6 and +0.7 Angstroms, relative to line center. Each of the images below cover 13.8’x13.8′, except for the top row images, which each cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13879 (large spot left of center) follows AR 13878 (single spot just above image center) and 13887 (grouping near the limb) toward the solar limb. AR 13881 is the group near the bottom.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These groups were mostly quiet today except for some minor flaring events from AR 13878 and 13887.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13883 (right of center), AR 13884 (just below image center, the single spot), and AR 13886 (the rest of the spots in the lower left) as they appear in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone on the Sun is the location where most of the activity has been taking place over the last few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Compare the H-alpha line center view above and right to this view, taken at the wavelength indicated (H-alpha line center is 6562.8 Angstroms).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view was from within the red wing of H-alpha, at the wavelength indicated. The wings allow imaging lower in the chromosphere and probe the motions of the features via the Doppler effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with continued M-class flaring and a chance for an X-class flare through 9 November. AR 13883 and 13886 continue to drive the high flaring probabilities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 5,2024<\/h2>\n

After several days with no observations due to inclement weather, the skies appeared to be clearing out around midday. The forecast called for partly sunny so we resumed observations. However, as we were finishing the white light sequence, the sky filled back in with clouds and stayed that way until 21:15 UT when the vigil was ended due to afternoon classes.<\/p>\n

Solar activity had been high in recent days due to the large number of M-class flares. There was an M5.5 event from AR 13883 at 15:41 UT on 4 November. This was the main producer of flares over the last couple days with AR 13878 contributing a few C-class and optical sub-flares. AR 13883 has grown a bit after some decay, while its neighboring region, AR 13886 grew. There were twenty (20) M-class flares over the last three days, the largest of these was the M5.5 just mentioned. AR 13883 maintains a magnetic configuration that favors high flare activity. An M4.2 flare happened today at 15:05 UT which came from another location: AR 13869, which had rotated out of view yesterday. AR 13886 has a considerably complex magnetic configuration.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images was taken in the red continuum, 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west right in each image. The first image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the second covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 13878 and 13879 continue to cross the solar disk. This area of the Sun is mainly quiet, except for a few small optical flares from 13878.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the zone of activity on the Sun with AR 13883 and 13886 the source of most of the activity. Sandwiched between these is a simple, single spot, AR 13884.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with continued M-class flares and a chance for X-class flares through 8 November. ARs 13883 and 13886 have the highest flare potential of all the visible active regions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 31,2024<\/h2>\n

The skies cleared for a few hours this afternoon allowing for a full observing session. Solar activity reached high levels due to 4 M-class flares and an X-class flare. AR 13872 was responsible for three M-class flares and the X-class flare. There was an M7.2 at 20:53 UT on 30 October, then an M1.1 at 3:30 UT on 31 October, and finally an M1.4 at 9:37 UT on 31 October. This region continues to grow. AR 13878 then produced an X2.0\/3B flare at 21:20 on 31 October, which was preceded only 10 minutes earlier by an M4.6. AR 13876 produced aC9.3 flare at 00:51 UT on 31 October, as well as an M1.2 at 13:55 UT on 31 October, an M1.0 at 19:07 UT on 31 October, and several C-class flares. AR 13875 produced an M2.4 at 12:54 UT today. None of the above flares, except possibly the X2.0 event (this remains to be seen) have produced detectable CME’s. All the other regions were either stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This multi-color extreme UV image shows the X2 flare in animation form. Click on the image for the animation. In anticipation of more inclement weather, this will be the last observation session until at least 4 November.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the five images below cover 13.8’x13.8′.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex\/cluster of active regions continues to maintain their structures.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This was taken approximately six sections after the peak of the M1.0 flare from AR 13876.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13874 (right, top) and 13875 (left, top) with the AR 13876\/13869 pair in the lower right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha view shows the AR 13875\/13874 pair centered.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13879 (single large spot, bottom, left of center) and 13878 (just below and right of bottom) as seen in continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same pair as depicted at left, but with AR 13880 visible as a single spot at bottom center of this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate, with a chance of X-class flares through 2 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 30,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has returned to low levels. Observations today made through clouds, with some breaks allowing for some imaging later in the morning.<\/p>\n

Since yesterday’s M1 flare, there had been no further M-class flares through 18:40 UT today. The largest event today was a long-duration C7.1 from AR 13876 at 10:17 UT. After this event, this region had produced most of the activity so far today. Prior to this event, AR 13878 was fairly active with C-class and optical sub-flares. Both AR 13876 and 13878 showed growth, as did AR 13874. All the remaining regions were either stable or in slight decay. There are a total of 11 spotted regions on the visible disk of the Sun today.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the five images below cover 13.8’x13.8′.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Active region complex, led by AR 13868 at the right edge of the image. The diagonal line of spots left of it are regions 13871 and 13876. The ones near the bottom are (right to left) 13869, 13872, and 13873.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun shown in H-alpha shows several filaments, including a large one along the right edge of the image. AR 13876 has been the most active spot group today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AR 13874 (just below image center) and 13875 (below and left of 13874) in H-alpha. These regions have been quiet all day. Both of these regions have shown slight growth since yesterday.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13878 (below center) and 13879 (lower left) as seen in this continuum image. Both of these are rotating into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The east-northeast edge of the Sun shows these two regions along with a fluffy filament (lower right corner). Both regions have been quiet most of the day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate, with a chance of X-class flares through 1 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 29,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been moderate, with three M-class flares since yesterday: two happened yesterday and one today. The two yesterday are already mentioned on the previous day, with the one today coming from AR 13873. It was an M1.1\/1F that peaked at 16:29 UT today (before today’s observing session). AR 13878 contributed 3 C-class flares today; AR 13876 produced one, all of these occurring before 13:09 UT. AR 13878 produced an optical sub-flare at 14:37 UT today. Since the M1 flare, solar activity has been low, with no further significant reported flare activity through 22:25 today. AR’s 13874, 13876, and 13872 are all fairly large and magnetically complex but they al remained stable and except for a single C-class flare from 13876, have not produced any flares today. All the other regions are either stable or slowly decaying.<\/p>\n

The top row displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the bottom row are the corresponding H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The active region complex continues to cross the solar disk. Compare with yesterdays’ image to get spot designations.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13874 continues to grow while AR 13875 (barely visible below and left of image center) continues to decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13878 continues to become better seen and is followed by a larger spot. This will likely be designated AR 13879.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The same region as seen above in H-alpha shows a number of filaments among the active regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The north polar region of the Sun features AR 13874 (right) and 13875 (long white streaks).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The AR 13878\/13879 pair is accompanied by a large, “fluffy” filament (bottom center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with a chance for X-flares through 31 October due to the conglomeration of active regions with enhanced magnetic complexities near ARs 13872 and 13873, along with AR 13878.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 28,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been moderate. An X1.8 flare happened on 26 October at 7:19 UT. This came from the area near AR’s 13872 and 13873. So far there has not been another X-class flare (as of 21:15 UT, 28 October) but several M-class flares. AR 13878 produced three M-class flares late yesterday and today: an M2.8 at 23:24 UT on 27 October, an M1.3 at 4:09 UT on 28 October, and an M4.2 at 16:28 UT on 28 October. We observed most of the M4.2 event but clouds hindered some of these observations. AR 13878 was the source of several C-class flares. ARs 13869, 13874, and 13876 all produced C-class flares. ARs 13874 and 13876 were the only regions which show signs of growth. Most of the rest of the spot groups were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The top row displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the bottom row are the corresponding H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky unless otherwise indicated.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A complex of active regions continues to rotate across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13874 (bottom center) and 13875 (lower left) are lone spot groups in the northern hemisphere.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13878 is rotating into better view. AR 13875 appears in upper right, and the 13872\/13873 pair are visible in the lower right corner. This image covers 13.8’x18.0′.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Image from the disk center part of the H-alpha mosaic set shows what appears to be flare afterglows (two bright ribbons).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The AR 13875\/13874 were quiet all day today. The Northern Hemisphere has been quiet, but AR 13878 is starting to change that.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13878 (pair of dark spots near solar edge) near the maximum of today’s M4.2 flare. This has been the most active region on the Sun recently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with a chance for X-flares through 30 October due to the conglomeration of active regions near ARs 13872 and 13873, along with AR 13878.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 24,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity rose to high levels due to an X3.3\/SF flare from AR 13869. This active region is actually old active region 13842, which has survived its two week passage on the far side of the Sun and has been carried back into our view by the Sun’s rotation. An SDO animation of the event is shown immediately below (click for the animation).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The X3 flare did generate a CME but it will pass to the south and east of the Earth. AR 13869 produced an M1.2\/SF at 10:29 UT. Since this event, and through 22:35, there were no further M- and X-class flares. The rest of the solar regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds. The top row images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the bottom row images each cover 13.8’x18.0′.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13863 (center) and 13865 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13863 along with a few small filaments from this image of solar disk center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of active regions, perhaps 5 to 6 unique regions, continues to rotate more clearly into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from the X3 and M1 flares early today, this area of the Sun remained quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate with a slight chance of X-class flares through 26 October as more magnetically complex active regions rotate into view. AR 13869 is old region 13842, which produced four X-class flares on its last transit and produced an X3.3 early today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 23,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun has “officially reached solar maximum”. Read more about this at the NASA website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels, with only C-class activity. There was a C5.1 flare at 0:26 UT on 23 October from AR 13869 that is rotating into view over the ESE limb.\u00a0 The largest event of today was a C7.8 at 12:12 UT today from AR 13863. There are eight spotted regions on the visible solar disk, all in the southern hemisphere. All of these were unremarkable but ARs 13859, 13863, 13866, and 13869 each produced C-class flares and\/or optical sub-flares. Up through 22:30 UT today, there had bee no M-class flares; the last one was on 19 October around 14:40 UT.<\/p>\n

The regions on the west southwest limb have either rotated out of view or decayed to spotlessness. The remaining regions are all visible in a string from the ESE limb to just past the solar disk central meridian. Most of these are shown in the two 13.8’x18.0′ images below. The first image is a red continuum image, a 0.25 second exposure, taken at the time indicated. The right image is an H-alpha image, a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A string of active regions on the Suns starting with AR 13867 (above and right of image center). The next is a single spot directly below image center (AR 13865). Below and left of image center are the small spots that make up AR 13866. The large spot after these is AR 13868. Finally the two spots on the limb make up AR 13869.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun is shown in H-alpha. The left-most region was the source of a C5 flare very early today (UT). Other than this activity, this part of the Sun has been mainly quiet. There was some limb activity just over the limb from SN14, which could be from AR 13842.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate through 25 October with a slight chance of X-class flares. Solar activity is expected to increase in the next few days with the return of old AR 13842. This region produced four X-class flares during its last appearance on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 22,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. The entire visible northern hemisphere of the Sun is almost completely spotless (except for AR 13856 which has rotated mostly out of view). AR 13863 showed some new flux emergence, but all the remaining regions visible on the solar disk were quiet and stable. There are now a total of nine numbered active regions, all very small (the largest two have areas of 220 MSH each-ARs 13859 and 13863; the second largest is the large single spot AR 13868, at 180 MSH).<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. The white spots on some of the images are artefacts of the processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13857, 13860, and 13859 (left to right, with 13859 being the largest) prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been mainly quiet today, except for a C3.7\/SF from AR 13860 that happened just after this image was taken. The peak of the flare was 14:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several regions are visible here, from lower left to upper right are: an unnumbered region just coming into view on the solar limb; AR 13868, 13866, 13865, the up to 13863 (three closely grouped spots). Not so easily seen anymore are AR 13867 (below and left of 13863) and 13862 (right of 13863, on the image edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite its not-so-prominent appearance, AR 13863 produced a C5.1\/SF event at 12:11 UT today. AR 13866 produced an optical subflare this afternoon at 21:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares through 22 October. With the anticipated return of old AR 13842 (which produced M-class and X-class flares on its last transit across the visible solar disk), the chances of M-class flares increase to likely on 23-24 October, with a slight chance for X-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 21,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is at low levels. There was about a 21 hour period from Friday to Saturday where the Sun was more active, with a series of 5 M-class flares. The largest of these was an M6.5 from AR 13854 at 6:56 UT on 19 October. The rest came from AR 13852. Since the last of these flares occurred at 14:55 on the 19th (with these regions rotating out of view), there had been occasional C-class activity. The largest of these was a C6.2 peaking at 10:01 UT on 21 October from an active region just beyond the SE limb. A large spot had rotated into view as of this morning (14:00 UT) but the source may be further east of this. A C5.0 flare came from AR 13863 at 22:35 UT on 20 October. The Sun seems to be returning to a regime with large numbers of small active regions, as I had observed eleven of them on the solar disk during this morning’s sunspot count. Most of the visible active regions were stable and quiet.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13859 (right most of 3 regions, and the largest), 13860 (the middle spot) and 13857 (on the left) are mainly quiet as they approach the west limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view is shifted north to include AR 13856 (above image center). This part of the Sun has been mainly quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several new spotted groups are rotating into view. The largest (just right of image center) is AR 13862. Almost directly below it is 13865. The rest are unnumbered.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same zone on the Sun, but as seen in H-alpha. This shows a relatively quiet area on the Sun with a few filaments visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares through 23 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 18,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels today with an M1.1 flare from AR 13854 at 17:36 UT. Then AR 13854 produced an M4.9 flare at 19:38 UT this afternoon. Prior to these, it has been the source of two C-class flares. AR 13852 has shown little change, while AR 13856 showed some growth. AR 13857 and 13860 also showed some growth. A new active region is rotating into view over the ESE limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13852\/13854 pair (upper right) are about to rotate over the solar limb. Following are AR 13856 (upper left) and part of 13859 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same area of Sun shows the previously mentioned regions along with at least one filament. Each of these regions, except for 13859, has produced at least one flare event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A series of small, relatively quiet active regions continue to make their ways across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun, as viewed in H-alpha. Most of these regions were quiet today, except for 13860 which produced at least one C-class flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with moderate levels of activity likely, and a slight chance for X-flares through 20 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 17,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity dropped to moderate levels as the skies had cleared since last evening, allowing for more observations today. Atmospheric seeing (the amount of blurring that the unsteady atmosphere makes an astronomical image) was fair to poor early (hence the fuzzy continuum images below); this improved to good seeing after noon. There were two M-class flares early today: an M1.0 from AR 13856 at 2:22 UT, and an M2.4 (the largest so far today) at 5:05 UT from AR 13852. Since the M2.4, there had been no M-class or larger flares through 22:25 UT. AR 13854 continues to grow and has become more magnetically complex, prompting a closer watch today for large flares. ARs 13857, 13858, and 13859 all grew, with AR 13860 emerging since yesterday. AR 13852 and 13858 had shown some slight decay.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds and covering 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds and covering 13.8’x16.2′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13852 and 13854 are nearing the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13852 and 13854 are shown right along with AR 13856 (upper left) and 13859 (lower left). A few filaments are seen as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions across the middle of the solar disk are visible and labeled here.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Most of the regions at the left (except for 13856) are shown with a few additional filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high due to occasional M-class flares through 18 October, along with a slight chance for X-class flares. On 19 October, activity is likely to be moderate as activity decreases.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 16,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at high levels due to the frequency of occurrence of M-class flares. AR 13848 produced an M1.7 at 18:18 UT on 15 October. AR 13854 produced an M2.1\/SN at 18:33 UT also on 15 October. AR 13852 produced most of the flare activity, including an M3.0 at 3:19 UT on 16 October, an M3.7 just 27 minutes later, and an M2.8\/1N at 5:15 UT. Since these events, AR 13852 produced three more M-class flares: an M1.5\/1B flare at 13:27UT, an M1.3\/1N at 14:42, and an M1.3 at 15:00. Since then, only C-class activity has occurred. AR’s 13854 and 13856 have also contributed a few C-class and SF’s (optical sub-flares) during the day on the 16th.<\/p>\n

Our observing location was cloudy all day due to the passage of a strong cold front bringing clouds to the region. A clearing started to happen just before 20:00 UT (3 pm CDT), so observations started. However, the sky closed back up less than 25 minutes later, enabling us to only obtain white-light images.<\/p>\n

The red continuum images below are each 0.5 second exposures taken at the times indicated on the image. Each are cropped to 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and have celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13853\/13854 pair is rotating toward the western limb. This is the area where most of the recent solar activity has occurred.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13856 (top) and 13859(bottom) are two relatively quiet regions. The latter emerged in the last day or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate due to the expected regular occurrence of M-class flares through 18 May. There is also a slight chance for an X-class flare through 18 October<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 15,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun has quieted back down over the last five days, but it does reach moderate levels of activity from time to time. M-class flares have occurred regularly since 10 October, with a two day pause in M-flares on 12 and 13 of October. AR 13848 produced an M3.4\/SF at 0:17 UT on 14 October. It also generated an M1.8 flare at 13:37 UT on 14 October. AR 13852 produced some M-class activity itself. Then AR 13848, as it rotated over the west limb of the Sun, produced an M-class flare: M1.7 at 18:17. AR 13854 then produced an M2.1 flare minutes later, at 18:33 UT. The rest of the regions were mainly quiet.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds and covering 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each and covering 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13852 (bottom right corner of the triangle of spots) and 13854 (the remaining corners) as imaged in white light. The AR 13849\/13850 pair is just visible on the solar edge upper right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13852 and 13854 were responsible for nearly all of today’s solar flares, including several M-class events.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two small regions have rotated into view and a third emerged onto the solar disk. The two are (left to right) AR 13859 and 13857. The new region above and right of image center has yet to receive a number.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun, as imaged in H-alpha. These regions have been largely unremarkable today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate due to isolated M-class flares; there is a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 17 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 10,2024<\/h2>\n

Aurora Borealis Observed at Prairie View Solar Observatory<\/em><\/h2>\n

The end point of a solar event: AR 13848 produced an X1.8 flare at 1:56 UT on 8 October when it produced an X1.8 flare. This powerful event lasted more than five hours and launched a massive CME straight toward the Earth. This CME was bright and fast moving and directly struct the Earth’s magnetic field, producing a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm.<\/p>\n

The evening of October 10, local time, I went to the roof of the Solar Observatory complex to watch out for any auroral event. The earliest glow was sighted around 8:10 pm CDT (1:10 UT, 11 October). This subsided before resurging about45 minutes later. For the better part of an hour, especially between 9:05 and 9:20 pm CDT (2:00 to 2:20 UT, 11 October), the display was visible as red glows slowly moving about along the northern horizon, extending as high as 30 degrees. The times given are UT on 11 October (CDT = UTC – 6h).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>2:05:58<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>2:10:50 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>2:16:30 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>21:18:53 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>2:27:58 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>2:30:56 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The glow shown in the last image persisted as a faint pink glow for nearly one half hour after the image was taken. Each exposure was a 2 second exposure, at ISO 800, using a Samsung Galaxy S21 phone.<\/p>\n

Daily Solar Observations from 10 October<\/em><\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at high levels. There was an M7.7 flare at 23:12 UT on 9 October from AR 13842. Since then there had been several M-class flares, keeping solar activity in the moderate range. The largest event since yesterday’s M7 was an M3.0, peaking at 22:28 UT from AR 13842, which had just rotated over the west limb. We were observing at the time and was unable to locate an optical signature with this event. There are currently seven active regions visible on the solar disk, six of which are numbered. There was a pair of spots seen in this morning’s sunspot count that were not numbered. The spots are southwest of AR 13848, near N03W65. ARs 13848, 13849, and 13852 each have grown slightly but were relatively quiet. AR 13853 emerged onto the disk and 13854 emerged and grew rapidly.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds; the right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each, and each image covers 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13848 (top) and the 13849\/13850 pair (bottom center) continue to march across the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view but in H-alpha, shows several filaments surrounding these regions. This area of the Sun had been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13852 (large spot with horizontal trail of spots, below and center) along with emerging AR 13854 (curved spots left of 13852). The spot in the upper left is AR 13853.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus now is on the AR 13852\/13854 pair. These have been relatively quiet all day but may develop further in the coming days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 12 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 9,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to exhibit high solar activity late yesterday and into today. AR 13848 produced an X1.8 flare at 1:56 UT on 9 October. This event produced a coronal mass ejection (CME) which is Earth Directed and may arrive tomorrow mid- to late day. Then at 15:47 UT, 9 October, AR 13842, on the Sun’s edge, produced an X1.4\/1N flare. This was documented almost in its entirety and was a quick event. AR 13848 has become magnetically complex, as has AR 13849, both of them growing in size and complexity. AR 13849 produced an M1.6 flare at 5:46 UT on 9 October. AR 13852 showed growth in its spots and became more complex magnetically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The image above and left is a SDO animated GIF image of the first X1 flare. The second is a PVSO image of the second X1 flare, taken near X-ray maximum. Click on the first image for the animation.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds and each is 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each, and each image covers 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13842 is on the edge of the Sun (right) with AR 13848 (upper left) and the 13849\/13850 pair (lower left) following.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Focus shifts to the trio 13848 (top) 13849\/13850 (bottom). Several filaments are also visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Wide field view showing AR 13849\/13850 (upper right) and 13852 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus then shifts to AR 13852, which is becoming more magnetically complex.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 11 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 8,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity had been high due to an X2.1\/2B flare at 19:13 UT on 7 October from AR 13842. The X-ray flux remained higher than M5 through 22:28 UTC on 7 October. After the X-ray flux finally dropped below M1.0 at 2:14 UT today, there was only a single M-class flare (M1.5\/SF) from AR 13842 at 8:51 UT. This was followed by 3 C-class flares from AR 13844 (C5.4 at 11:53, C5.8 at 17:50, and c4.1 at 19:08 UT). Then AR 13849 produced a C8.0\/1N flare at 20:29 UT (just after closing of today’s observing session).<\/p>\n

A thick, 35 long filament in the southwestern quadrant of the solar disk (this was observed yesterday intact) started lifting off the Sun around 2:30 UT on 8 October. There was a post eruptive arcade visible in images of the Sun thereafter. A Coronal Mass Ejection from this event was seen beginning at 3:06 UT. It is not yet certain if this is headed toward Earth.<\/p>\n

There are a total of five spotted active regions on the Sun, and all of them, except what was mentioned above, were quiet.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 12.7’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 The white splotches on some of the images is from the presence of large spot groups in the flat field images. We were not able to avoid these. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the complex of four active regions, three large, have rotated out of view. All that is left is AR 13842.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun was the most active in recent days. Overall, the Sun seems to be quieting down as AR 13842 rotates over the solar limb.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13848 (top) and the pair 13849 and 13859. Artefacts from the large spots in the flat field frames appear in the upper left and are cropped out the left side of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same zone but with the view shifted towards the east a little to include several filaments. The white splotches are the sunspots that persisted in the flats.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 10 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 7,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity returned to moderate levels with four low-level M-class flares, one from near AR 13839, 13842, and 13844. All of these happened yesterday and were each between M1.3 and M1.5. Solar activity returned to low levels today, with only C-class activity. Then AR 13939 produced an M1.3 event at 18:38 UT today. This was followed by an X2.1 from AR 13842, which sent solar activity back to high levels. This event decayed normally at first, but leveled off at M6.9 levels by 19:48 UT before slowly rising back to X1.0 levels by 21:00 UT. This event appears to involve an exploding filament. Due to the decreased probabilities of M- and X-class flares today, solar observations returned to “quiet sun mode” and closed by 18:00 UT, before all the “action” began. AR 13842 is showing some decay but maintained a complex delta magnetic configuration. AR 13844 also has seen decay recently.<\/p>\n

Large AR 13848 remains quiet as it crosses the center of the disk. It is slowly growing and seems to be gaining some mixed magnetic polarity in the large penumbra field. AR 13849 was actually two active regions close together. The larger of the two retained the AR 13849 designation and the smaller became AR 13850. These regions were unremarkable. Another fairly large active region is rotating into view, following the AR 13849\/13850 pair.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of four active regions appears to blend together into one as they are foreshortened by their proximity to the limb. The last and best visible of these is AR 13842.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A large filament is partially visible below and left of the active region complex. Another smaller, more subtle one (arrowed) is seen amidst the complex. It may have exploded this afternoon, leading to a long duration X2 flare event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions (labeled) are visible in this image. They continue to quietly cross the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been very quiet with little activity originating from these regions. Several filaments are also visible here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 9 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 4,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun has dropped back to moderate activity levels today. The largest event so far today (through 20:40 UT) was an M4\/1N flare from AR 13842. This region and AR 13844 continued to grow some, while AR 13841 has decayed some. Despite this, AR 13841 produced an M1.2\/SF at 0:17. There were no significant changes in AR 13848 and 13849. Departing AR 13836 produced an M1.2 flare at 11:03 UT. AR 13848 continues to be quiet, for its size, producing only two optical sub-flares so far.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.\u00a0 Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of large active regions are starting to approach the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13842 (lower left) only produced two optical subflares and a C7.5 so far during today’s long session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13848 (top) and 13849 (bottom) and the southeast disk of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun has been quiet all day so far. These regions continue to rotate into better view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with an increasing chance for X-class flares through 6 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 3,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be at high activity due to multiple low-level M-class flares from ARs 13841 and 13842. There was an M3.3 flare at 20:51 UT on 2 October from AR 13842 (which was observed onsite). ARs 13841, 13842, 13843, 13844 continue to grow. In addition, AR 13843 and 13844 also produced C- and M-class flares today. AR 13842 produced an X9.0 flare at 12:18 UT today, the largest flare of Solar Cycle 25. It remained relatively quiet for the rest of the day, except for an M6.7\/2B at 20:28 UT, which was imaged from start to finish at the PVSO. AR’s 13841 and 13841 were relatively stable yesterday and today.<\/p>\n

Two filaments erupted yesterday, an approximately 10 degree long filament which lifted off the surface at 4:49 UT on 3 October. It was located in the northeast quadrant of the solar disk. This event produced a CME that was first observed at 7:48 UT. The second was the filament we’ve been watching all week: an approximately 13 degree long filament in the southwestern quadrant of the Sun lifted off at 9:09 UTC on 3 October. This event produced a CME that was first observed off the SSW limb at 9:48 UT. The X9.0 and M6.7 also produced CMEs which are headed towards Earth.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. The upper right and lower left image each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The upper left and lower right image each measure 13.8’x18.0′. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The most active quadrant of the Sun shows the most spectacular string of sunspot groups. This string is visible to the protected unaided eye.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as viewed in H-alpha. Each one, except 13839, produced at least one M-class flare yesterday and today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13848 rotated into view a few days ago and continues to come into better view. It has stayed quiet despite its large size and complex appearance.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This field is nudged southward to show the new active region, AR 13849, directly below 13848, which just rotated into view. Two filaments are visible to the right of these regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The following are two images of the M6.7 flare. Each image is 13.8’x13.8′ in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This image was recorded near the optical peak (“2B”) of the flare.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image was taken near the X-ray maximum (“M6.7”) of the event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 5 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 2,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high with the X7.1\/2B flare yesterday at 22:20 UT from AR 13842. This event launched a CME which was first observed by satellite at 23:12 UTC\u00a0 on 1 October. Most of the debris has been launched off the SE limb of the Sun. The CME is expected to arrive on 5 October. There was an M3.6 this morning at 5:38 UT from AR 13842; this also produced a CME that was first observed by satellite at 6:24 UT today.<\/p>\n

There were a total of 9 M-class flare events (all but three prior to opening of observations this morning) from various regions: AR 13841, 13842, and 13848. A double M-flare was observed this afternoon: the first peak (M1.4) was at 20:15, and the second (M3.3) was at 20:51. The first came from the space between AR 13842 and 13839, and the second was north of the lead spot of AR 13842.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each of the images measure 13.8’x13.8′, except the red continuum at the bottom of the first column, which measures 13.8’x18.0′. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions are visible in this image: AR 13841 at upper left, AR 13842 at lower left, AR 13839 is the single spot below image center; AR 13844 and 13843 are below right and right of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two of these regions, the ones on the left, had been active all day. The others have stayed mainly quiet. The filament at lower right seemed active earlier this week but remains in place today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Wide view showing AR 13848 rotating into better view at the left. AR 13841 (upper right) and 13842 (lower right) are also seen.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image now focuses on AR 13848 (below left), with two filaments accompanying it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 4 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 1,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is now high, with an M7.6\/2N flare from AR 13842 at 23:59 UT on 30 September. This region, the most complex active region on the visible solar disk, magnetically, has shown moderate growth. ARs 13841, 13843, and 13844 also have grown significantly. A large new sunspot group is rotating into view over the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

The Sun was relatively quiet throughout the day but stayed at moderated levels of activity with an M1.0 flare from AR 13839 at 14:52 UT; then there was an M1.5 at 19:17 UT from AR 13839. ARs 13839, 13842, and 13843 contributed all of today’s flare. Then at 22:20 UT, AR 13842 produced an X7.1 flare, the second largest of the current activity cycle. We were able to capture the decay portion of this event. The below image is from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, displayed on spaceweather.com. Click on the image for the animation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This was an image obtained from the Solar Observatory about 9 minutes after the flare peak.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each of the continuum images in the left column covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, and each of the H-alpha images cover 13.8’x13.8′. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Of all these active regions, AR 13843 and 13844 are the largest. The rest are small and inactive.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A few filaments are added in this H-alpha view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>There are six active regions (out of the eleven currently visible) on the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Today, AR’s 13839, 13842, and 13843 produced all of the flare activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 3 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 30,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun returned to moderate levels of activity with an M1.7\/1F flare from AR 13842 at 14:24 UT on 29 September. This region, along with ARs 13843 and 13841 are growing with the remaining regions either stable or in gradual decay. Solar activity remained low from that point on through 2300 UT on 30 September. There was an active filament in the southern central part of the solar disk that showed signs of potentially lifting off the Sun (it did not but another nearby filament did).<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, the bottom left image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky and the bottom right extends 13.8’x15.4′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions have been quiet or are decaying.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions have not been very active, except for AR 13834, which produced a C6.6\/SF at 16:19 UT, after this image was taken.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Six of the eleven visible active regions are seen in this image. AR 13839 is actually only the larger single spot, the cluster of spots to its right are newly-numbered AR 13844.<\/span><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same scene as viewed at left is seen in this H-alpha view. The dark long object at bottom center is a filament that appeared active.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 2 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 27,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be moderate with an M0.9 flare from AR 13839 at 8:00 UT this morning. This region also produced an M1.4 flare at 23:12 UT on 26 September. With the exception of a sub flare from AR 13835, all of the flaring events (through 14:30 UT at least) have been from AR 13839. AR 13836 is the most complex region on the visible disk and also the largest, at 200 MSH. The remaining active regions showed only minor changes. The Sun continues to favor its southern hemisphere as its main source of activity. There is a loose string of sunspot groups going across the southern part of the Sun, from AR’s 13827 and 13828 currently rotating over the limb; to AR 13839 and possibly another behind it, on the east southeastern limb.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, the bottom left image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky and the bottom right extends 13.8’x16.3′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four tiny active regions form the leading part of the trail of spot groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun remains quiet. AR 13828 and 13827 are on the limb and about to be carried out of view by solar rotation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The string of spots continues to the east southeastern limb. AR 13836 and 13835 have ‘beta-gamma’ magnetic configurations.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same zone on the Sun is shown as was shown at left, but with the addition of a few filaments. The artefact in the upper right corner is from the H-alpha filter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 28 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 26,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity moved to moderate levels again with an M1.3\/1F flare from AR 13828 at 23:12 UT on 25 September. This region has started to rotate toward the western limb. AR 13836 produced a long duration C9.6 flare yesterday at 15:55 UT; this region has shown some slight signs of decay. AR 13833 appears to be in decay phase again, but it is in the process of rotating out of view so it is difficult to see this one clearly. It did produce one sub-flare today. AR 13836, then later, AR 13839 produced all the rest of the observed flare activity (through 22:35 UT, 26 September), to include a C2.9\/SF from 13836 and three C-class flares from AR 13839: a C3.8 at 11:31 UT, a C5.0 at 19:49 UT (part of which was observed through clouds) and a C8.1 (the largest event since yesterday’s M1.3) at 20:39 UT. The rest of the spotted regions were unremarkable. There are a total of nine spotted active regions, all small and all (except two) are in the southern solar hemisphere.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, and each in the bottom row covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13833 is just visible at the top as it starts to rotate out of view. Below are AR 13828 (just below and right of image center) and 13827 (near bottom edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view here shifts to the two regions near each other on the Sun. AR 13827 and 13828. AR 13837 is just visible in the lower left corner,\u00a0 just above the time stamp.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions are imaged in this frame. Each is labeled.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view is similar to the one at left but has shifted west a bit.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 28 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 25,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is now back to low levels and remains to this writing (21:15 UT). AR 13836 produced a C9.6\/SF at 15:55 UT today (while the observatory was under a deck of clouds). AR 13828 generated a C6.9 at 11:46 UT on 24 September. AR 13835 produced multiple C-class flare events yesterday but was silent today. AR 13836 is the most complex visible active region, magnetically speaking, and is the second largest on the solar disk, 150 MSH; AR 13828 is marginally larger at 160 MSH. The morning sunspot count found AR 13831 has grown markedly since yesterday, adding spots as it prepares to rotate out of view.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, and each in the bottom row covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13833 and 13831 (top) approach the western limb, followed by 13828 and13827 (bottom). AR 13825 has rotated out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13828 was more active yesterday but today all of these regions were quiet. A filament is seen coming into the upper left part of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13836 (just left of image center) and 13835 (right) are visible as is part of 13834 (upper left edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Of all these regions shown, only 13836 has been active today, producing an almost M-class flare at 15:55 UT today, and a C4.4 flare at 20:39 UT today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 27 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 24,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels yesterday with an M1.3 flare from AR 13835 yesterday at 14:56 UT. This was the largest event since the M3 late on 22 September. Since yesterday’s M1 flare, there had been no further M-class flares through 23:00 UT on 24 September. So for today, solar activity was low. Slight growth occurred in AR 13835, but all the other regions were stable or in slight decay. Today’s largest region was AR 13828 at 180 MSH, followed by 13827 at 120 MSH. AR 13825 has shrunk to 80 MSH as it rotates out of view. AR’s 13828, 13833, 13835, and 13836 were the source of flares today, with the largest being a C6.9 from AR 13828.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.5 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, except for the lower left image in the continuum row, which covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Imaging was done through cirrus clouds of varying thicknesses. This resulted in decreased contrast, especially for the H-alpha images. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13831 and 13833 appear along the top edge; AR 13825 is the single spot right of image center close to the Sun’s edge; and AR 13828 and 13827 are bottom center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus of this image shifts south a bit. AR 13831 and 13833 are now off the top of the image, but the others remain visible. The arrow points to a faint loop prominence still visible through the high clouds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted AR’s are visible in this image from left to right: AR 13836, 13835, 13834, and an unnumbered pair of spots. This may soon be designated AR 13837.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of the same zone, minus the unnumbered region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 26 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 23,2024<\/h2>\n

After over a week at low levels, solar activity moved into moderate levels with an M3.7\/2N flare from AR 13835 yesterday at 21:39 UTC. This region is developing as it rotates onto the solar disk. AR 13836 produced an M1.3 flare this morning at 14:56 UT, just prior to the start of our cloud-riddled observing session. AR 13825 has been mainly quiet, but was the source of a C4.5 X-ray flare event at 10:06 UT today, 23 September. AR 13833 and 13828 also produced a little activity each. AR 13828 is the largest region on the visible disk right now, with an area of 150 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH). It’s neighbor, AR 13827, is second largest at 120 MSH. Both of these regions were stable, as were the rest of the eight visible spotted active regions.<\/p>\n

The first row of images are from yesterday’s M3.7 flare event. The first is a full disk image from GONG\/BBSO and the second is an SDO composite full disk image showing the surge off the southeastern limb. The rest of the images are set up so that the red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are in the left column. The right column contains H-alpha regional images, each 0.5 second exposure. Each of the region images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Full Disk H-alpha from GONG shows the M3 flare three minutes after its x-ray maximum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image is a composite of three far ultraviolet images taken at 21:34 UT, 22 Sept.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the regions visible on the solar disk are rather small and mostly unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Little activity is seen in this zone of the solar disk. The filament thought to be active last week remains (just right of image center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another batch of active regions rotates into view, with two of these being the source of M-class flares.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone as imaged at left shows the same regions. A fourth may be just over the ESE limb (below center) as a surge of material was observed there this morning.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There continues to be a chance for M-class flares through 25 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 20,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels as the Sun has appeared to have entered into a dormant phase. The GOES X-ray flux plot has been essentially flat since about 22:45 UT, 19 September; it remains so (except for a C4 event mentioned below) through 19:25 UT today. The last X-ray solar event of significance was over 6 days ago, and there had been no further X- or M-class flares since 14 September. There are currently seven spotted active regions on the visible disk, with three more being on or just over the western limb. Four of the seven regions have numbers, and all of the numbered regions have shown some signs of minor evolution. Only low-level C-class flares have occurred over the last few days, the most recent being a C3.9 event from an unspecified location.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, except for the lower image in the continuum row, which covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. North is up, east is left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13825 (bottom) along with an emerging, unnumbered region (above left) as seen in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun, but viewed in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four regions are visible in this image. From top center, clockwise, they are: AR 13831, 13825, 13827, and 13828. Further east\/left is another, unnumbered region rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three of the four regions depicted at left are shown also in this H-alpha view centered near the center of the Sun’s visible disk. A filament that seemed to be active yesterday is still visible today (right of center). As of 19:25 UT, it is still visible in GONG H-alpha imagery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares, with a slight chance for X-class flares, from now through 22 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 19,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels, with only occasional low-level C-class activity. AR 13828 showed some growth but was inactive. AR 13825, with its complex (beta-gamma-delta) magnetic configuration, was stable and was the source of a C2.6\/SF event at 15:17 UT today. AR 13824 is about to rotate out of view over the limb; this region was the source of a C2.4 flare at 8:04 UT today. AR 13831 emerged overnight and was visible this morning, but remained inactive. The rest of the spotted active regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ in the sky, except for the first image, which is labeled, and which covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. North is up, east is left in each image. The times of each (in UT) are embedded with the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four of the five visible active regions (labeled) are shown in this image centered near the solar disk center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus of this image shifts to the three active regions near the solar CM. At least three filaments are visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The western limb of the Sun is shown, with AR 13824 seen as the subtle brighter spots in the upper right near the edge; AR 13825 is visible in the lower left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same zone as seen at left. AR 13824 is becoming lost in the limb darkening, so it is labeled at top right. AR 13825 is visible in the lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is a chance for M-class flares, with a slight chance for X-class flares, from now through 21 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 18,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains in a low activity state, with only C-class flares yesterday and today (through 19:50 UT). Solar activity was at low levels. The largest flare was a C4.1 at 3:44 UT on 18 September; this flare came from AR 13828. AR 13825 remains the most complex active region on the visible disk, yet it is rather small and simple compared to some recent active regions. AR 13824 appears to be decaying some. Everything else is quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The left column displays red continuum images, each with exposures of 0.25 seconds. The right column are the H-alpha exposures, with exposures of 0.5 seconds each. North is up, east is left in each image. The times of each (in UT) are embedded with the image, and the image size is given in the caption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13824 is getting closer to the west limb (right and below image center). The pair AR 13829 and 13830 (above center) appear to be decaying since yesterday. This image covers 13.8’x13,8′ in the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions but as imaged in H-alpha. There is some limb activity west of 13824, but this area of the Sun has been mainly quiet. This image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13828 (lower left), 13827 (below center), and 13825 (right of center) as imaged in this 13.8’x18.0′ continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun is seen in H-alpha. This image covers 15.3’x18.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is still likely to reach moderate with a slight chance for X-class flares through 19 September. On 20 September, this will drop to likely probability as AR 13824 rotates over the western limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Special: Partial Lunar Eclipse, September 17\/18,2024<\/h2>\n

A partial lunar eclipse occurred during the evening of September 17, 2024 (early 18 September 2024, UTC). Some 50 individuals visited the Solar Observatory for the eclipse viewing where four small telescopes were set up for their viewing and imaging. The Solar Dome Scope was configured to observe the Moon by removing the H-alpha filter, but leaving the red Energy Rejection Filter at the main aperture in place, along with the neutral density filter. Both of these served to control the glare from the Full Moon. Each of the below images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, so since the Moon was 33.8′ across during the eclipse, it was not able to fit in the field of view. So we focused on the region where the shadow would appear to skim the lunar limb. The faint, dusky shade of the Penumbra was visible as early as 1:25 UT (8:25 pm CDT) as an amorphous gray shading. Partial eclipse begain at 2:12 UT (9:12 pm CDT) as the Moon started encountering the inner umbra shadow. Maximum eclipse happened at 2:44 UT (9:44 pm CDT), when 8.5 % of the Moon’s disk was in the shadow. Then the reverse came: partial eclipse ended at 3:15 UT (10:15 pm CDT), with the last penumbra visible around 11:15 pm CDT; the eclipse formally ended at 4:47 UT (11:47 pm CDT) when the Moon exited the outer penumbral shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The next lunar eclipse will be a total eclipse that will occur over the Spring Break, specifically on March 13\/14, 2025.<\/p>\n

September 17,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is currently at low levels. Since the last observing session 13 September, solar activity had reached high levels with an X4.5\/2B flare from AR 13825 at 15:28 UT on 14 September from AR 13825. Since that event, there had been no further X- or even M-class flares as AR 13825 had quieted down considerably since then. The largest flare since the X4 was a C9.6 at 23:57 UT on 16 September from AR 13825. There has, more recently, been slight growth in 13825 but the region has been quiet overall. AR 13824 is nearing the western limb and is slowly decaying. The Sun is largely devoid of active regions, especially in the northern hemisphere, with only isolated spots and two relatively complex regions, five visible regions total. No Earth directed CME\u2019s have occurred in the last 24 hours or so.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below is a 0.5 second exposure, oriented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are displayed in the left column of the below table; the H-alpha line center images in the right column; angular coverage of each image is indicated in each image caption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x13.8′ image records AR 13824 (above) nearing the western limb. The small spots along the top edge are AR 13829.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x13.8′ image has shifted to include the AR 13829\/13830 pair, top and left of center. AR 13824 is the largest group south of image center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13828 (left), 13827 (below center) and 13825 (upper right) as imaged in this 13.8’x18.0′ continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three active regions, and some filaments, are visible in this 13.8’x15.3′ image. This part of the Sun remains mainly quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate with a slight chance for X-class flares today, 17 September. Starting tomorrow and into 19 September, the flare probabilities decrease to a chance of M-class flares as AR\u2019s 13814 and 13822 rotate over the NW solar limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 13,2024<\/h2>\n

As solar observations resume, the Sun is coming off of a period of high solar activity, with frequent M-class flare activity. Over recent days, the overall spot number has gone down, but a large active region, AR 13825, has rotated into view and released an X1.3 flare at 9:40 UT on 12 September. Following this were multiple M-class flares, the largest of these were an M6.8 at 14:44 UT from AR 13811 as it rotated over the western limb. AR 13814 produced an M2.9 flare at 8:37 UT on 13 September, but the region has started to decay. AR 13822 appears stable and AR 13824 appears to be growing in length while remaining quiet. AR 13825 produced an M1.6 flare at 6:56 UT on the 12th, and was in the early stages of an M1.1 flare during our observation presented below.<\/p>\n

In addition to all this, two CME’s were observed: the first emerged from just over the eastern limb at approximately 20:24 UT on 12 September; and the second originated from just over the southwestern limb, being first observable at 1:36 UT on 13 September. None of these appear to be heading toward Earth.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each of the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up and east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13824 appears to the lower left of this image, with AR 13814 being the large spot toward the upper right. Below and left of this is AR 13822.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions as they appear in H-alpha. There had been some activity from the pair in the upper right corner, but this area of the Sun has been quiet overall.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13825 is the only spotted group in this part of the Sun and it appears to be a fairly large and complex group.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13825 some three minutes prior to the peak of the M1.1 flare that was in progress as imaged here. It produced two other M1’s at 15:08 and 17:56UT today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate to high levels on 13 September as additional M-class flare activity is expected. M-class flare likelihood is anticipated to decrease on 14 to 15 September as multiple active regions rotate out of view. By then, M-class flares become likely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

August 23,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to high levels later today after being at moderate levels due to a series of M-class flares. The boost to high came from an M5.1\/1N flare that came from AR 13800 (shown below). AR 13801 also produced an M3.4 at 3:41 UT early today. This region grew slightly. Earlier, AR 13800 produced an M1.0 flare at 4:18 UT today and it also is growing slightly. AR 13790 is the largest spot group on the visible disk but it stayed quiet. AR 13796 grew in spot number. There were eight M-class flares, produced by AR’s 13796, 13800, and 13801 today, with three of them occurring over a 45 minute period, which was observed during the afternoon session this afternoon.<\/p>\n

AR 13794 produced a C5.9 flare at 2:03 UT. Starting 21 minutes later, at 2:24 UT, a Coronal Mass Ejection was observed lifting off the west part of the solar disk. This is a slow-moving cloud of material that is expected to graze the Earth’s magnetic field sometime over 27-28 August.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is an H-alpha image (unless otherwise indicated) which covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun (unless otherwise indicated). Each is a 0.5 second exposure and is presented so that celestial north is up, east is left. Solar north is rotated counterclockwise (left) by 18.9 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13794 (top) and 13790 (bottom) have been quiet as they approach the west limb. This image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is taken 0.5 Angstrom blueward of H-alpha line center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are visible in this image, taken in the red continuum. The region designations are labeled and the time of the image indicated. Much of the solar activity is happening in this zone on the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image, which covers 13.8’x16.9′ on the sky, is the H-alpha line center\u00a0 view of three of the regions from left, with AR 13792 visible in the upper right corner. This area of the disk was quiet at image time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Shortly after the previous image was taken, an M1.1 flare was observed, this 13.8’x16.9′ image shows the flare near its peak.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Shortly after the previous image was recorded, while the M1.1 flare was fading, AR 13800 (lower right) produced an M3.4 flare which brightened modestly…<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Not long after the peak of the M3.4 flare, the flare brightened again, to M5.1 as recorded above near its peak. The flare took over 45 minutes to drop below M-level as it decayed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares likely along with a slight chance for X-class flares, through 25 August.<\/p>\n

PROGRAM NOTE: This will be the last entry for a bit as we begin a new semester with all of its obligations, etc.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 22,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels after yesterday’s M5 flare. Since then, there has only been one more M-class flare (up to 21:45 UT today), an M1.5\/1N from AR 13796 at 10:39 UT today. The next largest was a C8.3 from the same region at 6:16 UT. AR 13801, as it is rotating into view, produced a C7.8\/1N flare event at 15:28 UT. It also produced a C6.1 at 21:30 UT. Lesser C-class flares came from AR’s 13799, 13796, and 13789. ARs 13790 and 13792 are growing slowly, but in spite of their impressive appearances, had little in the way of activity today. The rest of the visible regions were mostly quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each of the images cover 13.8’x15.2′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up and east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several large active regions are visible in this zone near the apparent center of the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Except for AR 13796, most of these active regions have been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Still more regions are coming into view, carried along by the Sun’s rotation. So far, there is no sign of what was thought to be large regions on the far side of the Sun last week.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been fairly active. AR 13801 (far left) seems to be growing and getting more active.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares likely along with a slight chance for X-class flares, through 24 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 21,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity jumped to high levels late in the day with an M5.1\/2N flare at 22:01 UT today from AR 13796. Today’s observing session was in the early morning hours so we missed this one. This region produced most of the C-class flares today. Prior to this event, a pair of M1 flares from AR 13785 (at 17:08 UT, yesterday, 20 August,as it departs by rotating over the western solar limb) and AR 13796 (at 6:02 UT today, 21 August) occurred. These kept solar activity moderate prior to the late afternoon M5 flare event. AR’s 13784 and 13790 also produced a few3 C-class flares. AR’s 13785, 13790, 13794, and 13796 have grown some while the rest were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image showing the largest visible active regions (labelled) currently visible on the Sun; the second is H-alpha of the same zone on the Sun. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure at the UT indicated, covers the area indicated in the captions, and is oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions and one spotless region are depicted in this image, which covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha image focuses on AR’s 13790, 13792, and 13794. It covers 13.8’x14.6′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares likely along with a slight chance for X-class flares, through 23 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 20,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels thanks to ongoing, occasional low-level M-class flares. AR 13796 grew slightly and produced an M3.7 flare at 21:48 UT on 19 August. AR 13790 produced a C9.8\/SF event at 20:16 UT on 19 August and it also showed some growth. Several other regions were the source of low-level C-class flares, which occurred regularly throughout the day. Most of the visible spot groups showed at least slight growth.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each of the images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky except for the last one (H-alpha image on the second row), which covers 13.8’x14.6′. Each are oriented so that celestial north is up and east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This area of the solar disk shows a lot of active regions, each of which is growing. The growth is especially notable in AR 13796 and 13790.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun as imaged in H-alpha shows the three large active regions that dominate the SE disk of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This part of the solar disk is much less active and the active regions are much smaller. AR 13784 (the un-labeled large spot on the edge, upper right) is rotating out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four of the six regions depicted in the left image are shown in this H-alpha image. This part of the Sun’s disk appears very quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M class flares are likely with a slight chance for X-class flares through 22 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 19,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels with AR 13796 being the source of two M-class flares, one at 21:07 UT on 18 August, and another at 00:00 UT on 19 August. There was also an M1.3 at 9:36 UT from AR 13785, and a C9.8 at 20:16 UT today from AR 13790. AR’s 13793, 13796, and 13797 are growing in spot number and size. The remaining regions, including departing AR 13784, were stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. The images in the first row each cover 13.8’x18.0′ and those in the second row each cover 13.8’x14.5′ on the sky, and each have celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13784 remains quiet as it approaches the western limb of the Sun. Several of the other regions shown here were more active today than 13784.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13785 (lower right, nearing the limb) was the source of one of three M-class flares over the paste 24 hours or so. The other regions were mainly quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13796 (lower right) was the source of two M1 flares today and late yesterday. AR 13790 produced and “almost” M-class flare: a c9.8 this afternoon.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Many of these regions are growing or showing potential signs of growth as they cross the solar disk. A small spot is just visible on the limb at the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M class flares are likely with a slight chance for X-class flares through 21 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 16,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is mainly at low levels, with occasional isolated M-class flares briefly boosting it to moderate levels. Since the M1.1 flare early yesterday (3:48 UT, 15 August), there has only been C-class flare activity. This continued until an M1.3 flare came from departing AR 13780 at 13:24 UT today. Since then, through at least 21:30 UT today, the Sun returned to low activity levels with only C-class activity. Some growth occurred in ARs 13785, 13789, and 13790. AR 13780 appears to have decayed a bit but is currently rotating out of view; AR 13784 seems to have shrunk a bit, but as of 0:30 UT today, each of these continued to have a “beta-gamma-delta” magnetic configuration, meaning they continue to have complicated magnetic fields associated with them. The rest of the regions were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, unless otherwise indicated, and have celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13784 (top left) appears to be quieting down. AR 13780 is barely visible on the right edge of the Sun as it rotates out of view. Along the bottom, from left to right, is AR 13788, 13785, and 13786 (close to the sun’s edge).\u00a0 This image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun is mainly quiet (except for the earlier M1 flare from 13780). AR 13781 is just visible on the top edge of the image, next to the limb. AR 13785 is off the left edge, but 13788 and 13786 are visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A large new active region, AR 13790, is rotating into view. This may be the first of several new large active regions that have been crossing the far side of the Sun and show up via close observations and analysis of the sun’s vibrations.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha view centered on AR 13790 show the decaying phase of a C8.1\/1F flare that peaked three minutes earlier. We caught this region just after its flare peaked and watched the flare decay.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate, with M-class flares likely and a slight chance of X-class flares through 18 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 15,2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13784 produced an X1.1 flare at 6:40 UT on 14 August, the largest in the last seven days. There were also six M-class flares over the last two days. The most recent three came from AR’s 13784 (two of them) and 13780 (the remaining one). AR 13784 produced an M1.1\/SF at 13:24 UT on 14 August. This was quickly followed by an M5.2\/SF 2 hours 25 minutes later, at 15:49 UT on 14 August. Then AR 13780, as it begins to rotate out of view today, produced an M1.1\/SF at 3:48 UT 15 August. This was the last M-class flare produced (up to 22:45 UT today) as since this event, only C-class activity was noted. AR 13786 is growing but stayed inactive; the remaining spot groups (including the unnumbered one that just rotated into view over the ESE limb) were mainly stable and quiet.<\/p>\n

The image on the left is a red continuum image taken at the time indicated. It covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sun and is a 0.25 second exposure. The image on the right is an H-alpha image of the same zone on the Sun. It also covers 13.8’x18.0′ and is a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, east left in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares expected and a chance for X-class flares through 17 August. This elevated activity level is due to ARs 13780 and 13784 maintaining their complicated magnetic field configurations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 13,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels, but overall seems to be decreasing. There was an M1.2 flare from AR 13784 yesterday at 22:57 UT after over 16 hours without M-flares. AR 13784 produced another M1.0 flare at 17:29 UT (while we were observing an optical sub-flare from AR 13780 at the same time). AR 13784 is growing in spot number and magnetic complexity. It also was the source of a few C-class flares. AR 13780 continues to be the largest region on the visible disk, growing in spot number. However, it remained mostly inactive, only producing C-class and optical subflares. AR 13785 and 13788 grew slightly but were mostly inactive. All the other spotted regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

A filament observed during yesterday’s session erupted today approximately at 8:00 UT. It was an 8 degree long feature located in the southwestern part of the solar disk. It launched a CME that is likely to miss the Earth, passing too far south (but further analysis is pending at SWPC).<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and have celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13780 (right of center) dominates this view, with AR 13781 the larger single spot top center; and 13786 bottom center. AR 13777 is just visible near the right edge of the image\/Sun as it rotates out of view. AR 13782 is visible on the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The image centers on AR 13780, which has been the primary target for flare watch observations. However, it has only produced some C-class and optical sub-flares. It is starting to approach the western limb, following AR 13777.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13784 is the large feature just above the image center. It has been more active than the flare-watch target (13780), producing 2 M-class flares in less than 24 hours. AR 13782 is visible on the right edge of the image; 13788 is the larger spots in the lower left corner; and 13785 is the smaller spots bottom just left of center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view now centers a bit more on AR 13784, with part of 13782 visible to the right, on the image edge. It was mostly inactive during this image but produced an M1.0 flare a little less than one hour after this image was taken.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels, with M-class flares expected and a chance for X-class flares through 15 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 12,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity stayed at moderate levels with three M-class flares since midday yesterday. AR 13780 produced an M1.3 flare yesterday at 23:58 UTC. This region has begun to decay. AR 13777 produced an M1.7 flare at 20:18 UT yesterday and an M1.0 flare at 8:48 UT today. This was the last M-flare today, only C-class activity continued since then, through 22:35 UT. AR 13784 has shown some growth and has been the source of two C-class flares and several optical subflares. All the other regions remained stable today. ARs 13774, 13777, 13783, and 13786 all had at least some minor flaring events.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and have celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13774 and 13777 are in the process of rotating out of view. AR 13780 will follow in several days.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of these regions are either stable or in slow decline. All of the M-class flares of the last two days came from this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13784 is growing as is 13788. Each of these regions have been mainly quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same region as seen in H-alpha, but with the view shifted westward some. This part of the Sun had been mainly quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with M-class flares expected and a chance for X-class flares through 14 August due to the flaring potential of AR 13780 and 13784.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 9,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains high with five M-class flares and an X1 flare since yesterday mid-day. All the M-class flares were below M5 level and came from AR 13777 (3 events), 13780 (2 events) and 13781 (1 event). The most recent was an M4.5 from AR 13777 at 21:23 UT today. Yesterday’s X1.3 came from the leader spot of AR 13777; since this event, the region’s spots started to break up and the region as a whole started to decay. A faint CME came from an M1.3 event from AR 13777 at 4:41 UT on 8 August. The X1.3 also produced a CME which could arrive around 12 August. The image below shows the extreme ultraviolet sequence of yesterday’s X1 flare as imaged by Solar Dynamics Observatory. Click the image for the animation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13780 has grown again to 1250 MSH, up from yesterday’s 1110 MSH. Of the nine spotted active regions (8 are numbered), six are magnetically complex (four with delta spot\/magnetic configurations), and these are each larger than 160 MSH (two are as large as 400 MSH). All of this continues to be carried across the solar disk by the Sun’s rotation.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky and have celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13777 (just below and left of image center, the long diagonal string of spots), along with AR 13774 (just right of image center) follow AR 13372 (near sun’s edge lower right) toward the solar western edge, carried along by rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The regions described at left appear here also, along with a couple filaments. Also visible in both images is AR 13775, the small spot near the top center edge of the image. Much of the activity has been coming from this part of the Sun. AR 13780 is just visible in the lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13780 is the large spot flanked by two smaller groups of spots in the lower right corner. Above this is AR 13783 (above and right of image center), 13781 (just above image center) and 13782 (below and left of image center. The large spot on left edge is AR 13784.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This zone of the Sun, as it appears in H-alpha. Each of these regions has produced at least a sub-flare with the exception of AR 13783.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with continuing M-class flares and a chance for X-class flares through 10 August due to half the visible active regions maintaining complex magnetic fields.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 8,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels with 10 M-class flares since yesterday morning, and an X-class flare this afternoon, the first since the pair on the morning (local time) of August 5). AR 13777 produced an M5.0\/2B flare yesterday at 18:54 UT. It also produced an X1.3\/2B flare this afternoon at 19:35 UT, right as we were acquiring the region as the H-alpha filter had just come online. There were several coronal mass ejections (CME’s observed yesterday and today, four in total (plus another possibly related with the recent X1 flare). At least two of these are heading toward Earth and one will miss; analysis is pending on the other(s).<\/p>\n

AR 13780 had shrunk a bit to 1110 MSH from yesterday’s 1220 MSH. It only produced a few C-class flares today. It just produced an M1.2 flare at 22:51 UT. Of the nine numbered active regions on the visible disk currently, six are magnetically complex and capable of at least M-class flare activity. Aside from the aforementioned M-class and X-class events, ARs 13777\u00a0 and 13781 produced M-class flares today- three from the former and two from the latter.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated on the image. The red continuum images are in the first column, and the H-alpha images are in the second. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky unless indicated otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 13777 (left), 13774 (center) and 13772 (right) slowly approach the west limb, especially the latter.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13777 (above left with bright arcs) about 12 minutes after the X-ray peak of today’ s largest flare. This region continues to be the most active on the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13780 (bottom right) with 13781 (above image center), an unnamed region to the right of it, and AR 13782 (likely two regions, left) and 13783 (far left on solar edge) as imaged in this 13.8’x15.2′ image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Compared to the western half of the Sun, this zone seems to be much more quiet, with only C-class and optical subflare activity and an occasional M-class flare or two.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with continuing M-class flares and a chance for X-class flares through 10 August due to the large number of magnetically complex regions on the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 7,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar observations resumed today as the Sun is in an extended period of elevated solar activity. It is interesting to note that earlier this year there were large numbers of sunspot groups, each with only a few spots, usually with one or two notable exceptions. Now we are seeing more and larger active regions on the solar disk. Over the past seven days, there were a total of 45 M-class flares plus two X-class flares, which occurred less than two hours apart from opposite sides of the solar disk on 5 August. The frequency of M-flares seems to have subsided but they are expected to continue as there are several large sunspot groups capable of producing M-class flares on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The current solar cycle has surged in activity level in recent weeks, with the sunspot number reaching levels comparable to Solar Cycle 23. It was originally predicted that this cycle would be like Cycle 24, which was more of a low-key cycle. Observations began at PVSO in 1999, and the plot below shows the Sun\u2019s activity cycle in terms of sunspot number since the start of solar observations at PVSO to the present time. The jagged black curve are actual sunspot numbers, averaged for each month. The blue curve is the smoothed monthly values; the red curve is the predicted sunspot number for the rest of Solar Cycle 25, and the gray zone is the range of predicted values for this current cycle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n(image courtesy of NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Currently the sun is operating at moderate activity levels with four M-class flares today (through 23:00 UT on 7 August) and one M-class flare early yesterday. AR 13774 produced an M1.8\/1N flare today at 2:30 UT. This region is slowly growing and has developed a small magnetic delta configuration, increasing the probability of its flaring some more. AR 13781 produced an M1.1\/1N shortly after this, at 4:57 UT today. This region also developed a delta magnetic field configuration and is growing. Neither of these flares generated CME\u2019s. AR 13777 is magnetically complex and has grown significantly since 18:00 UT yesterday, with spot area and number increasing and a delta configuration in its trailer spots. This region was the source of an M5.0 at 18:54 UT today (about 50 minutes after the close of today\u2019s observing session\u2026). The fourth M-class flare, an M4.5\/SF at 13:50 UT today, which came from AR 13774.<\/p>\n

AR 13780 has grown to 1220 millionths of a solar hemisphere. This is bringing it closer to the \u201ctop 25\u201d list of the largest solar active regions, by areal coverage, since 1996 (for the full list, go to https:\/\/www.spaceweatherlive.com\/en\/solar-activity\/top-25-sunspot-regions.html<\/a>). The number one region in terms of size is AR 12192, which, on 27 October 2014, reached a maximum size of 2750 MSH. We observed this spot (images below) during the 23 October 2014 partial solar eclipse, when it was large, but not quite this large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nTwo views of the 2014 partial solar eclipse, featuring large AR 12192 (the largest spot complex on the visible solar disk). Other regions include AR 12194 (lower left) and 12193 (upper right of 12192), and 12187 (directly right of 12192). A fifth region, 12195, is hidden from view by the Moon. It is in the lower left part of each image, below 12194. Each image was a simple exposure taken afocally through he low-power eyepiece of a 4.5-inch (11.4 cm) reflecting telescope.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the below images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north is up, west is right. The red continuum images below are in the first column and are each 0.5 second exposures; the H-alpha images in the right column, and above, are each 0.5\u00a0 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13777 (left), AR 13774 (center), 13770 (the extension below 13774), and 13772 (right edge) as imaged at the time indicated above.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions remain active and have the potential for some activity today and over the next several.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Large AR 13780 (bottom center) is accompanied by 13781 (above and left of center, the larger spots), an unnumbered group (below and right of 13781), and AR 13782 (left edge) as imaged at the time indicated.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13780 dominates the group in size and spot number, but has been quiet in terms of activity. AR 13781 (above and left) has produced more flares recently than 13780.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with M-class flares continuing and a chance for X-class flares through 9 August. This is due to the high number of sunspot groups capable of producing large flares on the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

__________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

July 20,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be moderate today. AR 13751 continues to be the most complex region on the solar disk and increased in spot number, especially in the trailing parts of the group. AR 13744 produced an M1.5 flare (image just below near flare peak) as it approached the western limb of the Sun. This region began to grow some. AR 13761 is also growing in area and in spot number. Another new region, AR 13762, has rotated onto the visible solar disk. Another solar filament disappeared before today’s observing session: this event began around 15:00 UT today. The remaining spotted regions showed only minor changes. In all, there were a total of 13 spotted active regions and three spotless regions. Three more spotless regions are very close or on the western limb.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> After about 17:00 UT today, AR 13744 was responsible for most of the flares, and through the rest of the day. The M1.2 is shown near peak intensity (bright spots). AR 13759 is seen on the bottom edge of the\u00a0 image frame.<\/p>\n

The above and each of the below images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north is up, west is right. The red continuum images below are in the first column and are each 0.25 second exposures; the H-alpha images in the right column, and above, are each 0.5\u00a0 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Of the complex of active regions near the west limb, only AR 13747 and 13745 are easily visible. AR 13759 is above image center and the leading part of 13751 is just enter the frame at left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone in H-alpha appears rather unremarkable. AR 13745 and 13759 were each responsible for one flare event earlier today but had been quiet since.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13751 and 13761 appear to merge in this image, with 13756 persisting at the left and part of 13759 visible toward the upper right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Although it was intended to be the flare watch target for today’s short observing session, AR 13751 stayed quiet. It earlier produced an M1.8 at 7:20 UT and several C-class flares. AR 13744 “stole the show” for this observing session with its own M-class flare (above).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of X-class flares through 23 July.<\/p>\n

PROGRAM NOTE: This will be the last entry in the solar observation log until 12 August, possibly a few days earlier due to an anticipated prolonged wet weather event and other circumstances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 19,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels with AR 13753 producing an M3.2 flare at 8:23 UT today, 19 July. AR 13751 produced an M2.0\/1N flare at 18:06 UT (before we were able to open due to lingering cloudiness). This region is the largest and most complex (magnetically speaking) spot group. There are 18 numbered active regions on the visible solar disk and 15 of them were unchanged or slowly declining. ARs 13744, 13759, and 13761 showed some gradual growth today.<\/p>\n

Beginning at about 18:29 UT today, a filament in the southeast quadrant of the solar disk, south of the AR 13751\/13761 complex began to disappear. We observed this filament from the start of the H-alpha sequence and noticed it was unusually active so it was monitored. Unfortunately a slow moving cloud blocked the view for 15 minutes or so, but it disappeared during that time (images below depict the change and disappearance). The filament actually lifted off and produced a weak CME that will miss the Earth.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below were recorded at the indicated times and these show the dramatic changes in the appearance of the filament. Each of the six images cover the indicated area on the solar disk and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. Solar north is rotated 5.8 degrees counterclockwise (left).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This image covers 13.8’x16.7′ on the sun’s disk and was just as the event was starting.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>After only a few minutes one can notice significant changes in the filament structure. This image covers 13.8’x16.6′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Further changes noted as the event proceeds. This image was taken about 32 minutes after the previous and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>It appears that part of the filament is lifting off of the solar disk. This image covers 13.8’x15.9′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Part of the filament has vanished in this image, which covers 13.8’x15.9′ on the solar disk and sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A cloud interrupted the watch for 15 minutes or so, but it is evident that most of the filament is gone. This image covers 13.8’x15.9′.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each image below is a 0.5 second exposure and is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image in the table covers 13.8’x15.9′, except the last (with the filament), which covers 13.8’x16.6′ of the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13747 is visible in the lower right, while the others in this group (13742, 13745, 13758) have become difficult to distinguish. AR 13759 are the spots left of image center; the pair below it are blemishes from the system.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same scene but as seen in H-alpha. The aforementioned group is approaching the west limb, followed by AR 13759. ARs 13742 and 13743 each produced a single small flare event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The active complex forms a line across the solar disk, with AR 13759 (upper right) leading, followed by AR 13751\/13761 (just above and left of center). AR 13756 is on the left edge of the image. AR 13750 is below the trailing spot of 13759. AR 13755 is in the upper left corner. The rest of the dark spots are blemishes from the processing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun as seen in H-alpha, reveals the filament discussed above. This covers roughly the same surface area of the Sun as seen in the left image, at the time indicated. AR 13751 produced most of of the events that took place today, including the above-mentioned M2.0 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of X-class flares through 22 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 18,2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity returned to moderate levels as AR 13753 produced an M1.2 flare at 19:51 UT on 17 July, followed by an M2.0 flare at 19:58 UT yesterday. AR 13751 generated an M2.2 flare at 10:14 UT on 18 July, followed by an M2.0 flare just 13 minutes later. AR 13751 also produced a number of C-class flares as it grows and becomes more complicated magnetically. AR 13760 rapidly emerged just north of the solar disk center. There are a total of 18 spotted active regions and one spotless plage area on the visible solar disk. Most of these were little changed and mostly quiet.<\/p>\n

There was a large prominence that erupted off the southeast limb of the Sun. This event produced a Coronal Mass Ejection that became visible by satellite by 19:00 UT on 17 July. A solar filament disappeared in the northwest quadrant of the Sun at approximately 4:26 UT on 18 July. This event did not produce a CME, indicating that the filament was reabsorbed.<\/p>\n

Each image below is a 0.5 second exposure and is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image in the first column covers 13.8’x13.8′ and each in the second column cover 18.0’x13.8′. Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several formerly prominent spot groups are migrating toward the western limb. AR 13747 is the large spot and pair of spots near the bottom. AR 13742 is the single spot near the limb. AR 13758 is the spot group near the image center. At the top is AR 13753, and toward the left that single spot is an artefact.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha view of the same region includes most of the spots listed in the left image, but AR 13753 is off the top edge. AR 13759 is visible as the pair of spots to the left. After the pair of M-class flares earlier today, there had only been C-class flares from a variety of active regions, with AR 13751 contributing most.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13751 is near image center, with 13759 near the right edge and 13756 near the left edge (the single spot). An artifact appears below the left edge of 13751 and AR 13755 is toward the upper left corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun is shown in part, but the focus is shifted south to include an active filament. The bright ribbons right of image center is a long duration C3.7 flare at its X-ray peak.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of X-class flares through 20 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 17,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to moderate levels. AR 13743 produced an M5.0\/2B flare at 6:39 UT on 17 July, This was followed quickly by an M3.4 flare at 7:08 UTC. Then AR 13738 produced an M1.2\/SF at 9:45 UT today. Since then the X-ray background decreased steadily, returning the Sun to low activity for several hours. Then at 19:51 UT, AR 13743 produced an M1.2 flare, followed quickly by an M2.0 flare at 19:58 UT.\u00a0 C-class flares came from ARs 13751 and 13753, with optical subflares came from AR 13744. There are a total of 15 active regions on the visible solar disk, but most of these are inactive and stable.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ and each in the bottom row cover 18.0’x13.8′. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 4.9 degrees counter clockwise (left) in the images. Each image is a 0.25 second exposure except where indicated otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13738 has rotated out of view and is on the limb at the spot indicated. The rest of the regions in this part of the Sun are rotating toward the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view in H-alpha shows a filament nearing the western limb of the Sun. Much of today’s activity has been coming from this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Still more active regions (labeled) are visible on the eastern half of the Sun. Most are unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, as seen in H-alpha, shows a new active region emerging (below and right of image center, bright spot), likely to be labeled AR 13758.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with a chance for X-class flares on 17 July. The moderate activity is expected to continue on the 18th and 19th of July, with only a slight chance of X-class flares as AR 13738 rotates further behind the west limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 16,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels this morning with an X1.9\/1B flare from departing AR 13738. AR 13744 produced an M1.3 flare at 3:01 UT today; AR 13753 was the source of an M3.6 flare today at 7:37 UT, which was the second largest today. After the X1 flare, the Sun had become remarkably quiet (through 21:12 UT). AR 13743 and 13751 have grown in spot number and magnetic complexity since yesterday. AR 13755 and 13756 rotated into view, but these, along with the rest of the 15 visible active regions, were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> This is an animated GIF (click on the image for the animation) from Solar Dynamics Observatory showing the X1 flare in the extreme ultraviolet.<\/p>\n

Later this day, AR 13753 produced an M1.6 flare at 21:24. This was promptly followed by an M1.0 pre-flare from AR 13744, which itself was followed by the main event, an M1.9 flare, which peaked at 22:06 UT.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures and each covering 18.0’x13.8′ on the Sun (unless indicated otherwise), are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 18.0’x13.8′ on the Sun (unless indicated otherwise), are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 4.5 degrees counterclockwise (left) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many active regions are documented, in whole and in part, in this image. Each is labeled.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Close in view of AR 13738 on the edge showing a bit of limb surge. This image is 13.8’x13.8′ in size.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>There is some overlap with the top image. This covers the regions near the disk center of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This view is shifted toward the west compared with the previous image (immediately on the left), showing several filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More active regions have rotated into view as seen in this image of the east-southeast part of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x13.8′ image is shifted slightly northward to include AR 13754 and 13752 along the top edge. An unnumbered spot is seen on the edge just below the left end of this pair of active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate moderate, with a slight chance for X-flares through 18 July 2024.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 15,2024<\/h2>\n

Another five days have passed before the next observation session was possible due to various factors. Over the weekend, specifically on 14 July at 2:34 UT, AR 13738 produced an X1.2 flare, the strongest in recent days. It has been a little while since there was an X-flare. This region also produced numerous M-flares over the last five days, including an M5.0 at 23:01 UT, 13 July; and, more recently, an M2.7 at 9:37UT. We observed several hours today (15:06 to 18:31 UT) and the region stayed quiet the entire time. It had not produced another M-flare since this morning’s event, through 22:25 UT (15 July). AR 13738 continued to be the largest and most complex region on the visible disk.<\/p>\n

AR 13752 rotated onto the disk over the ENE limb. AR 13753 emerged west of the solar disk meridian. ARs 13743 and 13744 each grew a bit. The remaining visible active regions on the solar disk are mostly stable or gradually decaying.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and each covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 4.0 degrees counterclockwise (left) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13738 (lower right, large spot) and 13736 (single small spot left of large spot) are preparing to rotate over the WSW limb. Along the left edge of the image is AR 13753 (left edge, middle) and 13745\/13743 (lower left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image focuses on the AR 13736\/13738 pair, with a small solar flare (bright spot) in progress. This was a C4.5\/SF that peaked at 16:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several regions are seen in this image: part of AR 13753 is visible at the top edge; AR 13745 is right at image center, with 13743 being the small spots right and slightly above. AR 13747 is the large spot and attendants, with 13742 being the single spot toward the upper right of 13747.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view shifts a bit in this H-alpha image. Now AR 13747 is on the bottom edge of the image, with 13745 being the large group of spots just above it. AR 13753 is seen toward the upper right, “capped” by a dark AR filament. Left of it is AR 13744, and on the left edge is part of AR 13748.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More active regions have rotated into view. The long string of spots is AR 13751. Below and right is 13750, and below that is 13749. Another group is rotating into view near the top along the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same part of the solar disk is imaged in H-alpha in this view, with AR 13751 being the prominent region. This part of the Sun had been quiet today with only AR 13750 producing a SF at 18:31 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate levels, with a chance for X-flares through 17 July 2024.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 10,2024<\/h2>\n

After one week break from observations due to the long holiday weekend and the passage of Hurricane Beryl through the area on Monday 8 July. Solar activity reached, and continues to be at, moderate levels. AR 13738 rotated into view on 5 July and has grown and become magnetically complex, raising its capability of producing M-class flares. This region produced an M1.5 flare today at 5:59 UT and an M1.3 flare today at 9:45 UT. These were followed by an M1.4 flare at 12:04, and M1.1 flare at 13:04, and an M1.0 flare at 15:37. Since then, through at least 21:15 UT, the region has only produced C-class flares, including three observed during today’s session.<\/p>\n

There are a total of 12 spot groups on the visible disk of the Sun today, eight of which are numbered. With the exception of 13738, all of these were relatively stable and quiet. AR 13738 has a surface area of 320 MSH (millionths of a solar hemisphere), and all the other regions have much smaller areas of coverage.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right, with the solar north pole rotated 1.8 degrees counter-clockwise (left) in the images.. The red continuum image, 0.25 sec exposure, is presented 0n the left; the H-alpha image, 0.5 sec exposure, is on the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This 18.0’x13.8′ image shows most of the active regions on the visible solar disk (labeled). a new region may be emerging between AR 13743 and13742.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area as seen in H-alpha shows not only the regions but at least three prominent filaments. This image covers 17.6’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for M-class flares, through 12 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 3,2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels again with an isolated M1.5 flare from AR 13730 at 7:41 UT today, 3 July. AR 13730 has decayed some, but AR 13729 has grown some, along with 13733. AR 13729 remains the largest and most complex active region on the visible solar disk. All the the other 11 spotted regions are unremarkable, and AR 13723 (the third rotation apparition of AR 13664) has decayed to spotless plage.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ and is a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 1.3 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Lots of active regions are visible in this image, and many of them are starting to rotate close to the western limb and\/or out of view. On the Sun’s edge are AR 13722 and 13724 (right edge of image). The pair just below and left is AR 13730. AR 13727 is the double-spot below image center. To the upper left is large 13729; above that is 13733, which is growing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions are shown in this H-alpha image. AR 13730 (below and right of image center) produced an M1.5 flare early today. Since this event, the Sun has been quiet, with only low-level C-class activity (5 events, nothing above a C2.5) following the M1 flare, as of 17:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13734 (the complex that includes two close spots at the right edge of the image along with a single spot left of them) and 13735 (single spot above trailing spot of 13734) are joined by AR 13735 (lower left) rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13736 had been the source of several low-level C-class flare events today. The two regions in the upper right corner of the image have been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through 5 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 1, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was bumped up to moderate levels by an M2.1 flare at 11:02 UT today from AR 13730. This was and continues to be the largest flare of the day (as of 20:37 UT). Only minor\/low-level C-class events and optical subflares have happened today. ARs 12729 and 13730 were responsible for all the flare events so far today. AR 13729 is the most complex AR on the visible solar disk. AR 13730 and 13732 had both showed growth among their spots. The remaining (many) numbered active regions were either stable or gradually decaying. There are a couple of large filaments in the northeast sector.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. The top row of images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, and the second row of images cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the Sun. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 2.2 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions are being carried along by the Sun’s rotation and are nearing the west limb of the Sun. Between AR 13732 and 13730 and located almost directly below image center, is what is left of AR 13723.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13727 is seen to the left and below of the image center. Below it is AR13728; immediately right of it is 13727. The vertical pair 13722 and 13724 appear along the left edge of the image, with 13730 to their lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More regions: AR 13734 (upper left, string of spots), 13735 (single spot above 13734), 13729 (the long string of many spots just below and right of image center), 13733 (the wide pair of spots above 13729) and 13731 (the single spot below the trailing end of 13729).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions as shown at left, but viewed in H-alpha, with AR 12727 included in the lower right corner. AR 13729 is the most complex and largest active region currently visible on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through 3 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 29, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels. There were only low level C-class X-ray activity yesterday and today. The largest events were a pair of C5 flares from AR 13734: a C5.6 at 15:29 UT today and a C5.9 just nine minutes later. Only minor changes were observed among 12 of the 14 numbered active regions currently visible on the near side of the Sun. Two of these just rotated into view over the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and each covering 18.0’x13.8′ (except for the first, which covers 13.8’x13.8′) on the Sun, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ (except for the last image, which covers 18.0’x13.8′) on the Sun, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 2.7 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Large spot AR 13719 (lower right) is about to be carried out of view by rotation. Following it is AR 13720 (a pair of tiny spots right of image center). AR 13722 (top of two larger single spots just left of center) and 13724 (bottom) remain quiet and unchanged.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions have been quiet overall, with no recorded flare events from any of them today. The small dots just to the left of AR 13724 are parts of AR 13730.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several spot groups appear in this image centered near the Sun’s disk center. The large prominent spot is AR 13727 (just below and left of image center). Just to the right of the spot is 13732. Below both is 12728. Right of 13732 is 13723 (pair of spots just right of centerline of image), and 13730 (just before you get to the vertical pair of spots mentioned above). Finally there are three groups toward the left and upper left that will be described below.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Part of the region on the left is shown in H-alpha. AR 13728 (below large spot on left), produced a C2.3 flare at 13:13UT and an optical sub-flare at 8:52 UT, but has otherwise been quiet as has the rest of the regions shown here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Focus shifts toward the eastern limb, with AR 13729 dominating the part of the image just below its center. The single dot below it is AR 13731. the newly emerging spot group 13729 is AR 13733. Toward the upper left is AR 13734 (bottom, the source of most of the flares today) and 13735.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region is shown here but in H-alpha. The pair of C5 flares from AR 13734 occurred just before we opened the dome so we missed it. But these regions were monitored the better part of one hour for activity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through 1 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 28, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be quiet as activity remains low. The largest flare was a C6.6\/SF at 23:47 UT on 27 June from AR 13730. Apparently the leading end of AR 13723 began to display characteristics that point to it being a distinct and separate active region, so it was numbered as such. This flare was the largest since a C6.2 happened at 15:25 UT on 26 June, and all the subsequent C-class flares were less intense. ARs 13723, 13737, 13728, and 13729 were the only regions to produce flares (so far, as of 17:30 UT) today and all of these were C-class or optical subs. The largest of these was a C3.9 at 2:08 UT from an undisclosed location. AR 13728 has grown slightly, as has 13729. All the other regions were quiet and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures and each covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ (first image) and 15.8’x13.8′ (second image) on the Sun, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 3.6 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13719 (large spot, lower right) is nearing the western limb. Following (above and left) is AR 13720. Single spots 13722 and 13724 are seen along the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same region as seen in H-alpha looks quiet and it has been quiet as none of these regions have flared in the last day or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nThe designated active regions are visible in this image made just south of the Sun’s disk center. This includes the pair of single spots seen in the above image, and the small complex of regions below and right of AR 13727.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The trailing end of the train of active regions. AR 13729 is above and left of image center. Below it is a single spot, AR 13730. Below and right of image center are the regions that are also shown in the image above.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is a fairly active region on the Sun. Most of the flares in recent days have come from this part of the Solar disk. Several filaments are also visible in the lower third of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through 30 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 27, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low after yesterday’s M1 flare early in the day. Today, there was only C-class activity from AR’s 13723, 13727, 13729, plus a single small C2.0 flare at 17:15 UT from AR 13719. The largest of today’s flares (so far, as of 23:00 UT) was a C4.8 from AR 13729. Despite its magnetic complexity and the forecast for “likely M-class flares”, AR 13723 has been very quiet. ARs 13723 and 13720 have experienced some decay, while AR 13729 has experienced some growth. AR 13729 also produced a C4.0 flare at 21:53 UT. All the other regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposures and each covering 18.0’x13.8′ on the Sun, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 4.1 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions as they begin to rotate toward the western limb. ARs 13722 (top, left) and 13724 (left, bottom) continue to be quiet; AR 13720 (just above image center), is also unremarkable; and AR 13719 (large spot below and right of center) is mostly quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as depicted at left, but with the view shifted to include AR 13721 (upper left).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The trailing end of the string of ARs: AR 13723 extends across the middle of the image, below image center, except for the large spot at left, which is AR 13727. AR 13728 is below and right of 13727. AR 13729 is located in the upper left part of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same ARs as depicted at left, minus the AR 13722\/13724 pair. Several filaments are also present, toward the bottom of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely through 29 June due to the flaring potentials of ARs 13723 and 13729.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 26, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate due to an M1.0\/SF that came from AR 13723 at 12:45 UT, 25 June. Since then, solar activity was low with the X-ray background trending lower over the course of the last three days. There were only a few C-flares and optical subflares from ARs 13723 and 13724, the largest of which was a c6.2\/SF today at 15:30 UT (prior to the start of our observing session). AR 13723 has decayed slightly as has AR 13720. AR 13727 has grown in spot count. The large filament that we had been following lifted off the surface at 23:10 UT on 24 June and produced a CME which will graze Earth’s magnetic field on 28 June. Aside from the regions mentioned, the other six numbered active regions are stable and quiet.<\/p>\n

Each image below is presented with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures and each covering 18.0’x13.8′ on the Sun, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures and covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 4.5 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The western half of the trail of activ regions are shown in this image. Each of the regions is labeled, with AR 13719 including the trailing spots and the large leader further right. The pair of spots in the lower left are shown, and identified, in the image below.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image is roughly centered on the Sun’s disk center, and this includes the five active regions shown at left. This part of the Sun has been mostly quiet. The shading in the upper right corner is an artefact of the camera system.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The trail of sunspot groups, the eastern half, are depicted above. These are also labeled with their identifiers. There is overlap with the image directly above as AR’s 13722 and 13724 appear in both. Another active region, AR 13729, has rotated into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as depicted at left, with the addition of a filament, bottom center. This part of the Sun has also been mainly quiet recently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely through 28 June due to the flaring potentials of ARs 13720 and 13723.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 25, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun has been at moderate activity level with occasional M1 flares erupting. AR 13713 produced an M1.1 flare from just over the western limb. AR 13723 remains the most magnetically complex active region on the visible solar disk but has changed little over the last day-and-a-half. It was the source of an M1.0\/SF that peaked at 12:45 UT this morning. It had been mainly quiet otherwise, with the most recent event being a C5.6 flare at 19:25 UT today.\u00a0 A 35 degree long filament lifted off the southeast disk of the Sun about 23:10 UT on 24 June. This may have generated a CME which emerged off the western edge of the Sun. All the other active regions on the Sun were mostly stable and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The large solar filament we had been following over the last week or so has disappeared, between about 0:24 and 13:21 UT today. It was not seen during this morning’s observing session.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 5.0 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13719 is the large single spot right of center, with a cluster of trailing spots left of it. AR 13720 is the linear cluster above image center. On the right edge is AR 13722 (top) and 13724 (bottom).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha view of these four active regions reveal a quiet zone on the Sun with little activity. A few filaments are visible, especially just below and right of AR 13720.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This trail of spots continues to the east limb. The 13722\/13724 pair appear again just below and right of image center. AR 13723 is the elongated spot group lower left; the large end spot is AR 13727.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Aside from what was going on just over the western limb of the Sun, this region has been the most active, but even so, the activity was not much out of the ordinary. It was mostly C-flares from AR 13723.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely through 27 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 24, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became high with an M9.3\/1N\u00a0 flare from AR 13723 at 13:01 UT on 23 June. Prior to this, there was a pair of M2 flares, one at 6:30 UT on 223 June and one at 8:55 UT on 22 June. Several eruptions came from A 13713 (now on the western limb) and this raised the X-ray background to M-levels for almost four hours after the initial eruption. There was slight growth in AR 13720, and 13723 is likely old AR 13664 starting a third rotation across the visible solar disk. The remaining regions were either stable or in decay. Two filaments erupted early today within 32 minutes of each other. One started at 1:15 UT on 24 June, and the next started at 1:47 UT on 24 June. The former was in the southern hemisphere just past the disk central meridian; the latter happened in the northwest quadrant of the disk. Aside from the eruptions this morning and an M1.1 at 19:10 UT from AR 13912, solar activity had returned to low levels.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers the area indicated with each, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 5.4 degrees clockwise (right) in the images. The second image below is a close up of the west limb and is rotated so that celestial west is up, north is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13713 and 13716 have rotated completely out of view, but the trailing end of 13712 (arrowed) remains visible today. This image covers 13.8’x13,8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Limb activity reveal the locations of the departed active regions: the surge in the upper left part of the view is likely associated with AR 13716. The activity toward the right on the solar limb are from AR 13712 and 13713. This image is 10.3’x6.8′ and enlarged with respect to the others to bring out the subtle details.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Many active regions (labeled) are rotating into better view. The spot at top, right of center, has not yet been numbered. This and the next image are 13.8’x16.5′.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same set of active regions as depicted at left. This image, taken at the time listed, covers 13.8’x 16.5′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely through 25 June; this drops to a chance for M-class flares on 26 June. There is a slight chance for an isolated X-class flare through 25 June as ARs 13712, 13713, and 13716 continue to rotate further out of view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 21, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity became high late yesterday as AR 13719 produced an impulsive M5.7\/1B which peaked at 23:16 UT on 20 June. This region showed minor growth but remained small compared to the three regions (13712, 13713, and 13716) that are rotating toward the western limb of the Sun. AR 13713 produced most of the C-class flare activity yesterday and continued to do so today as it grew in size and spot number. It continues to maintain a complex magnetic field configuration and was observed to produced another C-class flare during today’s session: a C4.6 at 15:57 UT today. ARs 13712 and 13716 are mostly unchanged and produced a few C-class flares both today and yesterday. AR 13718, the single spot near the center of the solar disk yesterday, disappeared by this morning, having decayed to plage late yesterday. Two new active regions are rotating into view, a single spot near N25 E 80 and a pair of spots near S12 E 85. There are a total of seven spot groups on the visible solar disk today, five of which are numbered.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 9.9 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13716 (top), 13713 (just below image center) and 13712 (bottom) continue to be large and be carried toward the limb by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Most of the recorded activity came from this part of the Sun, but only in the form of C-flares today and yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13719 (large spot with trailing spots left of it along the bottom edge) and 13720 (above and left of 13719) are coming into better view. Also becoming visible are new regions, a pair of spots along the edge, lower part of the image; and a single spot at the top of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region as seen in the light of H-alpha, shows the typical H-alpha detail which includes bright plages near the spot groups, and several filaments. Both of yesterday’s M-class flares (an M1 and M5) came from AR 13719. No further M-flares have occurred up to 17:45 UT, 21 June.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares, through 23 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 20, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low overall, with the exception of an isolated M1.1\/SB flare that occurred from AR 13719 at 15:18 UT (we were not able to observe this because of abundant cloud cover at the time). This region contributed a C7.1\/SF at 9:39 UT and two additional sub-flares today. In addition, it just produced a C6.5 flare which peaked at 19:38 UT. AR’s 13712, 13713, and 13716 continue to grow and become magnetically complex as they begin to approach the western limb of the Sun. AR 13712 was quiet and had not yet flared today or yesterday, except for optical SF’s at 13:44 and 16:44UT; AR 13713 has produced some C-class activity, including a C5 at 12:23 UT, and several optical subflares; and AR 13716 produced C-flares yesterday and today. While these three regions get closer to the western edge of the Sun (carried along by solar rotation), regions 13719 and 13720 are rotating into view.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 7.2 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13716 (top), 13713 (just below image center) and 13712 (bottom) have grown significantly in recent days.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite the sizes and magnetic complexities of each of these active regions, none of them have produced any significant flares in the last day or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two new regions have rotated into view, AR 13720 (top) and 13719 (bottom).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13719 and 13720 in H-alpha, with part of a long filament visible in the bottom right.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares are likely with a chance for isolated X-class flares through 22 June. This is due primarily to AR’s 13712, 13713, and 13716.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 14, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity reached moderate levels as AR 13713 produced an M3.2\/1N flare at 16:45 UT on 13 June. Then AR 13712 produced an M2.4\/SF at 4:32 UT on 14 June. Since then, only C-class and optical subflares\u00a0 (through at least 23:35 UT) occurred, with AR 13712 producing most of this activity today. AR 13712 has grown significantly over the last day or two, becoming more magnetically complex. Its neighbor on the Sun, AR 13713 also showed some growth as it added spots. AR 13709 and 13714 produced C-class flares yesterday but not so much today. AR 13711 and 13716 grew slightly over the last day or so. A filament, approximately 23 degrees long, erupted from the visible disk this morning between 8:49 and 9:40 UT from the southwest quadrant of the solar disk.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 9.9 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13709 (just right of center) continues to march across the solar disk and decay. It is accompanied by 13711 (left of it) and 13708 (below it).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun in H-alpha shows it to be very quiet. AR 13707, located right of 13709, has lost all of its spots and became an H-alpha plage region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13712 (bottom) is growing dramatically, accompanied by AR 13713 (left of disk center). Above both, at the top edge of the image, is AR 13716.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13716 (top) is growing slowly. AR 13712 (bottom) and 13713 (left of image center) are becoming better placed for observation, with the former producing minor flares regularly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through 16 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 12, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun returned to low activity levels with only minor C-class flare activity all day yesterday and today through 17:31 UTC. AR 13709 showed some redevelopment but nothing too major. It produced a C2.3 flare today at 5:53 UT and a C3.3 at 15:24 UT today. AR’s 13712 and 13713 rotated into view, with AR 13712 producing a C2.7 flare at 7:28 UT today and AR 13713 producing a C4.4 flare at 13:17 UT today. The rest of the spotted active regions were stable and quiet today. AR 13697 continues to be active on the solar far side. A Halo CME was observed by satellite starting at 23:06 UT 11 June. This is headed toward Mercury, on the far side of the Sun<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum image, a 0.25 second exposure, is displayed in the left column and the H-alpha image, a 0.5 second exposure, is displayed in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 10.8 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Active regions 13713 (upper near limb) and 13712 (below and left of it) join AR 13709 (largest group right of center). Also visible is AR 13711 (left of it) and 13708 (below it).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same five active regions are visible in this image, which shows a rather quiet zone of the Sun, reflective of the Earth facing side of the Sun as a whole.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to continue at low levels, with a lessening chance for isolated M-class flares through 14 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 11, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels after an M9.5 flare occurred at 18:40 UT yesterday from AR 13697 from behind the solar limb. GONG H-alpha imagery showed the top of the evolving flare structure throughout the event. AR 13709 is growing slightly and is now the largest region on the visible disk. It has produced little in the way of flare activity. The rest of the active regions were unchanged or in decay. Since the M9 flare, there were only C-class flares on a declining X-ray background. The largest were a pair of C9 events from AR 13697 at 3:51 UT and 4:59 UT, 11 June. One of the filaments observed in the northeast quadrant of the Sun yesterday morning may have lifted off the Sun yesterday afternoon around 21:45 UT. This resulted in a CME that was first observed by SOHO at 23:12 UT but the event will miss Earth.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 11.1 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the active regions on this part of the Sun have rotated out of view, leaving AR 13702 (top) and AR 13710 (arrowed).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun is looking very quiet also in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13709 is the largest spot group, near image center. AR 13708 is below it; 13707 is to the right of both; and 13711 is left of 13709.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This seems to be a more active area on the Sun, based on all the features visible. However, there has been little by way of flare activity from this area on the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be at moderate to high levels for the first part of today, with a chance for isolated X-class flares. As AR 13697 rotates further beyond the WSW limb, the chance for M-class flares decreases as does the chance for X-class flares, through 13 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 10, 2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13697 produced an “almost-X” flare at 1:50 UT on 8 June: an M9.7 flare as the region began to rotate over the west southwestern limb. Since then, only occasional low-level M-class flares have occurred. Solar activity then moved to high levels with an X1.5 flare coming from AR 13697 which had just rotated over the WSW limb, so part of the flare was eclipsed by the Sun itself. Nonetheless it shows up well in the SDO image shown below (click on the image for an animation of the event). The event occurred at 11:08 UT today. Then, 7 hours 32 minutes later at 18:40 UT today, the same region produced an M9.5 flare, with flare structures rising from behind the WSW limb. Since most of it was blocked by the Sun, it was likely a much stronger event than what was observed from Earth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13697 also produced an M1.0 flare at 20:17 UT 0n 9 June and an M3.3 flare at 6:09 UT on 10 June, along with many C-class flares. An M4.4 flare came from a source behind the ESE limb from a region that is about to rotate into view. AR 13703 has decayed a bit while AR 13709 has grown in spot number a bit. The rest of the active regions were rather unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated), with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 11.5 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 is no longer visible as it has just rotated over the limb. AR’s 13710 (closer pair of spots right of image center), 13703 and 13701 (the wider pair above this, closer to the limb) remain visible in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun, but displaced a bit north of the view at left. AR 13697 is marked by a diagonal extension feature, a surge off the limb. The remaining visible regions 13701, 13703, and 13710 are inactive.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13709 is the largest region just below and left of image center. AR 13708 is below it, near the bottom edge of the image; 13707 is toward the right; and 13711 is the pair of spots left of 13709.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun is imaged in H-alpha, which reveals a number of filaments scattered among the active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels through 10 June, with a decrease to low, with a chance for M-class flares during the 11-12 June time frame. This comes with a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 12 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 7, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains at moderate activity due to an M6.1\/2B flare from AR 13697 at 15:06 UT yesterday, 6 June. AR 13697, currently the largest and most complex active region on the visible disk, also produced many C-class flares and an M1.2 flare at 16:22 UT today. AR 13709 produced an M4\/SF flare at 9:13 UT, 7 June. This is the trailing region of a group of 3 regions that were sources of C-class activity. AR 13698 and 13703 continue to slowly grow as they approach the western limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated), with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 12.7 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13698 (top, toward the right) along with 13697 (bottom center) and 13701 (above 13697) are all approaching the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as depicted in the image at left, but in H-alpha. The region closer to the left side of the image is AR 13703.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions are shown and labeled in this 13.8’x18.0′ image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The five active regions, as seen in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate, with occasional M-class flares and a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 9 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 6, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity initially was at low levels but increased to moderate with an M5.1 flare at 15:09 UT (just before observing began). AR’s 13695, 13697, and 13698 all produced C-class activity, with the largest (prior to the M5) being a C9.5 from a region off the SE limb. This unseen region produced some interesting limb phenomena which was observed for 20 minutes (a possible flare or eruption) and which can be seen as a “bump” on the edge of the Sun in the last image below. AR 13697 continued to be the largest and most complex active region on the visible disk. AR 13698 and 13703 showed some growth, while the rest of the regions remained stable. A filament erupted from the NE part of the disk, starting around 16:00 UT yesterday, June 5. The large filament we’ve been following the last couple of weeks is still present, nearing the southwestern edge of the Sun.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images, each 0.25 second exposures, are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are in the right column. Celestial north is up, west is right, with the solar north pole rotated 13.1 degrees clockwise (right) in the images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13698 (upper right), 13701 (just below center), 13697 (bottom) and 13703 (left) are shown in this continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same AR’s as depicted in the image immediately left. The curved filament section above 13697 was active during today’s observations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The opposite side of the Sun’s disk appears much less active. AR 13702 is the single spot in the upper right corner; 13704 is toward the lower right, and a pair of un-numbered regions are rotating into view at left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone in H-alpha looks rather unremarkable. The same regions are shown as depicted at left, and the “bump” on the limb is activity from an unseen active region about to rotate into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to continue at moderate to high levels, with occasional M-class flares and a slight chance for isolated X-class flares through 8 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 4, 2024<\/h2>\n

Since the X1 flare late on 31 May, there had been two more X-class flares, both on 1 June, both from AR 13697. Since then, two to four M-class flares happened each day following. Solar activity continues at moderate levels, with the most recent M-class flares coming from AR 13695 and AR 13697. The largest flare of the last day or so was an M4.8\/2N from AR 1395. Both AR 13695 and 13697 have experienced slight decay, while AR’s 13698, 13701, and 13703 experienced slight growth. The most recent M-class flare was an M1.6 at 9:04UT today from AR 13697. Since this event, solar activity had dropped back to low levels, with only optical sub-flares and C-class flares happening through 20:51 UT today.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, unless otherwise indicated, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. The single image below the four is an H-alpha image. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13703 (upper left), 13701 (just above disk center) and 13697 (lower right) are depicted above.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone imaged at left shows a much more dynamic appearance in H-alpha. Each of the above regions has contributed at least an optical sub-flare today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13698 (just below and left of image center), and several smaller regions approach the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The pair of spots near the bottom edge are AR’s 13700 and 13694. Just above them is AR 136991. Above them are the complex made of three or four AR’s. AR 13698 is by itself in the upper left corner of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 is visible in the upper left corner, with several attendant filaments. Below and right of this region is the filament that was once unstable but has apparently stabilized as it is still visible. This image covers 15.9’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to continue at moderate to high levels, with occasional M-class flares and a chance for isolated X-class flares through 6 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 31, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels today, but recently increased to high levels with an isolated X1.1 flare from AR 13697 at 22:03 UT (image from SDO shown at right, below). This occurred a little less than two hours after we closed from the afternoon follow up observation session, which occurred as a result of unexpected clearing of the local skies. AR 13697 also produced an isolated M1.0 flare at 11:20 UT today. Active regions 13691, 13695, 13697, and 13698 also produced C-class flares quite regularly today.\u00a0 \u00a0A new region of magnetic flux, AR 13699, has emerged (labeled in the continuum regional image below) and is growing rapidly. AR 13697 and 13691 showed some decay, and 13698 showed some slight growth. The remaining regions were mainly unchanged and all of the visible spotted regions are depicted in the contextual full disk image (left) below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>White light context image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>X1 flare sequence (click to animate; image source: spaceweather.com)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Two long filaments grace the disk of the Sun. Part of one is shown with AR 13697 in the H-alpha image; this filament extends to just below the Sun’s disk center just south of new AR 13699. This filament was observed to be destabilizing at 8:00 UT today, but as of 23:01 UT today the filament remains intact. It may be gone by this time tomorrow. A second long filament starts as a broken structure near the south polar region and extends diagonally toward the southwestern limb, where it appears more intact. A number of smaller filaments are seen scattered across the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers the indicated dimensions on the sky, with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This image, covering 18.0’x11.6′, shows six of the seven visible spotted active regions on the Sun. Each are labeled. The gray triangle at the lower left corner of the image is an artefact caused by the camera and processing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image, spanning 15.6’x13.8′ on the Sun, shows the same area, approximately, as is shown at left, with the addition of a couple filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 continues to rotate into better view, as seen in this 13.8’x13.8′ image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Along with AR 13697, several small filaments are seen, along with the one large, unstable filament (along the bottom of the image). This image covers 16.4’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at moderate to high levels, with occasional M-class flares and a slight chance of an isolated X-class flare through 2 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 30, 2024<\/h2>\n

Since the M5.7 flare that we observed yesterday from AR 13691, solar activity decreased to low levels. This was short lived, as AR 13691 produced an M1.0 this morning at 7:13 UT, returning activity levels to moderate. This was the last M-class flare of today, as of 18:55 UT. AR 13691 produced multiple M-class flares yesterday (including the afore-mentioned M5) and has since quieted down as it appears to be in decay. The front half of AR 13697 is experiencing\u00a0 some growth while the trailing spots are showing slight decay.\u00a0 The rest of the spotted regions on the Sun were unremarkable, as shown by the full disk solar image below.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13691 appear at top center, with 13695 the scattering of spots left of the region. The single spot with the elongated core near image center is 13690, and 13693 is below this.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the solar disk in H-alpha appeared quiet throughout this morning’s observation session. The last significant flare from AR 13691 (as of this writing) was an M2 at 18:50 UT yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 has been mainly quiet today as it rotates more clearly into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 with the large filament west of it. This region produced a C6.8 flare at 18:46 UT, the largest since the M1 earlier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate to high, with occasional M-class flares and a slight chance of an isolated X-class flare through 1 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 29, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun had been relatively quiet over the long weekend, until an X2.9 flare erupted from just over the east south east edge of the Sun at 7:05 UT on 27 May. This region rotated into view and produced two of M1\/SF flares, one at 1:06 UT on 29 May and one at 6:45 UT on 29 May. Prior to these events, and after the X2 flare on the 27, there had only been frequent C-class flares. This region that rotated into view was designated AR 13697, but it was the old 13664 after spending two weeks on the farside of the Sun. This current region has shown some growth but only covers 1\/9th the surface area it covered at its maximum size on the previous rotation. AR 13691 has been visible several days and is likely the old region AR 13663 making a second rotation on the nearside of the Sun. It produced an M1 flare at 11:21 UT today and has shown slight growth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The above is a full disk image taken at the time indicated, which was about 22 minutes after the peak of a long duration X1 flare from AR 13697. This was not visible in the white light image at all, and the event kept the X-ray levels above X1 for an hour. This produced a bright coronal mass ejection (both the flare and the ejection are shown in images below.<\/p>\n

The rest of the spotted active regions were unremarkable, either stable or in decay. The first row of images below are images from the SDO (left panel) and the SOHO (right panel) showing the flare (in animation, click on the image to get the animation) and the CME, respectively.<\/p>\n

The images were obtained at the times indicated on each image. The first row are the SDO\/SOHO images mentioned above. The second row consists of a red continuum image and an H-alpha image, each 0.5 second exposures. The bottom row are both H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures. Each of the three H-alpha images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. North is up, west right in each image, except the PVSO images have celestial north up, the SDO\/SOHO images are placed so that solar north is up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Animated GIF of the X1 flare as “seen” in the extreme ultraviolet part of the spectrum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Bright CME as a result of the flare shown in the left panel. Venus is the bright object just right of the Sun and the Hyades with Aldebaran appear below in this SOHO image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the visible active regions are shown in this 18.0’x13.8′ view of the eastern and northeastern part of the Sun’s disk. This is a red continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13697 appears just left of image center, with a long filament south and west of the region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A multi-peaked M-class flare was observed today. This image shows AR 13691 with the event two minutes prior to the 18:28 peak at M2.7. It peaked optically ten minutes later (importance 2B).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The region seen two minutes after the optical peak and three minutes before the maximum peak of M5.7. Most of this interesting event was observed in spite of persistent cumulus clouds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels, with a few M-class flares likely, and a slight chance of more X-class flares, through at least 31 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 24, 2024<\/h2>\n

We concluded the five day stretch of solar observations before a four-day hiatus, and the Sun is trending less active. Activity had been high for a time yesterday afternoon and overnight but has decreased to low levels since the last M-class flare at 8:00 UT today. After some C-class flares, the X-ray background shows a decreasing trend, now (17:44 UT) at the C1.3 level. There were a total of five M-class flares over a 24 hour period. The largest of these was an M2.5 at 13:20 UTC yesterday, 23 May. AR 13679, the source of almost all of the flares so far today, produced two M-class flares: an M1.4 at 7:06 UT and an M1.0 at 8:01 UT, both 24 May. These were followed by an almost M-flare, a C9.7 at 9:11 UT. A new large active region is starting to rotate into view behind AR 13690.<\/p>\n

Three filaments erupted early yesterday (Universal time); the latter two occurred within 40 minutes of each other. These filament eruptions produced CME’s which will mostly miss Earth … the latter two may deal a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field sometime on 26 May.<\/p>\n

AR 13679 became the largest active region visible on the solar disk late yesterday, with a size of 480 MSH. AR 13685 is shrinking, now with a size of 400 MSH. Both are magnetically complex, with the former even more so. The other five numbered active regions and one unnumbered region were mostly unchanged and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13679 (the group on the edge) has started to rotate over the solar limb. It is followed by AR 13684, a bit further from the limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>At the left side of the image are the AR 13685\/13686 pair, with the former being the two angled spots and the third being the group above the large trailing spot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13690 is the single spot below the spots that are very close to the eastern limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The regions at left are shown again in H-alpha, along with a small filament (lower right, along the image edge).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with isolated M-class flares possible, and a slight chance for X-class flares through 25 May. Solar activity will likely decrease to low level on 26 May as AR 13679 rotates over the west limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 23, 2024<\/h2>\n

There were multiple M-class flares over the last two days. AR 13679 continues to increase in magnetic complexity and produced an M2.5\/SF today at 13:20 UT. It produced an even larger flare eleven hours earlier: an M4.2 at 2:16 UT today. AR 13679 was the source of the vast majority of activity, with AR’s 13689 and 13685 contributing a few events, including a parallel ribbon optical sub-flare at 18:05 UT that we observed. AR 13683 has rotated over the west limb but produced a C9.7 flare at 6:42\u00a0 UT today. AR 13685 is decaying some and is one of six numbered active regions visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

Two filaments lifted off the SE limb\/disk of the Sun today. The first was observed with SOHO C2 at 1:25 UT on 23 May. The second lifted a little over five hours later and came from just east of AR 13685. It is not yet clear if either of these events produced Coronal Mass Ejections.<\/p>\n

Unseen to Earth-based observers overnight was a beautiful conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. This was observed by SOHO as they passed a fraction of a degree from each other a little after 7:00 UT this morning, 23 May. Of course, due to the close proximity of the Sun, this event was hidden in the glare of the Sun as seen from the ground.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, were obtained at the times indicated, and cover 18.0’x13.6′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image; the first is red continuum and the second is H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the spotted active regions currently seen on the Sun are captured in this image. They are starting to rotate over the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun was the most active, with regular C-class and optical subflares today. AR 13679 is right next to the edge of the Sun (right) and will be rotating out of view in another two days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate with a slight chance of X-class flares through 25 May. This is primarily due to AR 13679’s flaring potential.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 22, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is back to moderate levels with several C-class flares and four M-class flares. There are nine numbered sunspot groups on the visible solar disk. AR 13683 produced several C-class flares; it then produced an M2.3 at 4:04 UT today. AR 13679 was the source of three M-class flares, each an M1, with the most recent (as of this writing at 22:20 UT) occurring at 14:05 UT. AR 13685, the largest on the visible solar disk (380 MSH), was mostly stable, with no recorded flaring events. The rest of the spotted groups were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

An interesting event was observed on the southwest solar limb, associated with one of the recently departed active regions (AR 13683). Some rapidly evolving structure was observed occurring in conjunction with a C7.3 flare that peaked at 19:57 UT. The entire event was not captured, but a fair amount was over a three minute period. Each of the six images below are H-alpha closeups of the region taken at the indicated time. Each image covers 6.0’x7.1′ on the Sun and is oriented so that celestial west is up, north is left. Each image was a 0.5 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the following four images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13683 is rotating over the limb (bottom, trailing spot is visible near the edge), followed by AR 13679 (below image center) and 13684 (left of image center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This quadrant of the Sun continues to be the most active, with several micro-flares visible as white dots near two of the spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13685 \/ 13686 pair (left of center) remain large but quiet. To the right is AR 13684.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions except as imaged in H-alpha. The region 13684 is off the right edge of the image. This part of the Sun remains quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels with M-class flares probable along with a slight chance of X-class flares through 24 May. The source of these flares would likely be AR 13683, 13679, and 13685. Old AR 13663 is anticipated to rotate into view on 23 May, and old AR 13664 is expected to rotate into view on 26 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 21, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been at low levels but bumped up to moderate levels with an M1.9\/1N flare from AR 13679 at 19:31 UT (shortly after we closed for observations for the day). AR 13685 has grown slightly but had only produced a few low-level C-class flares. AR 13683 produced a C6.7 flare at 5:54 UT on 20 May, and this generated a CME and filament eruption, but most of the material may have been reabsorbed back into the Sun. AR 13679 and 13684 had some growth but remained quiet (prior to the M1 flare from the former this afternoon). In fact, today’s events have mostly come from AR 13683. AR 13686 produced some low level C-class flares yesterday but was completely quiet today. The remaining visible spot groups were quiet, stable, inactive, and\/or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers 15.8’x13.8′ on the Sun with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This string of active regions has begun to approach the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>All of today’s activities (to 21:25UT 21 May) have come from the small corner lower right, specifically AR 13679 and 13683.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More active regions are crossing the solar central meridian. The largest of these is the AR 13685\/13686, pictured near image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun has been quiet all day today, with little activity visible in this image. Three of the four images pictured left are shown in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with isolated M-class flares possible, and a slight chance for X-class flares through 23 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 20, 2024<\/h2>\n

We resume daily solar observations after a break due to storms and other events. The Sun has quieted down dramatically since AR 13664 rotated over the western limb. It’s last recorded X-flare occurred at 8:40 on 15 May, an X3.2. This was less than a day after the region produced an X8.7 around 16.57 UT on 14 May (a look visually a few minutes after the flare’s peak revealed no white light signature). Then, what would become AR 13685 produced an X2.9 six hours later. That was the last X-flare up through 20 May. The region produced an M7.2 at 17:21 UT on 17 May, then the below mentioned M-class flares on 19 May.<\/p>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels: it was moderate yesterday due to an M1.9\/1N at 19\/1344 UTC, an M2.5\/1B at, 19\/1756 UTC, and an M1.6\/1n at 19\/2159 UTC. AR 13685 had rotated onto the solar disk, grew, and is now the largest and most magnetically complex region on the disk. AR 13683 produced a C6.7 flare early today at 05:54 UTC<\/p>\n

Except where indicated otherwise, each image below covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are presented in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right column. Each is a 0.5 second exposure made at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum image of a trail of active regions (labeled) as imaged in this 13.8’x16.0′ image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions as depicted in the left image are shown in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13685 and its surroundings (labeled) as imaged in continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same location but in H-alpha. All appears quiet at image time in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with M-class flares possible, and a slight chance for X-class flares through 22 May.<\/p>\n

———————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n

May 9, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be at high levels due to the continued major flares coming from AR 13664. The weather yesterday and today has been much cloudier and hazier than expected and only in the late afternoon hours had the skies cleared enough to allow for some imaging, but the quality is lower than normal due to the thick haze and smoke present. AR 13664 grew some more and merged (and absorbed) AR 13668 and the two together will be referred to as AR 13664. This AR produced many M-class flares and three X-class flares in the last 36-48 hours, the most recent being an X1.1 at 17:44UT. The largest of these was an X2.2\/3B flare. All of these flares have sent many Coronal Mass Ejections toward Earth, as is shown in the animated GIF below (click on the image for animation) from spaceweather.com. The bright dot on the right edge is Venus and the less bright dot on the left edge is Jupiter. All of these CME’s are merging into each other, a phenomena known as cannibalization, an these are expected to strike the Earth’s magnetic field in the early UT hours of 11 May.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13664 now exceeds 1500 millionths in size and is easily visible with the (properly protected) unaided eye. AR 13663 is in the process of rotating out of view and is in the process of decaying, losing its magnetic delta configuration. It continues to produce isolated M-class flares and optical flares. The other five spotted active regions are stable. In addition to all this, a 35 degree long filament erupted from the northeast quadrant of the Sun’s disk, producing a CME that is moving off in the northeasterly direction away from Earth.<\/p>\n

The first image is an afocal image, 1\/250 second exposure, through the eyepiece of a 4.5 inch telescope to show the full solar disk and immense size of 13664. The second and third images are red continuum, 0.5 second exposures. The lower right image is a 1.0 second H-alpha exposure. Due to the significant haze and murkiness of the sky at the time of imaging the H-alpha contrast is greatly reduced and image artefacts (i.e. “extra spots”) are greatly enhanced. The images were recorded at the time indicated and each in the bottom row cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The images are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.7 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each of the gray telescopic images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13666 (below center close to limb) is featured in this continuum image. The other images below focus primarily on AR 13664.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Sun is expected to persist at high to very high levels through 11 May, with M-class flares expected and X-class flares likely due to the flare potential of AR 13664.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 7, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at high levels, with AR 13663 producing the vast majority of the M-class flares. The largest of these was an M5.1 at 6:16 UT today. Since then, many additional M-class flares–including an M8.2 at 16:30 UT (the very moment we opened the dome) from AR 13663. AR 13664 also produced some M-class flares today, four in all. We observed an M2.1 from 13664 at 20:22 UT. This was followed by an M3.3 from AR 13663 at 21:26 UT. From 20:14 UT to this writing (23:05 UT) the X-ray background level has been above M1.0, slowly undulating since the M3.3, and another M3.3 from 13664 (possibly just a bump up of the X-ray background as the optical event did not appear too impressive). Both AR 13663 and 13664 remain magnetically complex and the largest regions on the disk. AR 13668 has grown some also, but remained inactive. The remaining spotted active regions remain stable or are in gradual decay.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each also a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated and each covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The images are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.7 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13663 is rotating toward the western limb of the Sun. AR 13666 is the simple spot just below image center. The small white spots are artefacts.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view in H-alpha. At this time AR 13663 was quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The white light sequence was plagued by clouds, so this was the only image obtained, part of the 9 frame mosaic routinely captured during our sessions. AR 13664\/13668 are in the lower left part of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions but slightly more centered as imaged in H-alpha. This region was the source for a few M-class flares today but was quiet when this image was recorded.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Sun is expected to stay at moderate to high activity levels through at least 9 May. M class flares are expected and a high chance of X-class flares continues, due to the flaring potentials of AR 13663 and 13664.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 6, 2024<\/h2>\n

Since our last observing session three days ago, the sun has become “hyperactive”. There were four X-class flares (X1.6, X1.2, X1.2, and X4.5) and numerous M-class flares since 2 May, all from AR 13663. This region produced an X4.5\/3B flare at 6:35 UT today, which is one of the strongest solar flares of the current solar cycle so far. This region produced 8 M-class flares from 12:30 UTC on 5 May to 12:30 UTC on 6 May. Since then it has quieted down considerably but is still expected to produce M-class and possibly more X-class flares. This region has been the most active so far of this current solar cycle. The below image is an animation of the X4.5 flare as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory Satellite.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR’s 13663 and 13664 continue to be the largest, most complex regions on the visible solar disk. They grew slightly over the last day or so. The 8 additional spotted active regions were mainly stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each also a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each. The red continuum images each cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky; the images H-alpha images each cover 13.8’x13.8′. The images are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.9 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions (labeled) are visible in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Focus is on AR 13663 (just right of center) as observed at the peak of a C9.4 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions (labeled) and an unnumbered spot\/pore (“noname spot”) are captured in this image. The other single spots scattered around the left third are artefacts.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts to AR 13664, center. This produced a few flares but was quiet overall compared to 13663.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Sun is expected to stay at moderate to high activity levels through at least 8 May. M class flares are expected and a high chance of X-class flares continues, due to the flaring potentials of AR 13663 and 13664.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 2, 2024<\/h2>\n

After some heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms, the skies unexpectedly cleared by mid-afternoon, allowing for an observing session.<\/p>\n

The Sun reached moderate levels of activity on 1 to 2 May, with three M1 flares occurring: AR 13663 produced an M1.8\/SN at 22:31 UT on 1 May, and an M1.0\/SN at 2:19 UT on 2 May; AR 13654 produced an M1.8\/SN at 14:32 UT on 1 May. This region is rotating over the WSW limb of the Sun while AR 13663 grows rapidly. AR 13664 also produced an M2.7 flare just before we were on-band for H-alpha observations. This region would go on to produce an X1.6 \/1B flare at 2:19 UT on 3 May, along with the multiple M-class flares.<\/p>\n

AR 13664 rotated into view and grew and it was the source for many C-class flares. Then it produced multiple M-class flares, including an M4.4\/SB at 8:11 UT on 3 May.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each also a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each. The images on the first row each cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky; the images in the second row each cover 13.8’x13.8′. Each image is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 23.8 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13662 (upper right), 13663 (the largest, just above center), 13661 (just left of 13663) and 13666 (just starting to develop, left center) are featured in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions but imaged in H-alpha. AR 13663 (above center) had just produced an M2.7 flare which had almost completely faded by the time this image was taken.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13664 (the larger complex group of spots just left of image center) and 13665 (single spot above it) are rotating into view. AR 13666 is also seen in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view as seen in H-alpha. AR 13664 had been active with many C-class and optical sub-flares earlier this day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate with a chance for X-class flares through 5 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 30, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels today AR 13654 produced an M1.6 flare at 1:14 UT on 30 April. It later produced a pair of M1 flares 1 hour 22 minutes apart: an M1.2\/SF at 15:11 UT, and an M1.3\/SF at 16:33 UT. We observed this last one almost in its entirety. In addition, this region also produced numerous C-class flares (and is the only active region flaring today), including a C8.5\/1N, also observed from our facility. This region continues to grow and become more complex as it rotates closer to the western edge of the Sun. The remaining five spotted active regions currently visible on the solar disk are either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Aside from two optical sub-flares at 20:07 and 20:15 UT (and possibly more that may have not been reported yet), since the M1.3 that we observed earlier (see below image), the Sun had become quiet, through at least 23:15 UT, 30 April.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each also a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; each image covers 13.8’x13.8′\u00a0 on the sky except where indicated otherwise. Each image is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 24.1 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13654\/13656 (top) and 13655 (bottom) are nearing the western limb of the Sun. These will be rotating over the limb in a few days.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with flare. This shows the M1.3 flare at its maximum X-ray intensity (the optical component shown here peaked four minutes later).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Aside from the interesting activity near the southwestern limb, there are small groups popping up across the northeast disk. This 18.0’x13.8′ image shows AR 13661 (just above image center) and 13662 (near right edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view focused on the visible active regions in this quadrant. These have been small, stable, and inactive for the balance of the day, but 13662 does show some growth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 2 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 29, 2024<\/h2>\n

Most of the many active regions \/ spot groups visible on the solar disk last week have rotated out of view, with only the “southeast complex” remaining. This is now rotating toward the southwestern limb and AR 13654 has grown significantly since last week. It produced two M-class flares early today: an M2.5 flare at 0:48 UT today and an M3.7 flare at 1:11 UT today. This region continues to grow today. We observed a C8.6\/1N flare from start to finish this afternoon during the observing session. Aside from the AR 13654 and 13656 pair, with AR 13655 the single spot south of the pair, a small clutch of sunspots have rotated onto the northeastern disk. There are four very small active regions of one to two spots each, and (aside from 13654), all the visible active regions were stable or in decay<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, were obtained at the times indicated, and cover 13.6’x13.6′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image; solar north is rotated 24.2 degrees clockwise from celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A red continuum image showing the spots of AR 13656 (left most component of linear complex) and 13654 (the rest of the complex); AR 13655 is the single spot below and left of the complex.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun in H-alpha, showing the C8.6\/1N flare near its X-ray maximum. The optical maximum occurred about four minutes earlier, and imaging started a minute before that.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 1 May with a chance for M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 24, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels with a slight decrease over the last 36 hours or so. There were four low-level M-class flares observed, then three near-M-class flares (upper level C) and an M-class flare is in progress as of this writing (22:57 UTC< 24 April). There still remains 18 spot groups on the visible disk of the Sun, including a complex of six groups toward the Southwest. AR 13650 has decayed considerably; AR 13643 has grown a bit; and AR 13645 has decayed some but produced the largest flare yesterday and today: an M2.9 at 17:44 UT on 23 April. AR 13654 experienced changes in its magnetic flux pattern. The other spot groups are stable or slowly changing. The current event was an M2.0 flare that just peaked at 22:59 UT, but it is difficult to ascertain where it came from as no region shows any obvious brightening. There was some interesting surging prominence activity on the limb just ahead of the southwestern active region complex which may have been the source.<\/p>\n

The images were obtained at the times indicated on the image. The left column contains the red continuum images, and the right column contains the H-alpha line centered images. Each image is a 0.5 sec exposure and covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sun unless otherwise indicated. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated right\/clockwise by 25.0 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The Southwestern Complex of Active Regions is moving toward the limb and getting harder to distinguish the individual spots\/groups.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This complex has been the source of much activity today, including three M-class and a C9.4 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A looser complex of active regions exists in the west northwest part of the solar disk. This is a more elongated group of regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Only AR 13646 (the topmost large spot left of center near top) has produced any activity of any of these spot groups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A more sparse cluster of active regions continues to work its way across the solar disk. AR 13654 is the largest of the groups, a diamond shaped configuration of spots with a large leader (rightmost spot) above and just right of image center. This image covers 9.1’x13.8′ on the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Other active regions in this group include AR 13655 (bottom center), 13656 (left of 13654), AR 13657 (three spots below 13654 lead spot) and 13653 (few spots above 13654). Only 13654 showed any activity today: a single C4.7 flare which peaked at 3:38 UT on 24 April.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with M-class flares expected and a chance for an X-class flare through 26 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 23, 2024<\/h2>\n

There continues to be 18 spotted active regions\/sunspot groups on the visible solar disk. There were also an abundance of M-class flares overnight, sending solar activity levels to the high range. Since yesterday there were a total of nine M-class flares coming from various active regions, the most recent of which was an M2.9\/1N from AR 13645 at 17:44 UT (several hours after it clouded over at our location after this morning’s brief session). AR 13654 produced the largest of these, an M3.6 today at 3:19 UT. Decaying AR 13638 produced an M1.5 flare yesterday at 21:16 UT. AR 13645 produced two additional M1 flares yesterday at 13:35 UT and 14:55 UT and has shown some growth. AR 13646 produced an M1.6 flare at 15:19 yesterday and became larger and more magnetically complex. AR 13654 also produced an M3.0 flare today at 8:21 UT and grew some. AR 13656 is in decay but it managed to produced an M2.8 flare yesterday at 15:50 UT and an M1.0 flare yesterday at 16:30 UT.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted just south of disk center overnight at 3:30 UT on 23 April. There was no coronal mass ejection observed from this event.<\/p>\n

The images were obtained at the times indicated on the image. The left column contains the red continuum images, and the right column contains the H-alpha line centered images. Each image is a 0.5 sec exposure and covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sun unless otherwise indicated. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated right\/clockwise by 25.1 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of active regions is now approaching the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Two active regions in this complex, AR 13638 and 13645, were the sources of M-class flares today and yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This complex of active regions in the northern hemisphere is starting to rotate closer to the western limb. This image covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Except for the small C6 flare (bright spots slightly above\/left of the single dark spot left of image center), all of these active regions have been quiet. This image is 18.0’x13.8′ in size.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These regions include AR 13657, the rightmost spot; AR 13654, the large group top center; AR 13656 to the left; and AR 13655 below left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This cluster of spots had been a source of activity, especially AR 13654, which produced two M-class flares over the last day or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high, with M-class flares expected and a chance for an X-class flare through 25 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 22, 2024<\/h2>\n

There are 18 spotted active regions\/sunspot groups, most of which are stable and unremarkable. However, solar activity has been at moderate levels in recent days due to the large number of low-level M-class flares. AR 13645 produced two M1.0\/1F flares at 12:59 UT on 21 April and 8:13 UT on 22 April, but became mostly stable after a short period of minor growth. AR 13638 produced an M2.2\/1N flare at 15:14 UT on 21 April and an M3.4\/SN flare at 21:52 UT on 21 April, and then started to decay a bit. AR 13646 and 13652 showed growth yesterday. AR 13645 produced another M-class flare just before this morning’s observing session: an M1.6\/1N that peaked at 13:35 UT. This was followed by an M1.1\/1F\/SF that occurred at 14:55 UT from AR 13646 (while we were collecting the white-light sequence of images). Then AR 13656 produced an M2.8\/SF that peaked at 15:50 UT (the decay part of this event is shown below). There was an M1.0 from an undetermined region at 16:30 UT today, then presently another M-class flare, an M1.6 event, is coming from AR 13638.<\/p>\n

Observations of all these events are limited this week due to various end-of-semester commitments.<\/p>\n

The images were obtained at the times indicated on the image. The left column contains the red continuum images, and the right column contains the H-alpha line centered images. Each image is a 0.5 sec exposure and covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sun unless otherwise indicated. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated right\/clockwise by 25.4 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Lots of spots today, several groups (labeled) in the northwest part of the solar disk. AR 13644 encompasses both single spots that are widely separated above and left of its label.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, but in H-alpha. We observed a few flares in AR 13646 today, which is still evident in this image (bright dash among spots above).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Even more spots are found in the southwest part of the disk (labeled).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Some flaring activity is\u00a0 noted (bright spots) in this area today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Some new spot groups are rotating into view and emerging as seen in this image. The largest spots (bottom) are AR 13655; above that is 13656; higher still is a single spot 13654. The three spots just below and right of center are unnumbered.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image and the one immediately left cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Only AR 13656 are shown (lower left), with the eastern half of AR13652 (upper right). An apparent SF is visible in the trailing regions of AR 1365<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with M-class flares expected and a chance for an X-class flare through 24 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 19, 2024<\/h2>\n

We had thought that the skies, cloudy all day (in spite of partly sunny conditions) were going to clear at last late afternoon only to cloud back up less than 20 minutes later. This was enough to conduct a quick follow-up, continuum-only session to document the visible sunspot groups on the Sun. Activity has dropped from moderate earlier today to low as the M-class flares have stopped for the time being. The largest recently was an M2.1 flare at 4:53 UT from AR 13647. This region also produced an M1.0 at 13:06 UT, the last M-flare until now (22:49 UT).<\/p>\n

Each of the below images were obtained at the times indicated and the images cropped as noted. The images were cropped to remove the artefacts from “having too many spots” on the Sun, preventing good flats being obtained. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image; solar north is rotated 25.6 degrees clockwise from celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The southern complex of active regions are shown in this image covering 12.0’x9.3′ on the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13644 (left, large spots), with the 13646\/13648 pair directly above it (tiny spots) were captured with the AR 13639\/13640 pair at right. This image covers 17.0’x8.3′ on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with M-class flares expected and a slight chance for X-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 18, 2024<\/h2>\n

After lacking spots for a while, the Sun has now 12 spotted regions on its visible disk, including a cluster of four just south and east of disk center. Solar activity was at moderate levels, with AR 13643 producing 3 M-class events yesterday and today. The largest was an M2.2\/SF at 2:48 UT today, and the most recent (up till 23:17 UT) from this region was an M1.3 at 7:37 UT. AR 13647 produced a long duration M1.6 peaking at 20:16 UT. Several other regions contributed C-class and optical sub-flares today. But most of the visible regions were either stable or in decay. There were a series of eruptions from near AR 13638 yesterday after 17:30 UT and these produced multiple CMEs, which are expected to miss Earth.<\/p>\n

When many spots are present near the middle of the solar disk, it becomes difficult to get a good flat field image for calibration. Hence the bright speckles that appear in the lower left corners of the below images, resulting from the spots intruding on the flat fields. This will continue until these spots move out of the central zone of the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure, of the same zone, the first unlabeled, the second labeled) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; The red continuum images cover 15.3’x13.8′, and the H-alpha images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26.1 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>We attempted to capture as many of the spotted active regions as possible in the above field of view, and have all or part of eight regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13639 and 13640 are close together, above the image center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This image is the same as the above, but with active region labels added.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The grouping of several active regions (labeled at left) as viewed in H-alpha. The spot in the lower right corner is AR 13636.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with M-class flares likely and a slight chance for X-class flares through 20 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 12, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels after yesterday’s M5.4 flare from an active region just over the east limb of the Sun. That same region likely produced a C8.9 flare today at 17:55 UT (GONG H-alpha images of the time did not show any of the visible active regions flaring). AR 13634 produced a C5.5 \/ SF at 3:27 UT early today. This, and AR 13635, have shown slight growth, and these, along with AR 13636, have contributed fairly regular C-class and optical sub-flares today.<\/p>\n

The filament that erupted yesterday produced a CME which is expected to deliver a glancing impact on Earth’s magnetic field sometime on 14 April. Another filament, a 17-degree long one, began erupting today around 0:20 UT but has yet not shown signs of producing a significant CME.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26.1 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13628 remains inactive as it approaches the west limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A faint filament is visible below AR 13628.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Active regions (clockwise from upper left) are AR 13635, 13634, and 13633.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These active regions, except for 13633, continue to be mildly active.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 13 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 11, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at low levels today until an impulsive M5.4 flare at 17:06 UT raised it to high levels. This was the first M-class flare in several weeks and likely from AR 13615, which is expected to rotate over the eastern limb in a day or two. There had been numerous C-class flares observed yesterday and again today, mostly from regions beyond the east and west limbs. AR 13628 has decayed some and has been quiet. AR 13633 is also decaying but remains the most complex region on the visible solar disk, magnetically speaking. This region was a source of C-class activity. AR 13635 produced most of the C-class activity today, with AR 13636, 13633, and 13634 contributing some of the activity.<\/p>\n

A filament, approximately 15 degrees long, lifted off the solar disk (north of disk center) between 5:15 and 6:05 UT today. It remains to be seen if it produced a CME or not (it likely has) and if this is headed toward Earth.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26.1 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13628 approaches the west limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13628 has been quiet the last few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These are the main active regions visible, plus 13628 (above) and 13636 (off the lower left of this image, rotating into view).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of these active regions have produced C-class flares today, with AR 13635 being the most productive of the three.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 11 April. The chance for isolated M-class flares increases on 12-13 April due to the anticipated return of old AR 13615.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 5, 2024<\/h2>\n

C-class flares returned early today for the first time since late day 1 April. Solar activity seems to be stirring again with two new active regions emerging onto the disk since yesterday. A region beyond the ESE limb produced a C3.8 flare at 3:05 UT. AR 13630 produced a C2.0 at 13:07 UT this morning. Three C1 flares came from undisclosed regions, possibly the same one that is about to rotate into view. There are five spotted regions on the Sun today, all of them small and quiet, though AR 13629 is growing slowly. The largest region continues to be AR 13628, with an area of 110 MSH.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26.2 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13628, just below center, and an unnumbered developing active region above and right of center, are on display.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun, but in H-alpha. Not much activity here currently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13629 (center) emerged the day before yesterday, while AR 13630 (below left) first appeared today. A third region (AR 13631), which appeared today, is just off the upper left edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of the same zone of the Sun, showing the two regions depicted at the left along with a few filaments. Aside from the C2 from AR 13630, this area of the Sun remains mostly quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for C-class flares through 7 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 4, 2024<\/h2>\n

Aside from a B5 (17:26 UT) and a B8 (18:23 UT) today, there have been no solar flares over the last couple of days. All four visible spotted active regions are small and magnetically simple.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image; the second image is an H-alpha image, each image a 0.5 second exposure covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. The images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26.3 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with only a slight chance of an M-class flare through 6 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 3, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be very low. The large spot first noted yesterday as a notch in the solar limb rotated into view and became AR 13628. AR 13624 and 13626 became more well defined. AR 13627 and an unnumbered, single, tiny spot make a total of five spots visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first image is a white-light image taken with a SeeStar S50 telescope. The second is a red continuum image and the third is an H-alpha image, The second image is a 0.25 second exposure and third images is a 0.5 second exposure, each covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. The second and third images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Full disk white light image showing the overall solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Detail of northeast disk highlighting AR 13628.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of the same part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through 5 April.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

April 2, 2024<\/h2>\n

After a “final” M3 class flare on 1 April peaking at 1:30 UT, the Sun had become totally quiet. The X-ray background fluctuated around the B9\/C1 level the rest of 1 April, then dropped below C1 late on 1 April and continued a gradual decline that continues to this writing. Currently the X-ray background is at the B4 level and solar activity is characterized as very low. AR 13625, which grew and became active over the weekend, has rotated out of view. New region AR 13627 was observed today and is pictured below; it was the only visible spot on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

Upon closer inspection another, much larger\u00a0 spot complex is JUST STARTING to make itself visible on the solar limb and will rotate into better view over the next two days. This should lift solar activity back to “low” levels and perhaps return a few flares to the daily solar routine.<\/p>\n

The first image is a white light full-disk solar image taken afocally through a small telescope showing the lack of features on today’s Sun. The second image, also a full disk image, was taken yesterday on Mars by the Perseverance Rover. This image (from Spaceweather.com) shows the large spot groups that graced the Earth-facing side of the Sun two weeks ago. AR 13615 is still as large and complex as ever (but no farside CME’s have been reported so it may be in a quiet phase).<\/p>\n

The bottom two images are today’s PVSO images, the bottom left image is the red continuum image of the northeast solar disk. The large active region about to appear (arrowed) shows as a “dent” in the solar limb. the second image (lower right) is the H-alpha image of the same part of the Sun. Each of the two PVSO images are 0.5 second exposures recorded at the time indicated on each. Each PVSO image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 26 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The view from Earth: nearly spotless with a large active region (arrowed) starting to rotate into view. South is up, west left in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view from Mars: AR 13615 and 13614 are crossing the disk as seen from Mars. Solar north is up and rotated toward the upper right corner of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The new active region (arrowed) along with AR 13627 (the small spot next to the light arc near the limb) as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view, but in H-alpha. Note the conspicuous lack of activity visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 4 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 28, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity increased to high levels early today as AR 13615 produced an M7.1\/1N flare at 6:29 UT. This region remains the largest and most complex region visible on the solar disk , covering an area of 960 millionths of a solar hemisphere. This flare did not generate a CME, but a C8.4 flare from this same region at 9:43 UTC today did generate a CME. The remaining regions, all on the western half of the solar disk (except for tiny AR 13620) are small, simple and mainly quiet. AR has been the source of all the flare activity so far today, including another M-class flare, an M6.1\/1N at 15:56 UT, and a C8.4\/SF at 17:07 UT today. Observations began after 18:00 UT this afternoon. AR 13615 produced an M1.1 flare at 19:31 UT and an X1.1\/3B at 20:56 UT. Both events were observed in their entirety during this afternoon’s observing session.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image; the second image is an H-alpha image, each image a 0.5 second exposure covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. The images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 25.9 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected continue to be moderate to high, with the chance for an X-class flare, primarily due to AR 13615, through 29 March. This region rotates over the western limb on 30 March, decreasing probabilities to just a chance for M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 27, 2024<\/h2>\n

The sun’s activity reached high levels yesterday due to the large number of M-class flares. Five of these came from AR 13615, the largest of which was an M1.9 at 13:30 UT on 26 March. This region continues to be the largest, most complex region on the visible solar disk and was responsible for the majority of the activity. This region was the source for numerous C-class and optical sub-flares today, plus two M1.1 flares at 1:44 and 6:41 UT today. Since the second M-flare there had been no further M-class flares through at least 23:30 UT today. AR 13615 is showing signs of decay, however, so its flare potential may be decreasing as it rotates closer to the western limb. The four other spotted active regions were mostly stable.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted just north of AR 13620 yesterday at 14:05 UT. We were observing at that time but the focus was on AR 13615. The filament generated a CME which may graze the Earth’s magnetic field early on 31 March.<\/p>\n

The first image is a white-light image taken afocally through a 11.4 cm reflector. The second is a red continuum image and the third is an H-alpha image, The second and third images are each a 0.5 second exposure covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. The images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 25.6 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This informal full-disk image shows the dearth of activity\/sunspots after AR 13615 rotates out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Close up view of the western limb of the Sun showing AR 13615 (bottom center), 13614 (upper right), 13619 (top left of center) and 13617 (left edge below center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun as imaged immediately left. AR 13615 has remained quiet in recent hours, and the other regions displayed here were unremarkable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to continue to be moderate, with a chance for X-class flares through 29 March due mainly to the flare potential of AR 13615.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 26, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun continued at moderate levels of activity today, with four M-class flares produced by AR 13615 between 0:36 and 13:46 UT today, 26 March. The largest of these was an M1.8 at 0:36 UT today. The string of M-flares ended just as we opened for the observing session this morning and only C-class flares have occurred occasionally through 21:50 UT today. Shortly after that, AR 13615 produced an M1.6 flare that peaked at 21:58 UI (after we stopped observations for the day). This region has begun to decay, but remains the largest on the visible disk. The remaining spotted groups, quite small in comparison, were stable and quiet. The emerging flux of spots noted yesterday afternoon just south and west of AR 13615 had decayed completely by this morning.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image; the second image is an H-alpha image, each image a 0.5 second exposure covering 13.8’x14.6′ on the Sun. The images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 25.6 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13615 dominates the view bottom left. AR 13619 is at upper left, 13614 is just right of image center, and 13621 is near the edge of the sun below center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions plus a filament, appear in this H-alpha view. This area of the Sun had remained mostly quiet all day after the string of M-class flares early.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares through 28 March. AR 13615 has the potential to produce large flares during this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 25, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was at moderate levels due to M-class flares from AR 13615. The largest event in the last 24 hours or so was an M4.4\/SB that occurred at 6:44 UT this morning, 25 March. At around 1:30 UT on 23 March, AR 13614 and 13615 combined to produce an X1.1 flare, which was the result of a pair of sympathetic solar flares from these regions. AR 13614 started with a larger flare, which triggered a smaller flare in 13615. This came from the likelihood that the two active regions were connected by a bundle of magnetic field loops, which resulted in a long duration X1.1 flare, complete with a CME that impacted yesterday (24 March) producing major G4 level geomagnetic storms.\u00a0 Since this event, there had been a lot of M-class flares over the weekend, at least 21 from 4:40 UT 23 March to 13:35 UT, 24 March. Since then, the activity subsided, the waning activity interrupted by the afore-mentioned M4 flare event.<\/p>\n

AR 13615 was the largest region with an estimated area of 1130 millionths of a solar hemisphere. AR 13619 grew slightly, and the rest of the spotted active regions were either stable or in decay. There were a total of seven spotted active regions with a possible new region emerging near S19 W32, just southwest of AR 13915. This has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image; the second image is an H-alpha image, each image a 0.5 second exposure covering 13.8’x17.1′ on the Sun. The images were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 25.6 degrees clockwise in these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13614 appears in the lower right corner. It is accompanied by much smaller regions 13619 (top just right of center), 13617 (below and left of center), and 13620 (on left edge of image).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three of the four images show in this H-alpha view. AR 13620 is just outside the left edge of the image. After this image was recorded, a C3.1 flare occurred from 13615, peaking at 21:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares through 27 March. AR 13615 has the potential to produce large flares during this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 22, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun was at low activity levels until this afternoon’s M4 \/ SN flare, which coincided with our short observing session. This flare came from AR 13615 which is the most active and complex region on the visible solar disk, responsible for an M7 flare at 7:36 UT on 20 March. It was the source of two more M-class flares and many C-class flares, including a C5.9 that happened at 20:12 UT today, only 20 minutes before the peak of the M4.2 that was observed this afternoon (our observations started one minute prior to the X-ray peak of the M4, then continued through its decay). AR’s 13618 and 13619 gradually developed, with the remaining active regions either stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the solar disk; the second image is an H-alpha image focused on AR 13615, covering 12.1’x13.8′ on the Sun. The images, each a 0.5 second exposure, were recorded at the time indicated and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13615 is the large complex region bottom center. On the left edge is AR 13617, AR 13619 at the top edge, and 13614 is toward the upper right part of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13615 (right) with an M4 flare in progress (the bright streaks). AR 13617 appears toward the left. The bright spot below 13617 is a processing artefact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an increasing chance for M-class flares through 24 March.<\/p>\n

———————————————————————————————————————————<\/p>\n

March 8, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. AR 13599 is the largest, most complex active region on the visible solar disk, covering 140 MSH and sporting a complex ‘beta-gamma-delta’ magnetic configuration. The region has decayed a bit but is still producing nearly all of the flares over the last two days. The largest of these was a C6.7 at 12:07 UT on 7 March. Only a few low level C-class flares since until an M1.3 occurred at 21:26 UT from AR 13599. This just pushed solar activity back into the moderate range and is the first M-class flare in more than a week. All the other regions were unremarkable. All of them are located within the central region of the Sun’s disk and can fit in a single frame as shown below.<\/p>\n

This will be the last observing session until at least 18 March (likely longer) due to Spring Break and other factors.<\/em><\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image of five active regions (labeled); the second image is an H-alpha image of the same region. The images, each a 0.5 second exposure, were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 23 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The six visible spotted regions are recorded in one frame on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A few filaments are added to the scene in this H-alpha view. The glow at lower left is an ongoing issue with the CCD chip.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an increasing chance for M-class flares through 10 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 6, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low, with only a few low-level C-class flares occurring both yesterday and today. AR 13599 and 13604 showed some growth, while the other four regions were either stable or in decay. AR 13595 has rotated out of view, and AR 13591 is nearing the western limb of the Sun and will be out of visibility in another day or so. A filament erupted in the southeast quadrant of the disk yesterday, this produced a coronal mass ejection.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image of five active regions (labeled); the second image is an H-alpha image of the same region. The images, each a 0.5 second exposure, were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.8 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five of the six visible active regions were captured in a single frame today. The sixth, AR 13591, is about to rotate over the WSW limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region is seen in H-alpha. These are typical of the spot groups currently visible. Haze\/smoke and possibly some very thin cirrus has decreased the H-alpha contrast.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 8 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 5, 2024<\/h2>\n

Low solar activity continues with seven small spotted regions currently on the visible solar disk. C-class flares came from AR’s 13595, 13598, 13599, 13600, and 13602. AR’s 13598 and 13595 continue to decay as they exit the visible disk. Today was completely quiet with only a few C1 flares after 1400 UT today. There was a C2.6 from AR 13598 at 11:25 UT, the largest today so far.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.5 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13595 about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13599 (“stacked” spots, right) and 13600 (single spot, left).<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13600 and 13599 plus a filament or two.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through 7 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 4, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low for five days now. The last M-class flare was the long-duration event that peaked at 18:50 UT on 28 February. Since then the largest event was a C6.6 on 2 March at 12:50. More recently, low-level C-class flares occurred from AR 13598, 13599, and 13602. ARs 13595 and 13598 each continue to decay as they are about to rotate over the western limb. The remaining regions were mainly quiet and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 22.5 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13595 is the pair of spots near the top. AR 13598 is the larger spot closer to the limb, bottom center; AR 13592 is the smaller spot just to its left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are imaged in H-alpha. AR 13591 is a single spot below and left of 13592 but the former is out of the field of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13602 (right) and 13603 (left) as imaged in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The view shifts southward to capture AR 13599 (single spot above and right) and 13600 (lower left of 13599), with several filaments.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 5 March, decreasing to a slight chance on 6 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 1, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 13590 produced most of the C-class flare activity over the last two days. It maintains a complex structure as it prepares to rotate out of view. AR 13595 and 13598 are becoming more complex and grew in size and sunspot count. The other regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image of the western disk of the Sun; the second image is an H-alpha image of the same region. The images, each a 0.5 second exposure, were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 21 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 is about to rotate out of view over the limb (right). AR 13595 is seen top left and 13592 is visible bottom left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun is imaged with AR 13595 just off the top edge of the image. The other two regions, along with a filament (just above image center), are visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 3 March and a slight chance for an X-class flare through 2 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 28, 2024<\/h2>\n

After several days of inactivity, AR 13590 finally produced a notable flare event. This was a “slow motion”, long duration M1.5 flare that started around 16:55 UT, peaked near 18:54 UT and ended around 23:00 UT. This is the firs M-class flare in three days, during which time this region was expected to produce M-class flares and possibly one or two more X-class flare. The region did begin flaring again, four C-class events prior to the M1 flare. Low level C-class flares also came from AR 13594, 13595, and 13596. AR 13595 is growing steadily and is beginning to take on more complex gamma magnetic field configurations. A C5.1\/SF flare came from a spotless region east of AR 13592. A filament erupted and produced a CME, which was observed off the south center solar disk by SOHO at 11:00 UT on 27 February.<\/p>\n

Aside from AR 13590 and 13595, all the other four spotted active regions were unremarkable. Another, unnumbered spotted region emerged near N7E20, east of AR 13594. All the spot regions form a distinct “T” shape across the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.5 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (except where indicated otherwise) and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 21 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 is edging closer to the western limb of the Sun and is preparing to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region returned solar activity to moderate levels today with its long duration M1 flare. It appears to be in decay now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13594 (single spot below and right of image center), 13495 (growing group above and right of image center), 13596 (upper left) and a new region (just left of image center) depicted in this view.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun as pictured at left, but with the regions nudged upwards a bit to include AR 13592 (the indistinct plage along the bottom center edge of the image. This image covers 13.8’x15.3′ on the sky.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through 1 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 27, 2024<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/news\/sunspot-region-3590-evolution-february-19-27th<\/a> on the evolution of AR 13590.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is now at low levels. AR 13590 provided the largest flare over the last day with a C3.4 at 7:42 UT this morning. This would be the last recorded flare that this region produced from then to this writing (0:15 UT, 28 February). Other regions produced optical subflares: AR 13591, 13595, and 13596. AR 13595 produced the most of any region today, including a C1.5 at 14:35 UT and a C1.7 at 20:00 today (not observed since the focus was on AR 13590 today).<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 21 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13590, still complex, is starting to decay a bit as it rotates toward the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>After the C3 flare mentioned above, AR 13590 went completely quiet for the rest of the day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13596 (left of center), 13595 (right of center, the long group) and 13594 (lower right) are slowly growing, especially 13595. In addition to these three are two more regions, AR 13592 and 13591. Except for 13596, the other four regions form a straight vertical line down the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13595 (top center) has been the source of most of today’s flare activity, all of which was low-level. AR 13594 is near image center (the white spot to its lower left is a processing artefact), and 13596 is in the upper right corner.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through 29 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 26, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate yesterday with a single M2.0\/1N flare from AR 13590. This region has grown to 1450 MSH, the largest of the current solar cycle. Since this M-class event yesterday, there have been no further events through 22:45 UT 26 February. The largest since the M2 flare was a C3.6 flare, which has not yet been listed in the event log. The other five numbered active regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each image was taken at the time indicated; each was a 0.5 second exposure and is cropped to 13.8’x13.8′ in size. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image (Solar north is rotated 20.7 degrees clockwise from celestial north. The first image is a red continuum, taken through a thin sheet of cirrostratus. The remaining H-alpha images were taken through relatively clear skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to stay moderate , with M-class flares still likely, and a chance for X-class flare activity, through 28 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 24, 2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13590 continues to grow and dominate the visible solar hemisphere. Solar activity was high, with seven M-class flares since yesterday, two of which happened earlier today. The largest of these was an M4.5 at 6:34 UT today. There was also an M3.6 at 11:19 UT today. This would be the last M-class flare for today. We conducted a short follow-up observing session this afternoon to document the ongoing development of AR 13590, which is pictured in 3 of the 4 images below.<\/p>\n

Three of the four images below are continuum images. The first is a wide field view of AR 13590. The second, immediately right of it is a closeup of the region. The third, immediately below the first, is a view of AR 13590 in H-alpha. Finally, the fourth is an image o the three active regions (top to bottom) AR 13594, 13592, and 13591. Each are 0.5 second exposures and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. The white spots in the images are artifacts from the image processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels with M-class flares likely and a chance of X-class flares through 26 February 2024.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 23, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity today retreated back to moderate levels. As of 23:45 UT on 23 February, there have been no further X-flares from AR 13590. Interestingly, none of the three X-flares from AR 13590 have produced coronal mass ejections. The region remains large and magnetically complex and has the potential for more strong flare production. AR 13594 produced 3 M-class flares: an M1.0 at 13:28 UT today; an M1.4 at 15:53 UT; and the largest of the three, an M2.6\/1N at 17:47 UT. The image below was obtained as part of a series that documented the development of this flare from start to finish. It was recorded between the optical peak of 17:43 UT and the X-ray peak of 17:47 UT. The region also produced a number of C-class flares, one of which (a C5) was observed at PVSO.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Five new sunspot groups appeared since yesterday, bringing the total to seven, five of which are numbered. Two are tiny groups near the west limb, and three are small groups that just rotated over the east limb.\u00a0 One of these, AR 13591, produced an M1.5 flare at 0:14 UT on 22 February.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 20 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 nearing the solar disk central meridian. It covers 900 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH)<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 in H-alpha shows a lot of complexity in and around its many spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>An unnumbered region (top along edge), AR 13591 (center) and 13592 (bottom), have rotated into view.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The two numbered regions are visible in this H-alpha image of the ESE solar limb.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be high through 25 February with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 22, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels with a pair of X flares from AR 13590 at 23:07 UT on 21 Feb and again at 6:32 UT on 22 Feb. Today it produced an M4.8 flare which peaked at 20:46 UT (shown in the bottom left image below). This was followed shortly by an X6.3\/3B event which peaked at 22:34 UT. Both events were observed in their entirety at the PVSO. In fact, the X6 was the largest flare of the current solar cycle and the largest flare ever observed at PVSO! <\/strong>The bronze colored image below is from the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme UV. Former region AR 13575 is just beginning to rotate into view and it has a history of large flares, it may contribute to the activity in coming days.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first image displays a red continuum image of AR 13590; the rest of the images are in H-alpha. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with the time indicated on each. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 19 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum image of AR 13590.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of 13590 in quiescence.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>An M4.8 flare, imaged near its X-ray peak. We have complete coverage of this event as well as the X6 event shown right.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The largest event of Solar Cycle 25 (so far), near its X-ray peak.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be high through 25 February with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares from AR 13590 and possibly from the returning AR 13575.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 21, 2024<\/h2>\n

Even with a growing and complex sunspot group AR 13590 (area of 760 MSH), solar activity remained low with only regular low-level C-class flares today. Another region, AR 13586 (90 MSH), is simple and stable and AR 13584 is difficult to distinguish as it decays.<\/p>\n

But at 23:07 UT today, AR 13590 produced an X1.8 flare. This happened after we had closed for the day so we did not image this event. The below image was from the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, and the flare is the bright spot in the upper left part of the disk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) and the second column the H-alpha images (each a 0.5 second exposure). The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 18.8 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13586 remains inactive and quiet.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\"\"<\/a>AR 13586 is surrounded by at least two filaments. It remains quiet overall.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 is large but quiet.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 has only produced low-level C-class flares up to this point.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 23 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 20, 2024<\/h2>\n

There continues to be low solar activity with no M-flares observed anywhere through at least 21:05 UT, 20 February. AR 13583 produced a few C-class flares as it rotated out of view. AR 13590 is the largest on the visible disk, covering 530 MSH; AR 13586 is second with an area of 160 MSH. AR 13583 had an area of 170 MSH but it just rotated out of visibility. AR 13590 produced the largest flare of the last two days, a C5.7 at 12:47 UT yesterday. The other three spotted active regions were quite unremarkable. A c2.8 flare was observed by our solar observatory to have originated at AR 13584; this event peaked at 15:56 UT. We observed the tail end of another event: a C2.7 flare from AR 13590, peaking at 17:12 UT. Other than these events, the sun remains very quiet.<\/p>\n

The first image displays a red continuum image of AR 13590; the rest of the images are in H-alpha. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with the time indicated on each. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 19 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 comes into better view.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\"\"<\/a>This is currently the largest, most dynamic spot group visible on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13584 is almost indistinguishable, except for the bright knots of a C2 flare.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13586 is large but quiet and simple, it is ringed by several filaments.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 22 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 19, 2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13576 rotated over the southwestern limb of the Sun three days ago and as it did so, it produced an X2.5 flare at 6:53 UT on 16 February. This was followed by an M2.9 at 22:10 UT on the same date. Since that last M-class flare, there has been no further M- or X-class activity up until this writing (21:37 UTC 19 February). Most of the currently visible sunspot groups are small and quiet. Yesterday, C-class activity came from AR 13576 (from beyond the western limb), 13583, and 13590. The latter AR is rotating into view on the ENE limb and it appears to be a large region. The largest flares today were a C6.7 at 9:40 UT today from AR 13590, and a C5.7 at 12:47 UT today, also from AR 13590. AR 13683 contributed two flares today: a C1.9 at 1:47 UT, and a C2.6, at 6:40 UT today. Solar activity continued to be low, with few low-level C-class flares, through the rest of today, through 21:37 UT<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 18.8 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The labeled active regions graced the solar disk during last week’s observations, especially AR 13583, the second largest on the disk after 13576. AR 13583 is about to rotate over the limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are depicted in this H-alpha image, but become rather indistinct in this wavelength due to their lack of activity. AR 13583 is accompanied by a filament; other are seen elsewhere on the disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A large single spot showed itself during yesterday’s sunspot counts. This large spot has some trailing spots as revealed by rotation this morning. So far this region has been mainly quiet.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13590 in H-alpha. This image shows a filament leading the spotted region across the solar disk. AR 13590 appear to have the potential to be active over the next day or so.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 21 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 14, 2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13582 produced an M1.0 flare at 3:10 UT today, followed by an M1.0 flare at 7:35 UT today. Since then, these regions, along with AR 13584, produced quite a few C-class flares, the largest of which was a C7.5 at 17:56 UT today (image of the flare captured through thin cirrus appears immediately below, 13.8’x13.8′ in size on the sky).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13483 continues to grow in size overall, but it had seen some decay in the middle part. A new spot is rotating into view on the NE limb of the Sun. The remaining active regions were quiet and unremarkable. There are currently eight spotted regions on the visible solar disk, six of which are numbered. The largest of these continues to be AR 13576, with an area of 600 Millionths of a Solar Hemisphere (MSH). Second and third place are AR’s 13583 and 13582, with areas of 270 and 240 MSH respectively. The remaining regions were 50 MSH or smaller each.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum of most of the active regions currently visible on the Sun; it is a 0.5 second exposure. The second image is an H-alpha image of the same region, also a 0.5 second exposure. Both are recorded at the time indicated on the image, cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right (solar north is rotated 16.5 degrees counterclockwise\/right of celestial north).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>These active regions are slowly approaching the western solar limb with AR 13576 about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image taken shortly after the previous one on the left shows a C3.4\/SN flare (white spot) near\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate levels, with a slight chance for X-class flares through 16 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 13, 2024<\/h2>\n

Ever since the long duration M2.6 flare from a hidden active region over the NE limb, the Sun has been quiet, with only a C4.9\/SF flare from AR 13583 at 1:38 UT today. An unspecified source produced a C5.0 at 7:59 UT today. This is the largest flare today through 21:00 UTC 13 February. AR’s 13582 and 13583 continued a slower pace of growth while AR 13576 appeared to have decayed some (but still maintains a complex magnetic configuration). This region was the target of a day long flare watch today at PVSO. All the other regions on the Sun were quiet and inactive. The AR over the NE limb has not yet revealed itself.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum of most of the active regions currently visible on the Sun; it is a 0.5 second exposure. The second image is an H-alpha image of the same region, also a 0.5 second exposure. Both are recorded at the time indicated on the image, cover 13.8’x17.1′ on the sky, and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right (solar north is rotated 16.5 degrees counterclockwise\/right of celestial north).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Clockwise from upper left is: AR 13583, 13582, 13576, and 13581, the four largest active regions on the visible solar disk. AR 13582 may actually be two active regions right next to each other.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The same area on the Solar Disk as imaged in H-alpha. A filament is present between AR 13576 and 13581 (filament is at bottom center). These regions have been mainly quiet today.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate levels from time to time, with a slight chance for X-class flares through 15 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 12, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains rather active, with mid-to high-level M-class flares occurring nearly every day. AT 13:10 UT on 9 February, AR 13575, which had rotated over the limb a day earlier, produced an X3.3 flare. AR 13576 had been the source of many M-class flares, mostly low level, but one was almost an X-class: an M9.0 at 23:07 UT on 10 February. This was followed by an impulsive M6.5\/2B at 3:48 UT on 12 February. This region also produced a C6.9 flare at 5:54 UT, 12 February. An active region just beyond the NE limb produced an M1.0 flare at 22:45 UT on 11 February. Since the last observing session, AR 13582 and 13583 emerged on the visible solar disk (only two days ago they first appeared) and grew rapidly. AR 13576 did show some decay.<\/p>\n

Today, AR 13583 and 13576 were the only two active regions to generate solar flares, with an M1.1 coming from AR 13576 at 13:08 and an M1.4\/1F coming from the same region at 15:48 UT. When the weather cleared and the seeing settled to allow observations at PVSO to resume (around 20:00 UT) these regions had quieted down considerably. There continued to be activity on the northeast limb, however, that we followed. This was the source of a long-duration M2.6 flare that peaked at 21:17 UT.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum of most of the active regions currently visible on the Sun; it is a 0.25 second exposure. The second image is an H-alpha image of the same region, a 0.5 second exposure. Both are recorded at the time indicated on the image, cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right (solar north is rotated 16.5 degrees counterclockwise\/right of celestial north).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Clockwise from upper left is: AR 13583, 13582, 13576, and 13581, the four largest active regions on the visible solar disk.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun as pictured left, but in H-alpha. There appears to be some low-level activity from three of these regions.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate levels from time to time, with a slight chance for X-class flares through 14 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 7, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun once again achieved high levels of activity overnight with a M1.3 flare at 18:49 UT on 6 February and a long duration M5.1\/SF at 3:31 UT on 7 February, both from AR 13575. This flare produced a coronal mass ejection that was observed five minutes after the peak of the M5 flare. A SOHO GIF sequence of the CME is shown below (click to animate).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13575 is in decay but still maintains enough magnetic complexity (referred to as a “delta” configuration) to produce further flares. AR 13576 maintains its complexity but is decreasing in areal coverage, now down to 540 MSH from over 700 two days ago. AR 13571 is the third largest spot group on the disk (110 MSH, after 13575’s 250 MSH) but has been completely quiet. All the other spotted and numbered active regions (a total of 10 visible) are quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The first column within the table below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; the images of AR 13575 cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and the images of AR 13576 cover 15.9’x13.8′ on the sky. All five are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 14 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Solar rotation has begun to carry AR 13575 out of our direct view, but it can still be seen bottom center on the edge. AR 13574 and 13564 are the spot pair near the right edge of the image.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The same view, but in H-alpha. AR 13575 was very active earlier today but became almost completely quiet after its M5.1 flare. It may produce more M-flares before rotating completely out of view.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13576 (lower left) with 13578 (single spot, top) and possibly a new emerging AR (single spot, left). AR 13571 can be just seen in the lower right corner. The closely spaced dots in the upper right corner is AR 13574.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Similar field of view as the left image, but in H-alpha shows the regions and a few filaments. In both this and the previous image, a light bridge is seen crossing the largest dark umbra in 13576.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The below image shows the M1 flare observed today about two minutes prior to its X-ray peak flux. It was a rather long-duration event and the most powerful so far since last night’s M5.1 (through 23:05 UTC, 7 February).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is likely that solar activity will continue at moderate levels with occasional M-class flares and a chance for an isolated X-class flare through 8 February. AR 13575 has begun to rotate over the SW limb, and as it is carried further and further out of view by solar rotation, the flare probabilities will decrease to a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares on 9 February and possibly afterwards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 6, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued at moderate levels with an M2.2 at 2:28 UT today and a long duration M4.2 flare peaking at 3:12 UT today. Both of these were from AR 13575, and both of these flares generated CMEs. Slight decay and some separation occurred in the smaller leader spots of AR 13575. The same occurred in the trailing spots of 13576. Both continue to be the largest (AR 13575 is 270 MSH and AR 13576 is 610 MSH) and most complex sunspot groups visible on the solar disk. The other spots were small, quiet, unremarkable.<\/p>\n

We monitored AR 13576 the entire day, but the region only produced C-class and optical subflares. The largest during our session was a C6.2 at 18:35 UT. A C5.1 and C6.2 also occurred during our session, then everything quieted down after the M1.3 that came from AR 13575. We are only able to monitor one of these regions so we did not observe this flare.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image in the top row covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and each in the bottom row cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky, and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 14 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Three AR’s (labeled) are visible in this image. The largest and most active of these is AR 13575, just below image center.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>A similar view in H-alpha of the same part of the Sun’s disk as imaged left. AR 13575 appears to have decreased in size since yesterday.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Four active regions, labeled, are visible in this continuum image, with AR 13576 coming into better view. It was mainly quiet all day.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13576 (left edge, with 13578 the single “dot” above it) and 13571 (below right) as seen in the light of H-alpha.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at moderate to high levels, with\u00a0 occasional M-class flares and a chance for an isolated X-class flare through 7 February. The chance for X-class flares decrease on 8 February as AR 13575 rotates over the SW limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 5, 2024<\/h2>\n

Two large active regions are now visible on the Sun. AR 13575 developed late last week and has grown in size and complexity. AR 13576 was observed on Mars last week by the Perseverance rover and has rotated into view three days ago. Both have increased the probability of M-class flares occurring. Over a 12 hour period from 12UT 4 Feb until 12UT 5 Feb there were over a dozen M-class flares, mostly from AR 13576. The largest of these was an M2.7\u00a0 at 22:37 UT on 4 February. The region continued to produce most of today’s flares, including two M flares within two hours of each other and many C-flares.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This image (click for animation) shows the development of AR 13576 (lower left part of the Sun’s disk). AR 13575 is in the lower right part of the Sun’s disk. AR 13575 covers 350 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH) while 13576 covers twice as much area, 700 MSH. The other six spotted regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, 0.25 second exposures; and the second column shows the H-alpha images, each of these a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 14 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Large AR 13575 is the group below and just left of center. AR 13564 is the pair of spots near image top center.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The same view as left, but in H-alpha. AR 13575 had been rather active and continues to be magnetically complex.
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Another large active region, AR 13576 (left), is coming into better view as rotation carries it along. AR 13571 (right edge) and 13578 (above 13576) are also imaged.\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/td>\n		\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The image focus is on 13576, which was very active initially. This was the target for our flare watch observations this afternoon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to reach\u00a0 moderate to high levels, with M-class flares expected and an increased chance for X-class flares through 7 February. This is due to the flare potentials of AR 13575 and 13576.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 1, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels today with only C-class flare activity. AR’s 13571 and 13567 were the only two named regions which produced C-class flares, the largest of which (so far, as of 21:00 UT on 1 Feb.) was a C3.0 from an unspecified location. More regions continue to rotate into view or emerge on the eastern half of the disk, and these are shown below, with the numbered regions labeled. The C3 event was a long-duration event from a region of enhanced flux near the solar meridian. This region produced a coronal mass ejection which is Earth-bound and due to arrive late on<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum image, and the second column the H-alpha image, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 12 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This 16.0’x13.8′ image shows the locations of seven active regions (five numbered), the largest of which is AR 13567.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>this 17.0’x13.8′ displays the same area of the Sun as the image on the left shows, but it is in H-alpha. The most complex image in this area is AR 13567 (top center).
\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low the next three days, but (primarily) AR 13567 (along with other regions) will keep a chance of M-flares in place through 3 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 31, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun continued at low activity levels with only C-class flares yesterday and today. The largest of these was yesterday’s C5 event that came from AR 13559, which had just rotated out of view. AR 13567 is currently the largest and most complex active region on the visible disk and was the source of a C4.5 at 8:29 UT today, the second largest since yesterday. Today there are nine spot groups on the visible disk of the Sun (four have emerged or rotated into view since yesterday) but only five of these are currently numbered. All of these were unremarkable today.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 12 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13566 (lower right near limb), 13563 (below image center), and an unnumbered pair of tiny spots (top center, right of the time stamp) are visible in this image of the western solar disk.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The view shifts slightly southward, with the un-numbered spot pair becoming invisible in the surface detail of the Sun. This is a very quiet section of the Solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Several spotted groups are emerging or rotating into view in this image. AR 13567 (top, just left of center) is the largest of these. AR 13565 (just above and right of image center) is the next largest, followed by a single spot (lower left)\u00a0 rotating into view. Several small spots are visible elsewhere in this image.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha view shows the two largest spot groups, with AR 13564 appearing as white wisps in the lower right of the image. The large spot is also seen in the lower left corner but the tiny un-numbered spots are almost invisible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low the next three days, but (primarily) AR 13567 will keep an elevated chance of M-flares in place through 2 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 30, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low after yesterday’s brief surge of activity overnight. There were only occasional C-flares. AR 13559 has rotated out of view. AR 13566 emerged a day or so ago and was numbered, and the larger region rotating into view was also numbered as AR 13567.\u00a0 There were two simple spots visible but were not numbered yet. A total of five spotted active regions are visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 11 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares though 1 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 29, 2024<\/h2>\n

The extended period of weather unfavorable for observation was largely the cause of a 10 day hiatus in solar observations. Last week saw a period which included 13 M-class flares over a 1.5 day period, from late 22 January to early 24 January. Nearly all of these were from AR 13561. After one more M-class flare late 24 January, the activity subsided to include only C-class flares (two of which were nearly M-class early on 27 January), which became less frequent and lower in magnitude. The silence was interrupted early this morning by a pair of M-class flares from departing region AR 13559. The first was an M1.2\/SF at 1:40 UT and an M6.7 at 4:38 UT, which generated a solar particle event that is ongoing as of this writing (22:45 UT 29 January).<\/p>\n

The number of sunspots has decreased since last week as the active longitudes rotate over the western limb of the sun. Only five numbered ARs are currently visible, plus three no-name groups or individual spots. One of the numbered regions is rotating over the limb and two more have nearly lost their spots. Since a C5.9 that was observed in AR 13559 this morning at the observatory, the x-ray flux background has nearly flatlined at the C1 level, through this writing.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 11 degrees right or clockwise with respect the celestial north in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The sunspots that graced the solar disk are almost gone, with only AR 1359 (top right) still visible. The bright spot on the limb at the bottom of the image marks the location of AR 13560.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A filament is easily seen in this image, along with the AR 13559 on the solar edge. This was taken five minutes after the peak of a C5.9 flare that came from this AR. The event is visible as a bright dash on the edge of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two new small regions are rotating into view: AR 13565 below and left of image center; and an un-numbered AR to its upper left, on the solar edge.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is shifted toward the south some, to show how inactive the solar surface is. AR 13565 is visible in the upper right part of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares from now through 31 January. There was an increasing chance for M-flares today, 29 January, due to AR 13559, but those chances decrease as the region rotates over the limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 19, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be low, with only low-level C-class flare activity. AR 13559 has grown some, and a new flux or bundle of magnetic fields has emerged southwest of AR 13555. The rest of the 11 numbered regions were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each; The top two images each cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, and the second row images each cover 13.8’x13.8 in apparent size. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13545 (right), 13549 (near bottom center) and 13553 (single spot, upper left) are all visible in this continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of the three regions imaged at left appear in this image, accompanied by a large fluffy filament (near top center standing vertically).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are seen here. AR 13559 is the pair at the top left edge; The single spot below and right of them is 13556. AR 13555 is in the lower right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several filaments are visible in this image, approximately the same field of view as the image on the left. Everything in this image is quiet and stable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares from now through 21 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 18, 2024<\/h2>\n

The Sun is maintaining an extended period of low activity. This is the 7th day in a row with low activity and no M-class flares. The largest flare of the last six days was a C9.5 that happened at 12:06 UT on 14 January. More recently the larges flare recently was a C5 that happened at 4:08 UT on 18 January and came from AR 13553. Despite the large number of sunspot groups (9 as of this afternoon’s count), there has not been any significant activity.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each, and each cover 13.8’x13.8 in apparent size, except where indicated otherwise. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13549 (left) and 13545 (right) as seen in red continuum imagery.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as imaged in H-alpha. The spots and this region have been quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x18.0′ image displays six of the currently nine spotted active regions currently seen on the solar disk. None are particularly large or complex.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13555\/13557 are centered in this view, which also features many filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 20 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 12, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels with four low-level M-class flares. The largest of these was an M1.5 at 17:52 UT on 11 January, from AR 13539. This region became stable and also produced several C-class flares. AR13540 and 13547 were stable and inactive; AR 13541 decayed some, and new regions 13548 and 13549 were inactive as well.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, and the second column the H-alpha images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each, and each cover 13.8’x13.8 in apparent size. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13539 (upper right) prepares to rotate out of view. AR 13540\/13541 are becoming visible in the lower left corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun (west disk) in H-alpha shows a marked lack of activity as these regions have been quiet and mostly stable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13540\/13541 pair appear near the right edge of the picture and extend to image center. AR 13546 is the region left of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone, centered near disk center, shows the regions and a few small filament as seen in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13545 (just right of image center), 13549 (lower left), and 13548 (near top center) are rotating into view. The trailing spots of 13546 can be seen in the lower right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions (except for 13546) are visible in this H-alpha image. A few subtle filaments are visible as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be mainly at low levels with a chance of M-class flares through 14 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 11, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached and remained at moderate levels yesterday into today, with an AR from just beyond the SE limb producing an M1.1 flare at 12:55 UT on 10 January. That region has rotated into view today. AR 13538 was the source of an M1.7 flare at 23:28 UT on 10 January. AR 13538 produced an M1.3 flare today at 12:51 UT, and an M1.2 flare today at 19:23 UT (while clouds were delaying our opening for today’s observations). AR 13539 produced an M1.5 flare at 17:52 UT. AR 13538 was also the source of some high-level C-class flares today.<\/p>\n

AR continues to grow as it approaches the western limb but it it about to rotate out of view in another day or so. AR 13539, following 13538 toward the western limb, also grew and developed some; this was the source of C-clas flares. The remaining regions (ten now visible, plus three un-numbered regions that emerged onto the disk and a fourth, yet to be numbered, rotated into view) were mainly quiet and stable. Filaments continue to launch off the Sun: one started to do so quickly at 20:28 UT yesterday, on the east limb of the Sun, this produced a C5.6 flare that peaked at 20:41 UT on 10 January; another filament was observed to lift off at 5:30 UT on 11 January.<\/p>\n

The first column below displays the red continuum images, each a 0.5 second exposure. The second column includes the H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposure. The images were recorded at the time indicated on each, and cover the size noted in the caption. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions prepare to rotate out of view. This image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view, but in H-alpha, with an apparent flare near AR 13543. This image is 13.8’x13.8′ in size on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 15.8’x11.1′ image shows five active regions, four numbered (the spot at bottom center is an artefact).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone is covered as depicted on the left. The AR 13540\/13541 pair dominates toward the right, with AR 13545 in the upper left corner. This image s 16.7’x11.1′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 15.8’x11.1′ image frames AR 13545 (lower left), along with two yet-to-be numbered spotted regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 13.8’x13,8′ image covers an area slightly south of that covered in the left image. The new large spot is seen rotating into view (bottom left).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to at low levels with an ongoing chance of M-class flares through 13 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 10, 2024<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low, with only minor C-class flares occurring. The two largest in the last two days, so far (as of 21:25 UT, 10 Jan.) was a C9.6 at 3:25 UTC today from AR 13538, and an M1.4 at 12:55 UT today, from an unspecified location. Today, the C-flares have been coming from AR’s 13538 (5 events, the most of any region today), 13536 (one event this afternoon), 13540 (one optical sub-flare) and 13546 (two events). There are a total of 11 numbered spotted active regions on the visible solar disk today, but only 10 of them were observed this morning during the daily sunspot counts. AR’s 13538 and 13539 are slowly growing, as is AR 13546, with the rest of these spot groups either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Filaments continue to lift off the Sun: one just beyond the SE limb and the other (around 45 degrees long) just south of AR 13541. Both started doing so just after 14:00 UTC. An eruptive prominence, in the shape of a tall loop, was observed from PVSO at 21:14. This feature had faded almost entirely by 21:18 UT.<\/p>\n

The first column displays the red continuum images of each of the visible spotted active regions on the solar disk. Each of these images is a 0.5 second exposure. The second column displays H-alpha line centered images of the same zones on the Sun depicted by the continuum images. Each of these is 1.0 second exposure. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sun and has celestial north up, west right (solar north is rotated two degrees clockwise from celestial north).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A “nest” of active regions (labeled) is about to rotate over the western limb, led by AR 13538.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same zone on the Sun shows various small filaments in and around the active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13544 (appears as a single spot) is just off the top edge of the image (top center, about 10 o’clock from the “1” in the time stamp). AR 13545 is near the left edge, 13546 is near the bottom, left of center, and 13540 \/ 13541 are in the lower right corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone is depicted at H-alpha line center. The activity is happening in the bottom half of the image. AR 13546 and 13540 had produced minor flares; the remaining regions were quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a continuing chance for M-class flares from now through 12 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 9, 2024<\/h2>\n

AR 13536 rotated into view on December 31 and produced an X5.0\/3B flare at 21:49 UT, the largest of the current solar cycle. Since then, it had rotated into better view and generated several more M-class flares before quieting down. The most recent M-class flare was a M3.9 that occurred at 1:56 UT on 4 January. Since this event, there had been no further M-class flares (all C-class) up until the time of this posting (20:00 UT 9 January). The largest event in the past two days was a C5.7 that happened at 15:50 UT on 8 January from AR 13538. This region is growing some, in contrast with AR 13536, which is slowly decaying. AR’s 13539, 13542, and 13544 were quiet and stable; AR 13540 decayed some; ARs 13541 and 13543 grew slightly; and AR 13545 rotated into view. Another group, soon-to-be numbered AR 13546, emerged east of the 13540\/13541 pair.<\/p>\n

Another event of note was an erupting filament, which began to liftoff near the southeast limb at 17:00 UTC on 8 January. This 24 degree long filament the produced a Coronal Mass Ejection, which was first seen by SOHO LASCO satellite imagery at 00:48 UT on 9 January.<\/p>\n

Four individual images are displayed below, with two copies of each of the continuum image. Each of the images is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column contains the continuum images of the east and west solar disk, showing all the visible spotted active regions currently on the solar disk. The second\/middle column are the same images as the left column, but with the active regions\/sunspot groups labeled. The right most column includes the H-alpha line center images of each zone on the Sun. The UT of image acquisition is provided in one corner of each image. Each frame covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. Solar north is offset from celestial north by two degrees to the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 11 January.<\/p>\n

==========================================================<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2024 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved. Observations are happening daily, except for most Saturdays, all Sundays, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6973","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6973\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5873,"date":"2023-01-27T12:58:22","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T18:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=5873"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:04:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:04:05","slug":"solar-observations-2021-2-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2021-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2024 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Observations are happening daily, except for Saturday, Sunday, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be limited or non-existent. Whenever the Sun becomes active again, the observing program will become active as well, weather permitting.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website,\u00a0https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is\u00a0www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from\u00a0https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at\u00a0http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is summarized in each day’s entry below, based on the forecast discussion product issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center each morning, along with observed activity (or lack of) the day of the featured observations. Regions are numbered by the NOAA\/SWPC and are often provided in four-digit format (e.g. 3327), although I and other sources use the full five-digit designation (13327). Solar flares are described in terms of their X-ray intensity and optical “importance” (apparent brightness and area covered). Finally the SWPC 3-day forecast for solar activity is provided at the end of each entry.<\/p>\n

More information about solar flares can be found at these websites: https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/phenomena<\/a>; https:\/\/www.space.com\/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation<\/a>; and https:\/\/www.spaceweatherlive.com\/en\/solar-activity\/solar-flares.html<\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and a 16-bit, 3326×2504 pixel SBIG STF-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long for the red off-band continuum images and 0.5 second for the on-band H-alpha images. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

==========================================================<\/p>\n

December 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains at low activity levels. AR 13521 has grown some and produced three higher-level C-class flares: a C7.5\/SF today at 5:53 UT, a C7.9\/SF today at 6:03 UT, and a C8.2\/SF today at 8:54 UT. AR 13519 also grew some and was the source of a C7.9\/SF today at 9:36 UTC. AR 13529 maintained its complex (‘beta-gamma’) magnetic configuration; AR 13528 was mostly inactive despite showing some growth. AR 13531 rotated into view and was unremarkable until it produced a C6.8 flare today at 17:27 UT. The rest of the nine spotted active regions on the visible solar disk remained mostly quiet and unremarkable. Today’s flares came from AR 13519 and 13521 prior to 13:40 today, then ARs 13526, 13529, 13530, and 13531 each contributed flaring activity. The largest three active regions on the Sun are 13529 (250 MSH), AR 13526 (190 MSH) and AR 13528 (110 MSH).<\/p>\n

Each of the images covers 18.0’x13.8′ except where indicated. The first column displays the red continuum images; the second column shows the H-alpha images, with the time of acquisition labeled on each one. Each is a 0.5 second exposure and is displayed so that celestial north is up, east is left (solar north is 7.8 degrees rotated left or counterclockwise of celestial north).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"The western limb and disk of the Sun, showing three spotted active regions. AR 13527 is rotating out of view with 13519 to follow.<\/td>\n\"\"Same view as the image at left, but in H-alpha, showing some filaments south of 13519.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"Many spotted active regions (labeled) appear in this view of the eastern disk and limb.<\/td>\n\"\"Several filaments (mainly in the lower half of the image) are also present, made visible by the H-alpha filter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"Four active regions, three of them spotted, are seen in this view taken near the center of the solar disk. This image is 13.8’x13.8′ in extent.<\/td>\n\"\"The large filament remains visible in the northern hemisphere of the Sun. A second, smaller filament appears in the right part of the image. AR 13528 appears, in part, in the center lower edge of the image; AR 13521 is to the left of it. The spot near the lower right corner is an image artefact, but the brighter region is plage from spotless AR 13518.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 22 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

Despite the increasing number of sunspot groups on the solar disk today, solar activity remains low. Since the M1.1 flare on 17 December at 20:15 UT, there had been no M-class flares since (through this writing, 21:06 UTC 19 December). There’s been only C-class activity since. AR 13519 has, after a couple days of growth, begun to show signs of decay. AR 13426 is growing and produced a C4.0 flare at 20:36 UT on the 18th. This region was responsible for most of today’s reported flares, including a C7.3 today at 3:04 UT. AR 13529, also growing, produced the most recent two flare, including a C7.1 at 15:39 UT.\u00a0 AR’s 13528 and 13530 are also growing. The other spotted regions are all unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Except for the bottom most image, the first column are red continuum images, and the second column are H-alpha line-centered images. All were recorded at the time indicated on each image. The two red-continuum images are 0.25 second exposures, and the four H-alpha images are each is a 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image. Solar north is rotated 8 degrees left, or counterclockwise, in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"AR 13519 (just below center) and 13527 (near the edge) as imaged in this red continuum image covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"The two images listed at left, plus several others (labeled) are imaged in this 13.8’x18.0′ H-alpha image of this zone on the Sun. The two regions along the left edge of the image are spotless H-alpha plages.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"A 13.8’x18.0′ red continuum image showing the active regions visible on the eastern half of the Sun. AR’s 13523 and 13524 are just above 13521, outside the frame of this image. These two are quite small and unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"H-alpha image, covering 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, of the same area of the Sun as depicted at left. A few filaments are visible along with\u00a0 most of the active regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A long and prominent filament is imaged in this 13.8’x13.8′ H-alpha image. The Y-shaped bright region below and left of image center is AR 13523; just above it is 13524, which is indistinct in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The southern end of the filament points toward AR 13528, currently one of the larger visible regions, at 50 MSH (and growing). AR 13521 is due left, toward the left edge of the image. The plage region 13518 appears as a bisected bright patch near the right center edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares on 19 December, and a slight chance of M-class flares on 20-21 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 16, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels as AR 13514 slowly decayed. It was responsible for the bulk of the C-class activity today and yesterday. AR 13519 had grown slightly, but the rest of the spotted regions, including newly numbered regions 13522 and 13523, were mostly quiet and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The images below are each 0.5 second exposures, covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The red continuum images are found in the first column, with the H-alpha line images in the second column. Celestial north is up, east is left, with solar north is rotated 10 degrees left\/counterclockwise of celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13514 (just right of disk center, the elongated cluster of spots), along with AR 13520 (the single spot a bit displaced from the main cluster, and 13513 (the single spot above these two), as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The three spotted active regions, as viewed in Hydrogen-alpha. These are being carried over the limb by solar rotation and will be even more foreshortened tomorrow before disappearing complete the next day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>After 13514, this region, AR 13519, appears to be the next best source of flares. However, it is mainly stable and quiet at the moment.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13519 appears rather unremarkable in this image in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a chance for X-class flares (from AR 13514) on 16-17 December. Activity should decrease to low levels, with a chance for M-class flares, on 18 December, as AR 13514 rotates beyond the western limb of the Sun<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 15, 2023<\/h2>\n

Skies cleared enough for about twenty minutes today to obtain some follow-up images of the Sun. There was only enough time for the continuum imaging sequence; the skies completely clouded over by the time the H-alpha filter was on line for imaging. Since yesterday’s notable X2.8 flare, there had been only C-class flares, until AR 13514 produced a pair of M-class flares in quick succession: an M6.3\/1N flare today at 7:15 UT, followed 19 minutes later by an M6.9\/SF at 7:34 UT. Since these events, the Sun had quieted down dramatically, with only low-level C-class and optical sub-flares, all (except one subflare from AR 13519) from AR 13514. This low state continues through this writing (20:40 UT, 15 December). There was an erupting filament channel in the northeast quadrant of the solar disk observed yesterday starting at 11:30 UT. This was not observed from PVSO. Most of the significant spot development happened with AR 13514; the remaining regions remained quiet, unchanged, and\/or relatively simple.<\/p>\n

All the images below are red-continuum. The first column are the images, with the second column being copies of each image, but with the image time and active region labels included. Each is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, east left. The top row images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky while the bottom images cover 17.4’x10.5′ on the sky. Solar north is rotated 10 degrees left\/counterclockwise of celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate, with a chance for isolated X-class flares (from AR 13514) through at least 16 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reach high levels this morning and stayed there for the rest of the day. AR 13514 was responsible for an M5.8\/SF at 7:44 UT today. This region has grown significantly yesterday, being much more impressive in appearance today than two days ago when it was last observed. This region was the source of several other C-class flares as well as the largest flare of the current solar cycle so far, an X2.8\/1B flare at 17:02 UT. AR’s 13519 and 13520 also grew, with the remaining active regions being quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The X2.8 flare was the largest since the X8 and X9 flares of September 2017. It was the largest since September 10, 2017 and produced radio sweeps and bursts as well as a 4800 sfu (solar flux units) tenflare (a solar flare which produces a 10-cm radio noise burst that exceeds 100% of the preflare 10-cm flux level). Radiation from this event caused deep shortwave radio blackouts over the southern half of North America and all of Central and South America.\u00a0 A Type-II radio burst was reported by the U.S. Air Force shortly after the event. The flare generated a lop-sided coronal mass ejection (below, click on the image for the animation) which is expected to travel in excess of 2100 km\/s or 4.7 million mph.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Except for the teal image below, the first column are red continuum images, and the second column are H-alpha line-centered images. Each is a 0.5 second exposure and each image of AR 13514 covers 13.8’x13.8′. The two of AR 13519 and more each cover 18.0’x13.8′. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>SDO EUV of the flare. Click on the image for an animation of the solar flare.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of the flare near its X-ray peak as seen through clouds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13514 (large complex of spots), 13520 and 13517 (above and left of 13514) and 13513 (single spot above these).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same zone of the Sun but imaged in H-alpha. AR 13514 is the most complex active region in this zone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four small AR’s (labeled) are visible in this image. The largest of these is AR 13519, which is growing.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun in H-alpha, not quite line center. It appears that clouds were present as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an increasing chance for isolated M-class flares through 16 December. This is due tot he increased magnetic complexity of AR’s 13514, 13519, and 13520; also several active regions are expected to return during this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be low. AR 13511 has rotated out of view, so the C-class flares from it have stopped being detected at Earth. AR 13513 has shown some decay and was mostly inactive yesterday, but today produced a C1.3 \/ SF at 12::41 UT. It remains the largest on the visible disk, at 210 MSH, over 3 times larger than the next largest sunspot. Six spotted active regions, five numbered, remain visible on the solar disk. The sixth is starting to come into view on the ENE limb of the Sun. AR 13514 has grown some and has produced several C-class flares today, including a C9.1\/SF at 3:38 UT today; and a C8.2\/SF at 13:42 today. AR 13517 continues to grow but remains quiet as is the rest of the spotted active regions.<\/p>\n

The first column images were taken in red continuum, the second in H-alpha. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. North is up, east is left (solar north is rotated left by 13 degrees)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The three groups: AR 13513, above and right of image center; AR 13514, below and right of image center; and AR 13517, due left of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three AR’s as depicted in the previous image. Each has appeared to have grown since yesterday except 13514, which is shedding its trailer spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13515\/13516 pair remain unremarkable, except that the latter has shown some spot growth.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region pair as depicted in H-alpha. These two spots remain completely quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares (from AR’s 13513 and 13514) through at least 14 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun became moderately active late yesterday due to an M1.4 flare from AR 13511 at 22:34 UT on 10 December. This region also was the source for most of the C-class activity yesterday and today. The region is decaying slightly as it approached the solar limb. AR 13513 is the largest region on the visible solar disk, at 220 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH) in size, it appears considerably larger than AR 14511, at 140 MSH. The remaining spot groups are less than 100 MSH, with sizes ranging from 10 to 70 MSH. AR 13513 has complex magnetic fields and has grown a bit but remained quiet all day yesterday and today. The remaining regions were unremarkable, with AR 13517 emerging yesterday between AR 13513 and 13514.<\/p>\n

The first column images were taken in red continuum, the second in H-alpha. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. North is up, east is left (solar north is rotated left by 112 degrees)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13513 (top, with the largest spots), 13514 (below the large leader spots) and 13517 (below and just left of the trailing spots) as they cross the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three regions as depicted at left, but in H-alpha light. AR 13513 is easily seen, but the others appear rather unremarkable in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13514 (the top spot) and 13515 (the bottom) as they continue to be carried into better view by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same two regions noted at left as seen in H-alpha light. At least one filament is visible below and slightly left of the pair.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is an elevated likelihood of M-class flaring today and tomorrow, due to AR 13511 and 13513 flare potentials. There is also a slight chance for an X-class flare through 12 December. Activity decreases to a chance of M-class flares on 13 December as AR 13511 rotates over the limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be low. There had been no further M-class flares after the one described below-until AR 13511 produced an M5.4 that peaked at 23:06 UT. This sent solar activity to high levels after it being low since late December 6. Prior to this, the largest event since the M2 flare was a C8.1\/SF at 20:57 UTC on 7 December from AR 13513. This region showed slight growth in the trailing parts. The leading spots of AR 13511 also have grown somewhat. AR 13514 shows slight decay while AR 13505 and 13512 decayed to spotless plage. There were lots of low- to medium-level C-class flares today, from AR’s 13511 and 13513.<\/p>\n

The first column images were taken in red continuum, the second in H-alpha. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. North is up, east is left (solar north is rotated left by 13 degrees)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The group of active regions (labeled) that we’ve been following across the solar disk is approaching the west limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun but in H-alpha, shows a variety of filaments and other features.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13513 (top) and 13514 (bottom) as seen in continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as depicted at left, but in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 10 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to maintain moderate levels of activity. AR 13513 continues to produces lots of C-class and several M-class flares. One was an M2 flare at 5:41 UT on 6 December; another was an M2.3 flare just observed at 21:44 UT this afternoon. AR’s 13510 and 13511 grew slightly, with 13511 producing a C8\/SF at 18:03 UT on 5 December. Just south of AR 13513 is a new spot group, AR 13514, the source of a small flare kernel captured in yesterday’s observations. It produced an optical subflare today. All the flare events, with two exceptions, came from AR 13513. A C1.3 came from AR 13507. Several filaments erupted yesterday and there was possibly one in progress as captured by our camera of AR 13513. The tall prominence (referred to as a filament when it is seen against the Sun’s bright disk) was gone a couple hours later in GONG imagery.<\/p>\n

The first column images were taken in white light, the second in H-alpha, as was the single image below the table, which depicts the M2.3 flare two minutes after its X-ray maximum. This image shows reduced contrast because it was taken through a thin sheet of cirrus clouds. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. North is up, east is left (solar north is rotated left by 14 degrees)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The triangular complex of active regions continues to march across the Sun’s disk. The small single spot right of the line of spots is AR 13505.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same area of the Sun, as seen in H-alpha. The large spot at top is AR 13507, the lowest group (lower left) is 13511, with 13510 above that, right against 13508 immediately right of it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13513 (upper group) as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several interesting features: a tall prominence (left), the active region 13513, and a bent filament. The filament may be next to liftoff.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> The M2.3 flare (bright spots) just past maximum.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 8 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 5, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today saw frequent C-class flaring after an impulsive M1\/1F flare at 6:44 UT on 5 December. This came from AR 13513, which just rotated into view. This region also produced several mid- to high-level C-class flares yesterday and again today. AR 13507 is showing decay, but AR 13510 and 13511 are showing growth. None of these were very active, but AR 13510 just produced a C8.6\/1N flare that peaked at 18:03 UT. The other spotted active regions showed little change, and AR 13501 has rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

The first image is red continuum, the second and third are H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposure taken at the indicated time. Celestial north is up, east is left in each image, which covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The group of active regions continues to march across the solar disk, carried along by its rotation. This is a red continuum image centered a small distance south and west of the disk center of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13507 is the large spot near the top. AR 13511 is the pair near the bottom center edge; 13510 is the wide pair with bright plage and a filament. The single large spot left of this is 13508, and 13505 is the single small spot to the right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13513 does not look too impressive, but it has been “glowing” all day and has been the source of many C-class flares. A prominence appears just beyond it on the limb, and a filament seems to point toward both.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 7 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 4, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since last week’s impressive double flare that was documented in full during the observing session, solar activity has been predominantly low. Only two more M-class flares have happened since. Both were M1 and both occurred on 1 December. Since last week the complex of sunspot groups on the western part of the solar disk had rotated out of view, and today, the source of last week’s activity is nearing the very edge of the Sun, about to rotate out of view. The largest flare recently, and since the second M1 of 1 December, was a C8.1 that happened at 1:26 UT on 4 December from new region 13511. This is a rapidly growing region which was not visible during yesterday morning’s visual sunspot count session. AR’s 13500, 13507, and 13510 each produced a few low-level C-class events. The tail end of an optical sub-flare, with dark surging, was observed this morning at 16:51 near AR 13505. Aside from the rapid growth of AR 13511, and the tepid growth in AR’s 13507 and 13510, the other active regions on the solar disk were stable\/unchanging.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images, 0.25 sec exposures each; and the second has H-alpha images, 0.5 second exposures each; the time indicated on the image is when each image was taken. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.\u00a0 Heliocentric (Solar) north is rotated 15 degrees to the left for each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13500 appears reduced to a barely-visible spot with faculae very close to the sun’s edge, just right of image center. Above and left of that is AR 13501, even tinier.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha viewing adds a filament to the view, with AR 13500 appearing a bit more prominent thanks to the bright plage. Otherwise, this part of the Sun is unremarkable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another active longitude or “sunspot nest” appears in this image, near disk center, of the active regions (labeled).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the Sun, as viewed in H-alpha, with some left over sub-flare activity near AR 13508 (bright spots).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 6 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

After an extended period of low solar activity, the largest flare prior to this afternoon was a C6.7 flare from AR 13500 at 18:52 UT on 27 November. There was a C2.1 from the same region at 4:48 UT today. Then things were quiet, with only a few optical subflares from AR’s 13490, 13500, 13502, and 13504. Then at 19:32, AR 13500 produced an M3.4, which was followed quickly by an M9.8 flare at 19:50 UT. All of this was documented at the Solar Observatory this afternoon. The monitoring started at 18:53 UT when some prominent dark surging activity caught my attention. This eventually became the first of two M-class flares. Images were grabbed every 30 seconds from 19:14 to 19:50 UT, then every 60 seconds thereafter. The cadence increased as the flare decay continued, and we monitored the region through 20:25 UT.<\/p>\n

Other activity of note was a C8.1 flare from AR 13499 at 23:31 UT on the 28th. There are currently 12 spotted active regions on the visible disk, 9 of them numbered, with AR 13500 being the largest and most complex of the batch.<\/p>\n

The below images were recorded at the times indicated, with the regions labeled in the two continuum images. The first two rows of the table below survey most of the visible regions on the Sun. The last row depict AR 13500 during the X-ray peaks of the two M-class flares recorded today. Each image covers 13.8’x18.0′ unless otherwise indicated. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image. The bottom teal-colored image is a Solar Dynamic Observatory animated image showing the flare in extreme ultraviolet light. This was posted to spaceweather.com which describes the flare in more detail. If you are visiting this site at a later date, load the November 29, 2023 version of the spaceweather.com page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum image of several active regions. This image covers 13.8’x15.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image depicting the same regions as shown left, but with the addition of several filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum image of several more active regions, including AR 13500.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun is depicted in this H-alpha image, along with a filament (below left) and dark semi-circular surge haloes (center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13500 and environs near the X-ray peak of the M3.4 flare. This image covers 13.8’x15.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13500 and environs near the X-ray peak of the M9.8 flare. This image covers 13.8’x15.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> Click on the image for an animation of the solar flare.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare, mainly due to AR 13500, through at least 1 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Despite the impressive looking active regions five days ago, and even more recently, solar activity remained low overall over the last five days. There were only 3 low-level M-class flare November 23\/24, but lots of C-class flares. There were as many as 13 spotted active regions on the visible disk but that number has dropped to 11. Over the last day or so, low-level C-class flares were observed coming from AR’s 13490, 13492, 13500, and 13502. Some decay occurred in AR’s 13489, 13490, and 13502; while some growth was seen in AR’s 13499, 13503, and 13504. A filament approximately 33 degrees long (as measured on the solar disk) began to lift off the NW quadrant of the Sun overnight (local time) around 5:30 UT. This produced a CME that began around 6:24 UT. A few other filaments remain on the solar disk as of this morning.<\/p>\n

The low activity continued into today with only occasional low-level C-class and sub-flare activity coming from AR’s 13490, 13492, and 13502. AR 13500 just produced a C6.7 flare, which peaked at 18:52 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure and cover 13.8’x15.0′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images and the second has H-alpha images, each taken at the time indicated on the image. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.\u00a0 Heliocentric (Solar) north is rotated 17 degrees to the left for each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Seven spotted regions (labeled) are visible in this image of the western part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha imagery shows it to be rather quiet on this part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted regions (labeled) are visible in this continuum image near the disk center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13500 appears to be the most active of these as it has shown some dark surging. At 470 MSH, it is the largest visible group.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 29 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 22, 2023<\/h2>\n

More sunspots continue to rotate into view as the Sun transitions from a quiet to an active state. Despite appearances, overall activity remains low, with only four regions (AR 13489, 13492, 13493, and 13495) displaying flare activity. All the flares were C-class and optical subflares, the largest being a c8.9\/SF from AR 13492 at 6:28 UT today. Another large active region is coming into view east of the AR 13493\/13494 pair, and lots of prominence activity on the ESE and ENE limbs indicate even more are about to rotate into view.<\/p>\n

The first two images below are the same red continuum of the many spotted regions visible near the eastern limb of the Sun. The first image is un-labeled, the second is labeled to show where each of the individual active regions reside. The third is an H-alpha image of the same zone. Each of these covers 13.8’x15.6′ on the Sun. Each image, taken at the UT printed on each, is a 0.5 second exposure and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 24 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s disk had transformed from being nearly spotless to having eleven spot groups in just a matter of days. A cluster of active regions has rotated into view over the weekend and are now becoming more clearly visible as they rotate into better view. Solar activity became moderate today as AR 13490 produced an M1.2 flare at 9:03 UT. AR’s 13489, 13490, and 13491 produced C-class flares. AR 13489 is growing and another region has emerged just behind\/east of it.<\/p>\n

The first two images below are the same red continuum of the many spotted regions visible near the eastern limb of the Sun. The first image is un-labeled, the second is labeled to show where each of the individual active regions reside. The third is an H-alpha image of the same zone. Each of these covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun. Each image, taken at the UT printed on each, is a 0.5 second exposure and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 22 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s disk is almost spotless at this time, with only two small spotted active regions visible: AR 13486 on the western limb about to rotate out of view, and what will likely become AR 13489, rotating into view on the eastern limb. Both these regions, and 13487 (now invisible due to its proximity to the solar edge) remain stable and relatively quiet. Old active regions 13472 is anticipated to return on the 18th and 13474 on the 19th. Some surging was seen on the east limb, which may be one of them.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure and cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column contains red continuum images and the second has H-alpha images, each taken at the time indicated on the image. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.\u00a0 Heliocentric (Solar) north is rotated 23 degrees to the left for each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13486 about to rotate out of view, following AR 13487, which did so overnight.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view, but with two filaments. One is a small feature in the upper left corner, and the other is larger and more diffuse below and slightly left of the active region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13489 is slowly rotating into view and appears to be larger than AR 13486.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view showing that this part of the solar disk is almost as featureless as the continuum image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 19 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 15, 2023<\/h2>\n

AR 13485 produced an isolated M1\/SN flare late yesterday, at 23:05 UT on 14 November. This region is in the process of rotating off the visible disk. AR 13486 is the largest group on the visible disk, covering 140 Millionths of a Solar Hemisphere (MSH). Although AR 13483 is larger, at 260 MSH, it has rotated completely out of view. AR 13485 is the next largest after 13486, at 90 MSH but is largely hidden by its location on the solar limb. AR 13487 covers 30 MSH as does new region 13488, which had just rotated into view two days ago, but just lost its spot. Aside from these the Sun’s disk is almost blank. A lot of CME’s have erupted on the far side of the sun yesterday and today. Some of this activity may rotate into our view in a week or two.<\/p>\n

All the visible regions are captured in one image (in two wavelengths, below). Each image is a 0.5 second exposure and is 13.8’x13.8′ in sky coverage, with the red continuum image at left and the H-alpha image at right. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 17 November. AR 13486 would be the likely source of such flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

After several days of being completely cloudy, the skies cleared for a few hours this morning (before clouding back up by noon local time). The Sun appears to be wiping its face clean of sunspots as the active longitudes of spots rotates toward and onto the western limb. AR 13486 and 13487 emerged a few days ago and the former is growing fairly rapidly. AR 13487 emerged rapidly yesterday but with otherwise unremarkable through today. Except for these two, the remaining four spotted active regions are either close to the limb, or (for AR 13477) have rotated over the limb. So there are five spotted regions visible, along with three spotless plage regions (two are on the western limb). No new regions appear to be rotating over the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

Prior to today’s observing session, AR’s 13483, 13484, 13485, and 13486 were each producing low level C-class flares (C1’s), the largest of which was a C2.1 from AR 13483. Five more C-class flares occurred between 14:43 and 17:37 UT, but as of this writing no region has been attached to these. The largest of these fiver was a C2.7 as 15:31 UT (during the observing session but nothing unusual was observed on the Sun during this time). Further, a C5.8 event happened at 18:11 UT but no information is yet available for this event. This was the largest event so far since a C8.4 at 4:40 UT on 12 November. The most recent M-class event peaked at 17:29 UT on 11 November and was the only such event since at least 8 November.<\/p>\n

All the visible regions are captured in one image (in two wavelengths, below). Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with the red continuum image (left) covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the H-alpha image (right) is a bit larger, at 13.8’x14.6′ (to fit another filament into the frame). Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares today only. This chance decreases to just a slight chance through at least 16 November as AR’s 13483, 13484, and 13485 rotate over the western limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels, with new AR 13483 being the most active region on the visible solar disk. It produced the largest flare in over two days: a C6 at 8:48 UTC this morning. Since then the X-ray background has nearly flatlined at the C1.0 level and continues that way as of this writing (19:35 UT, 8 November). AR 13477 continues to be the largest region on the disk, at 260 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH), but it remained quiet. The other five numbered regions were 50 or less MSH. AR 13479 continued to grow and had some C-class activity yesterday but had only produced a sub-flare at 0:42 UT today. All of the regions have been unremarkable today.<\/p>\n

There are many filaments on the solar disk today. They have been erupting fairly regularly over the last week or so. When a filament rotates onto the solar limb, it becomes a prominence. One such feature began erupting off the west limb, beginning at 7:30 UT, and it produced a CME which will remain far from Earth.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure and cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, except for the continuum image of AR 13479 (lower left of the images), which is 13.8’x13.8′. The first column contains red continuum images and the second has H-alpha images, each taken at the time indicated on the image. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.\u00a0 Heliocentric (Solar) north is rotated 23 degrees to the left for each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the visible active regions are contained in this single image. The only ones not included are AR 13479 (shown below) and AR 13482 (just off the left edge of the image).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same zone of the Sun as seen in H-alpha light. This on-band image reveals several filaments, including one just south of the main spot of AR 13477.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13479 is redeveloping but is preparing to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The northwest disk of the Sun as seen in H-alpha shows not only the active region with bright plage, but several skinny filaments strewn across the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 10 November.<\/p>\n

November 7, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be quiet, with only low-level C-class flares, mostly from AR 13480. It is the most complex active region on the visible disk, magnetically speaking, but it is losing some of that complexity. AR 13477 is also showing some decay as it crosses into the western half of the Sun’s disk. The other three spotted regions were unremarkable. However, there appears to be two new groups of flux: a possible resurgence of AR 13479 near the northwest limb, and a new region, likely AR 13483, situated just south of AR 13481 (decayed to plage), and north of the AR 13477\/13480 pair.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a red continuum of three spotted active regions. The second is an H-alpha image of the same zone. Each of these covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun. The third is an H-alpha of the northwest disk, showing what appears to be a resurging AR 13479. This image covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun. Each image, taken at the UT printed on each, is a 0.5 second exposure and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13477 (lower right of image), 13480 (lower left of image), and 13483 (just above and right of image center), as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as depicted immediately left, but with a few filaments added in this H-alpha view. A larger, darker filament trails from AR 13477.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Some bright plage and new spots appear near the location of AR 13479. This region was the source of a C1.6\/1F event at 15:59 UT today, and a C2.0 at 16:13 UT today. All has been quiet since (through 21.45 UT)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through at least 9 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun appears to be quieting down once again. There was a pair of M1 flares from AR 13480 yesterday but today the Sun had been quiet. The spotted regions are decaying, now five remain as two rotated out of view and others have decayed. The largest flare over the weekend was an M1.6 from the above mentioned region. Another filament channel erupted yesterday from the northeast disk region, beginning around 15:00 UT. This generated a CME that will miss the Earth. Yet another filament channel erupted today around 6:00 UTC, this being near the SW limb region.<\/p>\n

The weather was cloudy most of the day today, but a thinning with a bit of a break in the cirrostratus overcast occurred to allow a brief observing session this morning.<\/p>\n

The main active regions are shown below, in two images taken at the times indicated. The left is a red continuum image, the right is H-alpha, made through very thin cirrus clouds. Each 0.5 second exposure covers 13.8’x18.0′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13477 (right), 13480 (just below and left of center) and 13482 (left edge) are the three largest spotted groups visible on the Sun today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha image appears a bit muted due to thin cirrus overcast, but main H-alpha features are still visible such as the filament just below AR 13477.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 8 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 3, 2023<\/h2>\n

After a flurry of activity, the Sun’s X-ray output displays an almost perfectly flatline profile on the C1.0 level, lasting from 9:20 UT to 22:30 UT. Two C-class events preceded this lull in activity, the first from AR 13480 (which was responsible for the majority of yesterday’s flare activity, including an M1 at 19:21 UT, the last such event so far) at 1:32 UT, the second from an unindicated source.<\/p>\n

Currently there are 8 spotted regions on the visible solar disk, the largest of which is AR 13474 (but it is decaying), and the second largest is 13477 (which is growing). The other regions are small, many of which are slowly dissipating.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated, each a 0.25 second exposure. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region, each a 0.5 second exposure. Each of the four images covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (except the first H-alpha image of AR 13472 and 13474, which is 18.0’x13.8′) and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13474 (bottom right) and 13472 (top center) as they are about to rotate out of view. Both are decaying as they go.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A wider view in H-alpha shows the bright plage with AR 13472 and several filaments. This was the area of the Sun that experienced a filament eruption earlier today (image from Solar Dynamics Observatory below). This event produced a full-halo CME.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several regions visible in this image as they rotate more into view: AR 13478 is the single spot just above and left of image center; AR 13477 is the large spot bottom center; and 13480 is the spot complex near the limb, left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same part of the solar disk, but in H-alpha. The bright spots upper left are part of another region (un-numbered) that is rotating into view. Visually it has only one or two tiny spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> Filament eruption today – click image for animation.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 5 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 2, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun is back on the upswing as far as sunspot numbers and activity are concerned. This morning, I observed eight spotted active regions, four in the northern hemisphere, and four in the southern. Seven of these are numbered and only two have areas greater than 100 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH). Six regions are quite small, but two are larger: AR 13474 (430 MSH, the largest currently visible) and 13477 (160 MSH).<\/p>\n

Activity reached moderate levels when an M1 flare erupted at 12:26 UT yesterday from near AR 13477; this activity likely came from another region still out of view (and it has not yet revealed itself today). Parts of AR 13474 show some decay and the rest of the spotted regions appeared stable or in slow decay since yesterday with the exception of AR 13479, which emerged yesterday and grew a bit today. Today, AR 13474 was the source of most activity: a C3.9\/SF at 1:58 UT, a C2.2\/SF at 12:11 UT, and an impulsive M1.6\/SB at 12:22 UT today. Prior to this event, four more C-class events (the largest was a C6.4 at 6:25 UT) were recorded but the present activity report does not associate a specific region with these. After the M1 flare there were no further flares, until about 19:15 UT.<\/p>\n

An M1.0 flare occurred at 19:21 UT this afternoon, but a GONG H-alpha full disk image does not show an obvious source for the flare. There had been some east and east-southeast limb activity all day which may be from another active region that is about to rotate into view. This active region may be the source of this flare and the four C-class events mentioned above.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated, each a 0.25 second exposure. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region, each a 0.5 second exposure. Each of the four images covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky (except the continuum image of AR 13477 and 13478, which is 13.8’x13.8′) and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions (labeled) start to rotate toward the west limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun as the prior frame. A filament is visible in the upper left corner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13477 (bottom) and 13478 (above and left of image center) are slowly being carried into better view by solar rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts to include a filament near the southeast limb. The bump on the limb almost directly below image center is very likely a processing artifact (no known solar events were occurring at the time of this image).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 4 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels as the first M-class flare in quite some time erupted from near AR 13477. This was an M1.1 that peaked at 6:26 UT today. Another flare, an M1.4, occurred at 12:26 UT, but the source was not provided in the event report as of midday today. It may have also come from the vicinity of AR 13477. The second event was a long duration event that took over 4 hours to subside to prior X-ray levels. AR 13474 has changed little in size and coverage since yesterday. It was the source of a C5 flare yesterday at 21:58 UT. AR’s 13472 and 13473 underwent some decay- their spots appear smaller and more scattered.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, we observed a rather dark filament, a 25 degree long feature that was centered near S38 E 25 on the Sun. It began to erupt at 19:18 UT, during our observing session yesterday. One can see the changes over 35 minutes, with the feature (lower left part of image) bowing more sharply in the second image versus the first. This later produced a CME that is expected to miss Earth on November 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated, each a 0.25 second exposure. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region, each a 0.5 second exposure. Each of the four images covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four regions (labeled) as seen in this red continuum image. AR 13474 continues to dominate as the largest spot group on the visible disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone of the solar disk as imaged in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13477 (bottom near edge) along with a smaller spot (just above left center, also near the limb) as they rotate into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A similar view but in H-alpha, showing some filaments in the lower right part of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance of isolated M-class flares primarily from AR 13474, through at least 3 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 31, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations resumed after some cloudy weather. The Sun continues to exhibit low activity but things are starting to pick up, as the frequency and intensity of C-class flares increases. They are not occurring continuously but in groups, with very low activity between. There were only a few low-level C-class events yesterday, but at 0:20 UT on 31 October, the largest event of yesterday and today erupted: a C5.7 which peaked at 0:20 UT. AR 13474, non existent before 29 October, grew, slowly at first, but rapidly over the last 36 hours or so, and has shown magnetic strength enhancement and spot consolidation. It is becoming more complex and may soon produce an M-class flare. AR 13473 grew some yesterday but stalled and remained stable through today; and AR 13472 was relatively stable. This afternoon, two new spot groups were noted: AR 13476, east of 13474; and 13477, which just rotated into view on the east limb. Both are shown in the images below.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image of the four active regions near the center of the solar disk. It covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the solar surface. The second image, same size and zone, is in H-alpha. The third image shows the new region as it rotates into view. It covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each of the three images is a 0.5 second exposure recorded at the time indicated on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions as depicted and labeled in this red continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same zone on the Sun, showing a rapidly growing 13474 and a few filaments. This region was the source of a C5 flare later in the day.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>New AR 13477 is starting to come into view. The small protrusion on the limb just below the spot was likely the source of a C4 event that occurred during observations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a chance of M-class flares primarily from AR 13474, through at least 2 November.<\/p>\n

October 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations were made under non-ideal conditions when the weather indicated it would clear but did not, so a few observations were made through cloud holes of varying sizes and clouds of varying thicknesses. The Sun continues to be very quiet with only five tiny sunspot groups (four of which are numbered) visible on the Sun. SWPC stated in its discussion October 25 that the previously indicated large active regions would not be appearing after all. So far this seems to be the case.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted, breaking the string of low solar activity days. This was centered near N22 E80 on the Sun’s east northeast limb and it began around 22:29 UT on 26 October. This was near AR 13473. The event was a long-duration M1.4 flare that peaked at 23:24 UT on 26 October. A partial halo CME began erupting at 23:14 UT on 26 October. The CME will miss Earth. AR 13471 grew slightly then decayed, while all the other regions are in decay. This GONG image shows a nearly blank solar disk in continuum (white light) imaging.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Skies remained overcast for the rest of the day. Weather is expected to continue to be unfavorable through middle of next week. Next observations may happen on 1 November. may be the last observations made until at least 30 October.<\/p>\n

Both images below are 0.5 second exposure and are trimmed to 13.8’x13.8′ with celestial north up, west right; they were recorded at the time indicated on the image. The left image is red continuum, the right is in H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Two very small spot groups: one is near the upper right part of the image, near the Sun’s disk edge (AR 13468). The other is visible just beneath image center (AR 13471).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>We weren’t able to get a good image of the western limb in H-alpha, nor the eastern limb in continuum, but here is the eastern limb in H-alpha showing two tiny regions (labeled).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to very low through at least 29 October. There is a slight chance of M-class flares on the 29th with the expected return of AR 13460.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 24, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues an extended period of inactivity, with low solar activity over seven days and counting. Only periodic C-class events have been occurring from time to time, the largest of which over the last seven days was a C2.8 at 0:30 UT on 21 October. More recently, a C2.3 came from AR 13468 at 19:58 UT on 23 October. Only two numbered active regions remain, thought a third was still barely visible as a single spot or pore. Although AR 13471 has been downgraded to plage, two spots have appeared at its location. Several coronal mass ejections were observed yesterday. There are two large sunspot groups on the solar far side which may return by 26 October.<\/p>\n

Weather has been unfavorable for observing this week and today’s expected sunny conditions became mostly cloudy during the session, hampering observations. Weather is expected to be worse the rest of the week so this may be the last observations made until at least 30 October.<\/p>\n

Both images below are 0.5 second exposure and are trimmed to 13.8’x13.8′ with celestial north up, west right; they were recorded at the time indicated on the image. The left image is red continuum, the right is in H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13468 (upper right, single spot) and 13471 (lower left, the pair of spots). Aside from 13470 (which is an even tinier spot), these are the only visible spotted regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha, with a filament between the two. This image was taken between clouds which increased during the session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with isolated C-class flares. There may be a better chance for C-class flares on 26-27 October with the anticipated return of the above-mentioned active regions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar activity continues to be low. The Sun is appearing almost blank as the above quick image (1\/6000 second exposure through a Takahashi 5.1-inch with a Herschel wedge) shows. Only three numbered spotted regions remain visible on the Sun, but four additional groups, three of which were very small, have been noted during this morning’s sunspot counts. So a total of seven spotted groups are on the visible solar disk. The largest of the unnumbered groups, likely to be numbered AR 13469, produced yesterday’s largest solar flare, a C2.7 at 14:00 UT. Today, the low-level C-class flares continue but are either from this region or another undisclosed region.<\/p>\n

One of the “new” spot groups seems to be AR 13467 (arrowed in the first continuum image below), which was classified as a plage region in today’s solar region summary. AR 13465 is decaying while 13464 and 13468 appear to be stable.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated, each a 0.1 second exposure. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region, each a 0.5 second exposure. Each of the four images covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13464 (near edge of Sun) and 13465 (below and right of image center) are about to rotate out of view. AR 13467 (arrowed) seems to be regrowing spots. A new region is emerging (just left of image center) and will likely be called AR 13469.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13467 (lower left corner) has been marked by this filament. Another filament appears above the 13465\/13454 pair. All appears quiet in this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13468 (lower right) appears to be adding a spot or two, but is otherwise quiet. The arrowed spots have been followed for several days and was thought to get a number by now.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun’s disk also looks very quiet. Just some small filaments and a little plage, along with the primary spot of 13468 (lower right) are visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with more C-class flares likely, through at least 22 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. Only three spotted regions remain visible on the Sun with a fourth unnumbered region (near N25 E55) consisting of two tiny spots, yet to be numbered. This and the other regions appear to be stable or in decay. The X-ray background remained below C1.o level for 22.5 hours, but after 1:48 UT today, some low level C-class flares started happening with some regularity. Departing AR 13463, now spotless, was the source for two of these: a C1.4 at 9:52 UT and another C1.4 at 12:11 UT. The largest event since 16 October was a C2.7 at 14:00 UT today, from an unspecified location.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated, each a 0.1 second exposure. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region, each a 0.5 second exposure. Each of the four images covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13464 (right), 13465 (left) and 13463 (bright spots on edge right of 13464) in continuum red light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun in H-alpha shows AR 13463 as a bright spot on the edge, right of the AR 13464\/13465 pair.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Aside from the two spot groups shown above, the only other significant group is AR 13468, which appears as a single spot above.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region, in H-alpha, shows a quiet and inactive single spot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with more C-class flares likely, through at least 21 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 18, 2023<\/h2>\n

After a double-peaked C-class event (or two events, first at 2:12 UT today, a C1.6; the second a C1.5 at 2:44 UT today), solar activity has dropped to very low levels. The background X-ray flux dropped below C1.0 level at 3:20 UT this morning and has remained in the B5 to B7 level all day, up until at least 22:00 UT. No information is available as to the source of the events.<\/p>\n

There remains three spotted active regions on the sun today, with a fourth rotating into view. This is a pair of un-numbered spots near N27E70 on the solar disk. All of these regions are stable and inactive.<\/p>\n

The red continuum image (left) is a 0.1 second exposure, while the H-alpha image (right) is a 0.5 second exposure. Each covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun and are oriented with celestial north up, east left. Both cover the same region on the solar disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13465 (left) and 13464 (right) remain the largest spotted regions visible. The cluster of white spots in the lower right is what is left of AR 13463.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions are seen in H-alpha along with several filaments. These regions continue to be inactive.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare through at least 20 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low, with the largest event of the past few days being a C9.8 flare at 16:06 UTC on 16 October. This came from the northeast limb. AR’s 13463 and 13465 generated a few low-level C-class flares. The rest of the spotted regions on the visible solar disk were mainly small and stable. A CME rose from the SE limb at about 6:00 UTC on 17 October. This came from low-level C-class flares near AR 13464. The overall picture of the solar activity appears to be on the decline again, with existing active regions decaying, shrinking, and\/or losing their spots. Nothing new or big seems to be imminent.<\/p>\n

Each image is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated. They cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun and are oriented with celestial north up, east left. The left image is a red continuum image; the right image is the H-alpha of the same area on the solar disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The two largest spotted regions currently visible are depicted in this image, along with several lesser regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The smaller regions nearly disappear in the H-alpha view, but several filaments are now visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare through at least 19 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations resume after two days of cloudy and rainy weather. Solar activity rose to moderate levels when AR 13451 produced an M1.1 flare at 4:58 UT today as it rotated out of view. AR 13460 is decaying slightly as it approaches the western limb. It was the source of a C9.6 flare at 3:47 UT on 12 October. AR’s 13463, 13464, and AR 13466 each grew, with the last one growing rapidly before stopping its growth today. Everything else was quiet and stable. Since these events early on 12 October, there were few events through the rest of the day (UT), only low-level C-class and optical sub flares.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, with the top row of images covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and the bottom row covering 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Each is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13460 is the pair of spots just below and left of center. AR 13454 is on the edge, near the top of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view focuses on the region AR 13460, which is currently the most complex in terms of magnetic fields.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions are visible in this image, each is labeled. The largest of these is left of center: AR 13464 and AR 13465.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same part of the solar disk showing the same regions along with a few filaments. AR 13464 produced a few sub-flares but was otherwise quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class events through at least 14 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low with AR 13451 contributing the vast majority of the flaring activity yesterday and today. There was a C9.2\/SF that peaked at 19:11 UT today from AR 13451, the largest since an M1.7 at 18:06 UT on 7 October. AR 13451 and 13460 have shown growth. The remaining seven spotted visible active regions are unremarkable: either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated), and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This is currently the most active area on the Sun. These regions will be carried out of view by the Sun’s rotation in a few days.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region in H-alpha. This region was the source of many C-class and optical sub-flares today and yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions\/spot groups are visible and labeled in this view. The largest of these is AR 13460, just below image center. This region is growing but has been relatively quiet with only a few small flares so far.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13460 is the only easily-visible region in this image, along with a few short filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class events through at least 11 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels. AR 13451 and 13452, the two most prominent on the Sun’s disk currently, showed some growth and produced almost all of the flares over the past two days, through today. AR 13454 also produced a flare, a C4\/SN at 21:15 UT on 5 October. There were a total of ten spotted regions observed on the sun this morning, most of which were small and either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each image is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated. They cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun and are oriented with celestial north up, east left. The left image is a red continuum image; the right image is the H-alpha of the same area on the solar disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class activity through at least 8 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 2, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun had been quiet for the most part, with the occasional M-class flare since the last observing session. There was an M1.2 at 16:35 UT on 30 September, then an M2.5 on 1 October. Activity remained quiet until an M1.9 flare from AR 13155 at 12:46 UT, which returned activity to moderate levels. Since then, through 22:15 UT today, there had only been a couple of minor C-class flares (both observed during this morning’s session): a C2.4 at 15:58 UT from AR 13450, and a C2.0 at 16:35 UT from AR 13453. The most complex regions currently visible are AR 13450 and 13452. The remaining regions were either stable or in gradual decay. AR 13155 was numbered just this morning but appeared rather unremarkable. Nonetheless it was the source of today’s only M-class flare so far.<\/p>\n

The top image is a red continuum image; the bottom is an H-alpha image, taken at the UT’s indicated. Each is a 0.5 second exposure and is oriented so that celestial north is up, east is right. Each covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Most of the visible active regions are able to fit into this frame. The regions at the bottom and left appear to be most likely to produce flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Same area of the Sun as depicted above. Lots of surging activity from AR 13450 (lower right) during and following a C2.4 observed at this location. Shortly after this image was recorded, AR 13453 (top center) generated a C2.0 flare, with much less dark surge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 4 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 29, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels. There were C-class flares from AR 13445 and 13450, but the latter was responsible for the majority of the activity. AR 13450 is growing and becoming more complex magnetically. AR’s 13435, 13445 and 13447 all are in decay as they prepare to rotate out of view. The rest of the active regions were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The Sun was quiet in X-rays for much of the day, but unspecified sources produced two C-flares: a C7.5 at 18:24 UT and a C5.0 at 20:08 UT. As of this writing (21:10 UT), no source information is available.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (unless indicated otherwise), and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13445 (the top spot with a few secondary spots) and 13447\u00a0 (single spot, bottom) are about to be carried out of view by solar rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but showing a filament that remains between the two. AR 13445 shows more plage (brighter areas) than 13447.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13448 (single spot below and left of image center) and 13449 (elongated chain of spots near image center) appear in red continuum light in this image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions, but with the view shifted to show another possible active region rotating into view (lower left corner). This image covers 13.8’x16.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13450 is growing and the source of most of the activity yesterday and today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Lots of filaments appear in the area of AR 13450 as seen in this view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 1 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

New AR 13450 produced an M1 flare at 9:07 UT today, the first of such events in several days. AR 13435 continues to decay as it is about to rotate out of view. AR 13445 also underwent decay with fewer and fewer spots visible in this complex. However, AR 13449 continues to grow and evolve as it develops more complexity. But simple-looking AR 13450, which just rotated into view a few days ago, is the region with the most powerful flare so far today (up through 23:30 UT). Overall, the number and size of the sunspots and sunspot groups on the Sun is getting smaller as the sun continues its trend of becoming more and more quiet as of late.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky (unless indicated otherwise), and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Only two spotted active regions remain on this part of the Sun, and they continue to decay as they prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view as immediately left, but in the light of H-alpha. This reveals several filament, especially near the edges.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13445 (upper right) and 13447 (lower left) continues the overall trend of decay as they near the western solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13445 and 13447 are separated by a filament that bisects the area left to right.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13449 (just right of center) and AR 13448 (single spot lower left of 13449). Lots of faculae from long-gone spotted regions appear above and left of 13448.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This 13.8’x16.6′ image reveals more than the active regions themselves in this part of the Sun’s disk. Several filaments are scattered around the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of isolated M-class flares through at least 30 September (these are primarily due to ARs 13435 and 13445).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues at low activity levels as AR 13435 maintains a rather complex (“a weak delta signature”) magnetic configuration, but was otherwise quiet. It only produced a couple of optical subflares today. AR 13445 has also changed little and produced most of the C-class flare activity yesterday. AR 13449 is quickly developing and has produced most of the flare activity today, the most recent (as of 22:00 UT today) being a C3.5\/SN event at 18:32 UT. This was the second largest so far today, the largest being a C4.6 event at 5:46 UT today from an unspecified region.<\/p>\n

The number and complexity of the visible sunspot clusters seems to be on the decline again. Today I observed a total of seven groups, down from nine a day ago.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The northwest part of the Sun shows two spotted regions, AR 13440 (left) and AR 13435 (right). Two additional groups adjacent to these have decayed: AR 13444 just left of 13440, and 13438, just to the right of 13435.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The northwest part of the solar disk displays the regions listed at left, plus a few filaments. AR 13444 was the source of an optical subflare today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Looking toward the southwestern part of the solar disk two fairly large but spread out regions continue to be carried along by the solar rotation. AR 13445 is the loose cluster just above image center, and AR 13447 is below and left of 13445.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as they appear in H-alpha light. With this a few filaments along with the chromosphere textures show up. This part of the Sun had been very quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13448 (single spot below and left of image center) leads a facula field\u00a0 (white spots left and above 13448) which are likely remnants of a few prior active regions. AR 13449 is found just below image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13449 leads 13448 across the sun’s disk, carried along by the sun’s rotation. Several filaments appear in this view as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of isolated M-class flares through at least 29 September (these are primarily due to ARs 13435 and 13445).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 26, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since the M8.7 on the 21st, solar activity remained elevated with eight additional M-flares from the 22nd through the 24th; most were low level M-flares but one was an M4. Since midday on the 24th, no further M-flares were produced. Solar activity appears to be trending downward: since the M1 flare at 15:10 on 24 September, no additional M-flares have happened up to 23:45 UT today.<\/p>\n

AR 13435 continued to be the most complex region on the Sun, magnetically speaking, and produced C-class flares yesterday and today, the largest of which was a C9.9 at 8:13 UT on 25 September. AR 13443 changed little over the last few days, but it is getting ready to rotate out of view. It was the source of some low-level C-class flares yesterday, but none today through at least 23:20 today (I currently have no information who produced the C2.2 at 23:30 today). A filament near the northwestern limb of the Sun erupted yesterday around 15:20 UT. This was followed by a surge and some ejecta erupting from AR 13435 that occurred with a C-class flare at 19:01 UT yesterday. We did not observe all this excitement yesterday due to inclement weather.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions are labeled in this continuum image, with AR 13435 being the largest.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as to the left, but in H-alpha. AR’s 13443, 13440, and 13435 are easily seen in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13445, just above and right of image center, dominates. AR 13443, to its upper right, has decayed (the white spot above the lead of 13445 is an image artefact). AR 13447 is below and left of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view of AR 13445 and 13447 shows a filament that separates the two. An additional filament is seen right of the larger of the two spot groups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AR 13448 appears in this image near the left edge of the image and solar disk. AR 13449 is highlighted by the bright spot above and right of 13448. Several filaments are also seen in this view along with a low-level C-class event (the aforementioned bright spot) that is in progress at the time of the image. This is probably the decay phase of a C3.2 that peaked at 16:29 UT, which was happening simultaneous to a C4.3 from AR 13445.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of isolated M-class flares through at least 28 September (these are primarily due to AR’s 13435 and 13445).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 21, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels again today. AR 13435 again produced an M8.7 flare, this time several hours before our session. It peaked at 12:54 UT. It produced a C2.5 some 2.5 hours earlier, at 10:20 UT. Other regions produced C-class flares today: A c2.2 from AR 13442 at 1:43 UT, a C1.6 from AR 13438 at 5:57 UT, a C2.1 (peaked at 9:46 UT) and C3.2 (peaked at 16:07 UT) from AR 13443. Yesterday’s M8 event generated a CME which was first seen via SOHO\/LASCO C2 imagery at 15:05 UT on 20 September. I haven’t seen much of a CME from today’s event in SOHO imagery but it may emerge soon. AR 13435, 13441 and 13443 (the emerging flux arrowed in yesterday’s imagery) have shown some significant growth over the last 24 hours. The other 8 spotted active regions remain stable and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

After the M-flare this morning, the X-ray flux stayed in the low C-range, except for the above mentioned flare events. The SOHO X-ray flux plot went offline at 19:28 UT today then cam back online at 21:11 UT.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky (except where indicated otherwise), and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three labeled spotted AR’s are visible in this image. AR 13429 had rotated out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is shifted south a bit for this image. The additional active regions along the bottom are AR 13441 (with a dark surge, just below and left of image center) and 13437 (lower right). This image covers 13.8’x17.1′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three regions are captured in this image, with AR 13435 dominating the view. This image covers 13.8’13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image focus is shifted south a bit to also image AR 13439 (single spot lower right) and 13442 is a cluster of spots below and left of image center. There’s a dark filament between AR 13435 and 13340 (top center of image).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be at moderate levels through at least 22 September. There is a slight chance for an X-flare from AR 13435.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached high levels today. During the opening red continuum imaging sequence of today’s observing session, AR 13435 produced an M8.2 which peaked at 14:19 UT. When it was noticed that this event was underway, we slewed to the region and activated the H-alpha filter, which takes around 10 minutes to warm up to on band. The flare did not become visible within the images until the filter was about 0.5 angstroms short of center band. By the time it was onband, the flare had decayed to an M3 and dropped rapidly. Since then (through 22:00 UT, 20 September) only two significant C-class events have taken place: a C4.2 at 18:02 UT and a C5.5 at 18:40 UT. Add to this a C4.7 at 21:38 UT. The first came from AR 13442 and the most recent appears to have come from the same region (based on GONG imagery from 21:45 UT). No information is yet available on the sources of the C5.5 event.<\/p>\n

Prior to this activity had reached moderate levels with an M4 from AR 13435 at 20:14 UT on 19 September. A little over two hours later, this region produced a C9.7 flare at 22:37 UT. A CME from the first event was seen starting at 20:36 UT via SOHO. All the other eleven numbered and unnumbered regions were quiet today.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The arrow indicates a newly-emerging active region solar latitude 29 N, 03 W.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several more active regions appear on the other side of the Sun and are labeled here.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as immediately left, but the new region emerging is highlighted above.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for an M-class flare through at least 22 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

Problems with a cable connecting the mount to the camera canceled yesterday’s observing session. With a replacement cable in place, we resume observations this morning. Since the last observation session, solar activity had increased to moderate levels with three M-class flares closely spaced in time from 22:10 UT on 15 September to 5:50 UT on 16 September, all from AR 13429. Then activity dropped back to low levels with only occasional C-class flares happening from 6:00 UT 16 September to 3:00 UT on 19 September. Then two M1 flares occurred from AR 13435: an M1.1\/SF at 3:55 UT today, then an M1.8 flare at 9:38 UT today. Since then, only a handful of C-class events happened today, followed by an M4.0 at 20:14 UT, which came from AR 13435.<\/p>\n

AR 13436 has grown in size and spot number, but remains simple in magnetic structure. AR 13438 was numbered as its own group; it was originally thought to be part of AR 13435. Today, there are 10 spotted groups on the Sun, seven in the northern hemisphere and three in the southern hemisphere. The largest of these is AR 13435, with an area of 280 millionths of a solar hemisphere.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, and is oriented with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many active regions (labeled) are present in this view of the northwestern part of the solar disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same area of the solar disk as the image immediately left. The larger regions stand out with their bright areas (plage) that accompany the dark spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another group of regions is found in the eastern part of the solar disk. Two of these have yet to be numbered but will likely be AR 13441 and 13442.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In H-alpha, the filaments and the chromospheric texture show up. AR 13435 is the largest AR below and left of image center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for an M-class flare through at least 21 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 15, 2023<\/h2>\n

Unsettled weather has limited observations these last three days, with only one image obtained yesterday. Today there was a long enough break in the weather to allow for a full sequence of continuum and H-alpha imaging. Solar activity was low for the full day of 13 September, with only occasional C-class flare activity. The activity increased to moderate with three M-class flares: an M1.4 at7:40 UT and a pair of M flares from AR 13429 (M1.9\/SN at 19:34 UT and M 2.5\/SN at 20:26 UT. We attempted observation right between these two, but equipment problems, weather, and other issues prevented us from continuing. AR 13429 was the source for most of the C-class activity yesterday and all of the activity (through 19:15 UT) today. Solar activity has returned to low levels today.<\/p>\n

AR 13423 continues to be the largest on the list of active regions, even though it is rotating out of view presently. It has an arear of 260 MSH. AR 13433 is a large, simple spot with the second largest area at 90 MSH; AR 13429 is third with 80 MSH. Altogether there are six spotted regions on the visible solar disk, but most are unremarkable. AR 13429 showed some slight growth early yesterday but decayed some later yesterday; today the sunspot group looks quite simple and quiet, hence no more M-flares.<\/p>\n

AR’s 13425 and 13423 produced the bulk of today’s activity: C-class flares and the aforementioned M-class flares. As of 23:15 UT (12 Sept.) there had been no further M-class flares; the last one was at 7:07 UT this morning.<\/p>\n

Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right. All are red continuum images except for the last, which is in H-alpha light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13429 between two M-class flares in white-light (red continuum) light. “Craters” are artefacts due to flat corrections with next-day flats (no time to take flats on 14 September). This image covers 7.8’x7.9′ on the sky.<\/td>\n.\"\"<\/a>Today’s view of AR 13429 (with 13433 in the upper left corner, the large single spot). The former region has decayed some since yesterday as can be seen in this comparison. This image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13423 (near the edge) and 13425 (left of image center) as they prepare to rotate out of view. This image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A 13.8’x18.0′ H-alpha image depicting four active regions (labeled) and three filaments. The bright band from lower left toward image center is an artefact of the imaging system.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for an M-class flare through at least 17 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun remained at moderate activity levels, meaning there were more M-class flares. AR 13431 grew a bit in size and magnetic complexity and was the source of an M1 flare at 14:49 UT yesterday, the 11th. AR 13425 also produced an M1 flare and many C-class flares. AR 13423 continues to be the largest region on the visible solar disk and produced an M2\/2N flare at 7:07 UT this morning, 12 July. A filament erupted in the south central region of the solar disk around 14:00 UT yesterday, September 11, and this produced a faint coronal mass ejection. More CME’s were produced on the far side of the Sun.<\/p>\n

AR’s 13425 and 13423 produced the bulk of today’s activity: C-class flares and the aforementioned M-class flares. As of 23:15 UT (12 Sept.) there had been no further M-class flares; the last one was at 7:07 UT this morning.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. The first row of images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the size of the others are indicated below each image. Each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13423 (right) and 13425 (left) in continuum light. The spot above the former is an image artefact in this and the image to the right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two AR’s mentioned left, along with several filaments are visible in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13429 (near image center), 13431 (lower right) and 13433 (upper left) appear as sparse collections of spots in this 13.8’x13.8′ continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three AR’s with a few filaments added in. Despite its unremarkable appearance, AR 13231 was the source of an M1 flare yesterday and a C4.5\/SF flare today at 5:39 UT. The region has been quiet since. This image covers 13.8’x16.0′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at moderate levels with M-class flare activity fairly likely and a chance for an X-class flare through 14 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

Moderate solar activity has returned as M-class flares have been happening with some regularity since the last observing session. AR 13429 and 13431 both produced M1 flares at 1:28 and 4:07 UT today, respectively. AR 13431 then produced an M1.1\/SN flare just before this morning’s session. The flare peaked at 14:49 UT. AR 13425 produced a C5.5\/SN with dark surges just after the observing session; this one peaked at 17:35 UT. Other notables include three high-level C-flares from AR 13431 (which immediately followed its M1 event): C7.1 at 5:42 UT, C9.3 at 6:01 UT, and C6.8 at 6:17 UT. AR 13423 produced a C7.4 at 10:37 UT today from AR 13423; and AR 13425 produced a C8.2 event at 21:!4 UT.<\/p>\n

The rest of the visible spotted active regions were either stable or in decay. In the diagram caption below, the units MSH mean “Millionths of a Solar Hemisphere”, which is how the sizes of sunspots are recorded.<\/p>\n

The image on the left is a 13.8’x13.8′ image in red continuum light. The image on the right is a 13.8’x15.1′ H-alpha image of the same region. Both images are 0.5 second exposures and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13425 (left) and 13423 (right) in this continuum image, taken through thin cirrostratus clouds.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A clearer, H-alpha view of the regions shows three filaments in addition to the two active regions. AR 13423 is the largest at 380 MSH, with AR 13425 second at 110 MSH.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 13 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is now low after reaching moderate levels yesterday with the M2\/1B flare from AR 13425 at 19:03 UT on 7 September. Since then there had been little more than low-level C-class flares, mostly from AR 13425. AR 13421 showed decay and was mostly inactive; it did produce a couple of optical sub-flares today. There has been no additional M-class activity since yesterday’s event up until this writing (21:15 UT). The remaining regions on the Sun were quiet and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This batch of active regions are being carried toward the edge of the Sun, with AR 13421 showing decay and the others little more than a single spot each.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13421 is the dominant region in this image, with the other ones difficult to see or essentially hidden in this H-alpha view. A few filaments are visible near the limb.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13423 (right) is the largest region currently visible but it has been quiet. Left is 13424 (the pair of spots below and slightly right of a larger set of spots) and 13425.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha view shows the three regions along with several filaments. AR 13425 produced a C1.4 which peaked at 16:22 UT, the brighter spots are its afterglow.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through at least 10 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 7, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun has quieted down again, with only (mostly) low-level C-class flare events. AR 13421 produced a C5.3\/SF yesterday at 17:56 UTC, and that was the strongest event until AR 13425 produced an M2.1\/1B event that peaked at 19:09 UT. AR’s 13423 and 13425 had produced C-class activity yesterday and today. A C1.3\/SF was observed today in AR 13422 during the morning session. The flare took on the shape of a parallel ribbon and a fan-shaped surge of dark material was produced west of the main region. All of the other visible regions on the Sun were unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. The first row images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the second row images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13422 (center) with smaller regions (AR 13422) below and left, and toward the lower right part (AR 13418) of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of same area. The parallel white bended lines left of 13421 are the afterglows of a C1 flare that peaked a few minutes earlier in AR 13422.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13423 (right of center) is one of the two largest on the visible disk. Left of it is AR 13424 (lower of two spot groups) and 13425.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region as viewed in H-alpha light. A fairly long filament begins just north of 13423 and winds to between 13424 and 13425.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through at least 9 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

The regions observed last week have either rotated out of view, dissipated, or nearly dissipated. A new batch of regions have emerged and rotated into view, including the currently most-active region AR 13421. Four of the five M-class flares that have happened since the last PVO observing session have come from AR 13421. AR 13413 produced an M5 flare at 8:36 UT on 3 September. This region produced an M1.2 flare yesterday at 19:45 UT, followed by an M1.0 at 23:35 UT. Today has only seen C-class activity, all but one of which was from AR 13421 (the one not produced by this region was from AR 13417). There are eight spotted regions on the visible solar disk, most of which are quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

Technical issues resulted in changing cameras for today’s observations. We are back to the SBIG STF-8300, which has a larger field of view. The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. The first row images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the second row images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five regions are visible in this image, the largest of which is AR 13421.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area as seen in H-alpha. Most of the other regions seem to “disappear” but AR 13421 remains prominent.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Over the last several days, these active regions slowly rotated into view. The largest of these appears to be AR 13423. All of these have been quiet so far.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area in H-alpha shows the regions along with a couple of filaments in various locations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolated M-class flares, through at least 8 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

A long-duration M1.2 flare from AR 13413, which peaked at 3:51 UT on 1 September, breaks the long interval of low solar activity. This was preceded by a C1.1 at 2:15 UT. Afterwards, the X-ray level decreased below C level at 8:12 UT and has not breached this level since until 20:27 when an undetermined source produced a low-level C-1 event. There was also B9.9 that occurred at 15:14 UT, but other than this, and a couple of SF’s with and after the M-flare, solar activity has been very low. Only five small spotted regions are visible on the solar disk currently, and the two largest are about to rotate out of view.<\/p>\n

A C7.4 flare occurred at 22:24 UT (today, 1 September) from an undesignated area near S21E50, and this appears to be a new active region emerging.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. All the images are 7.8’x7.8′ in size. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13413 (top) and 13415 (bottom) are preparing to rotate out of view, with the more active 13413 going first.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as viewed in H-alpha light. There is a faint, wide filament between the two, just below image center and just above AR 13415 at bottom. Another smaller, thinner one appears just above AR 13413.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This frame includes both AR 13417 (lower right) and AR 13418 (upper left). AR 13418 is a simple, single spot, while 13417 has decayed and dispersed since rotating onto the disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13417 (lower right) has a well-defined filament, along with bright plages. AR 13418 (upper left) appears much simpler, with a string of plage east of it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 3 September. AR 13413 is expected to be the source of most flare activity until it rotates beyond the limb after 3 September; C-class flares are expected through tomorrow with a chance for an isolated M-class flare. C-class flares remain likely on 3 September, with a slight chance of M-class flaring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 31, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues its stretch of low activity with relatively small numbers and sizes of sunspots on its visible disk. Only occasional C-class flares have occurred. AR 13413 has changed its shape as it reconfigures its spot configuration. AR 13415 is showing decay, and all the other regions are quiescent, inactive, and generally unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. All the images are 7.8’x7.8′ in size. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13413 (top), 13415 (bottom, left of center) and plage region 13414 (lower right) are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view in H-alpha, showing a filament just north of 13413, and another one between the two regions. AR 13413 produced a C1.2 at 17:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13417 appears to be decaying a bit as seen in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region with the addition of a filament in the lower right corner of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 2 September. There is a slight chance for M-class flares, from regions 13413, 13415, and 13417, but continued C-class flares are likely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 30, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low with very little activity. There was a C2.8 at 16:42 UT (just after today’s session) from AR 13415. AR 13417 produced a C1.7 at 4:19 UT but has been otherwise quiet. AR 13413 produced a C1.5\/SF at 17:46 UT. AR’s 13413, 13415, and 13417 are the three largest regions currently visible but have changed little over the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. All the images are 11.4’x7.8′ except where indicated otherwise. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13414 (lower right, near sun’s edge, the brighter splotches), 13413 (top center) and 13415 (lower left) are visible in this continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13413 and 13415 along with a filament separating the two regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A 7.8’x7.8′ image of AR 13417 in continuum light. North of this (just above the upper edge) is AR 13419, which just became visible but was otherwise unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13417, accompanied by several filaments in this H-alpha view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 1 September. There is a slight chance for M-class flares, from regions 13413, 13415, and 13417.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 29, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun has moved into low activity mode, with a lull in activity since the early part of August. Since 10 August, there had not been any X-class flare, but only three M1 flares: 23:04 on 22 August featured an M1.1 from AR 13415 as it started to rotate into view; an M1.4 at 1:09 UT on 25 August from AR 13415; and a long-duration M1.1 at 22:50 on 26 August. This latest event came off the Sun’s eastern limb but a source was not identified. Two days later, AR 13417 makes its appearance on the eastern limb, near the location where this flare erupted. Since then, only occasional low-level C-class flares have occurred. Today, two came from AR 13413 and a third from 13417. The largest so far today (up till 19:47 UT) was a C1.6\/SF from AR 13413 at 4:21 UT today.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. The first row’s images each cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky; the second row’s images cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13413 (top), and 13415 (lower left) are the two largest spot groups on the visible disk. The lighter spots in the lower right corner are part of spotless AR 13414.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha. There is a filament near image center, one of many currently visible on the solar disk. These arise when solar activity persists at low levels.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13417 (left) and 13416(right) are both included in this image. Low level C-class activity had come from the former, while the later was entirely inactive.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions with a filament now visible below and left of center. The spotted regions were rather unremarkable during today’s short observing session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 31 August. There is a slight chance for M-class flares, from regions 13413, 13415, and 13417.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

August 10, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun has moved into low levels of activity with only C-class flares all day yesterday and today through 20:20 UT. The overall trend of the solar disk is toward spotlessness, with small regions dissipating and others getting smaller. ARs 13394 and 13395 are exceptions to this trend, as each have shown slight growth and are the two largest spot groups on the visible disk. Aside from “two notable CMEs”, the Sun was quiet. One of these CME’s was a farside event; the other came off the SW edge of the Sun from a C5 flare that came from AR 13398.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right, and each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13394 as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13394 and accompanying filaments (below left, upper left, above right) as imaged in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13395 has added spots since yesterday’s observation. The pair of spots above and slightly right is an unnumbered region that recently emerged.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13395 displays much bright plage as imaged in H-alpha. This region has been the source of occasional C-class flares.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low through at least 12 August. There is a chance for M-class flares, especially on 10 August, with AR 13387 just over the western limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun returned to low levels of activity after the M3 flare yesterday in the predawn hours local time. Since then, AR 13394 produced a C8.7 flare at 18:10 UT on 8 August, which is the largest flare to happen up to the present time (21:35 UT, 9 August). AR 13387 rotated over the west limb, while AR 13394 developed a few more spots as it showed some slight growth. AR 13395 also grew slightly since yesterday, but remained mostly inactive.\u00a0 There are a total of eight visible spotted groups, each of which is small to very small and inactive.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of select regions. Each of the five solar images is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right, and each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky. The Venus image is cropped to approximately 2’x2′ and is a 0.1 second exposure with the red ERF stopping the aperture to 4.875″.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13387 has rotated out of view but AR’s 13391 (top left) and 13392 (bottom center) remain visible. These are about to follow 13387 over the edge.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same two visible regions but in H-alpha. Not much activity going on in this part of the Sun as these regions remain unremarkable.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The region 13394 dominates the south central part of the solar disk. It shows a number of tiny spots surrounding the main spot.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13394. This view shows several filaments and the “afterglow” of a C-1.4 flare that peaked at 16:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Less than 10 degrees from the Sun is Venus. It is 9.4 degrees away and four days from inferior conjunction, when it passes 7.7 degrees south of the Sun and will eventually become visible in the predawn sky. The crescent is 1.2% illuminated at the time of this image (16:47).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13395 has developed considerably since yesterday but remains quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low overall, but with M-class flares likely through 10 August and a chance of M-class flares on 11 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at high levels because of yesterday’s X1.5 flare from AR 13386, now hidden from direct view. No further events were observed to come from this region after the X1.5 as it rotated further out of view (as of 18:35 UT 8 August). AR 13387 and 13394 were the most active regions today, with AR 13394 producing an M3.6\/SF at 9:31 UT today, and a C8.7\/SF at 18:10 UT today. AR 13387 produced a couple C-class flares to start today, followed by several sub flares. It was the source of two M-class flares yesterday. This region is slowly growing as it moves closer to the western limb of the Sun. AR 13398 emerged near the west limb and has shown some growth. The remaining of a total of 10 spotted regions were small and quiet. The Sun’s spotted regions have become smaller and quieter over all in recent days.<\/p>\n

The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right, and each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13387 is on the edge of the Sun above the image center; AR 13391 is toward the left and 13392 is below and right of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three regions are visible in this H-alpha along with a few filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13394 is showing some growth around the main spot. It was the source of two flares so far today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13394 along with attendant plage (the lighter-shaded areas mostly left of the main spot. Several filaments are visible as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares were likely today with a slight chance of an X-class flare through 9 August. This decreases to only a chance for M-class flares by 10 August as AR 13387 rotates over the western limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 7, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since last week, the number and size of sunspots has decreased markedly. Yet in recent days, solar activity had remained high, especially starting late on 5 August. At 22:22 UT, AR 13386, as it was about to depart, produced an X1.6 flare, Then it produced an M5.5\/SN flare at 18:40 UT on 6 August. It also produced an M2.4 flare at 4:41 UT today, 7 August. Then later today (7 August) at 20:46 UT, it generated an X1.5 flare from over the limb. Since we were not observing at the time, we needed to look at GONG imagery to watch the flare loops rise above the western solar horizon. This event has decayed into the high M-range as of this writing (21:22 UT).\u00a0 The region also produced many C-class flares from on and just beyond the west limb, and it was the source of some interesting activity earlier this morning (the sequence is pictured below).<\/p>\n

The highlight images immediately below display four active regions. The first column of the table below show the red continuum images, taken at the times indicated. The second column shows the H-alpha images of each region. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with celestial north up, west right. The top row of images cover 11.4’x7.8′; the bottom row covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13387 (upper right) is growing, while AR 13391 (left of center) and 13392 (below center) remain unchanged.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13387 was the source of activity today, as was AR 13386, just over the west limb, marked by the cloud of material over its location.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Although it grew a bit over the last day, AR 13394 appears rather unremarkable.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13394 in H-alpha, with several small filaments visible around the region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

During a 50 minute sequence (from 15:47 UT to 16:37 UT) much change was seen on the solar western horizon. During this time a fairly long duration M1.1\/SF occurred in AR 13387 (lower left of image center in each of the following images). The flare began at 15:30, peaked at 16:27, and ended at 16:36. Note also the strange shaped prominence over AR 13386’s location and how this changes and begins to fade away throughout the sequence. Each image covers 5.3’x3.9′, centered on the activity, with celestial north left and celestial west up. Each is a 0.5 second H-alpha exposure obtained at the indicated time on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

M-class flares were likely today with a slight chance of an X-class flare today. This decreases to only a chance for M-class flares from 8 to 9 August as AR 13386 rotates further over the limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations resume as solar activity once again increases. The sun’s activity had been moderate to high, high in recent days due to frequent M-class flaring from AR 13380. The largest of these was an M3 that peaked at 6:57 UT this morning and has grown significantly as it approaches the western limb. AR 13386 produced a few C-class flares and has shown some slight development. AR 13384 showed some redevelopment from new spots emerging, and a new AR, 13393, emerged but was quiet so far. The rest of the active regions present on the Sun were inactive; there are a total of 11 spotted active regions on the visible disk.<\/p>\n

Each image below covers approximately 7’x7′, except for the middle two, which cover approximately 9’x6′ on the Sun. The images were acquired with the camera and telescope aligned to celestial coordinates; the images were later aligned to solar coordinates and trimmed; solar north is up, west is right in each image. Each is a 0.5 second exposure, with the red continuum images in the left column; the H-alpha line center images are in the right column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13380 is the large spot complex above and right of image center; AR 13384 is a decaying cluster of small spots below and left of image center. This image was recorded at 15:48:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13380 displays bright plage, possibly the “afterglow” of a recent flare. AR 13380 nearly vanishes in this H-alpha view. This image was recorded at 16:25:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions are visible in this strip view of the north central solar disk. AR 13386 is the larger group near the right edge of the image; AR 13387 is upper left, the large single spot with several smaller ones behind it; and AR 13393 is a small spot near the left edge of the image, which was recorded at 15:42:17 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as imaged in H-alpha. Part of a filament is visible in the upper left corner of the image and the upper right corner is cut off from the rotation and cropping of the original image. This image was recorded at 16:21:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three more active regions are visible in this “white-light” view, acquired at 15:42:17 UT. AR 13391 is the large spot above, 13392 is the grouping below, and the single spot at far left is unnumbered.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same three spotted regions also have several filaments nearby, made visible by H-alpha emission. These regions have been quiet so far. This image was recorded at 16:24:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low overall, but there is a likelihood of M-class flare through at least 3 August.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

July 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

With the departure of AR 13363, solar activity has returned to low levels. Since yesterday’s M3 flare with the interesting limb phenomena, there had not been anything greater than a C3-except for a C9.7 that happened at 19:49 UT from AR 13373. The trio of sunspot groups we have been watching have been mostly quiet. AR 13373 had periods of decay and growth, AR 13376 had some growth, while AR 13372 did not experience any notable activity and remained largely unchanged. This was the same for the other visible spot groups on the Sun.<\/p>\n

A “C” shaped filament that we have been watching all week straightened out from “C” shape to boomerang shaped. Then between 22:40 and 2:55 UTC, this approximately 15 degree long filament was seen erupting from the Sun’s surface. No trace of it was visible today on the Sun.<\/p>\n

AR 13373 contributed nearly all of the (fewer in number compared to past days) events. There was an SF that peaked at 15:48 UT: the white light\/continuum image below shows some signs of this event even in continuum Compare this first image with the two red images just below it. These are 304-Angstrom He-II images from SDO that show what is likely the same phenomena (arrowed). This is not the first time we have imaged dark surges from flares in the red continuum.<\/p>\n

Except for the two images colored red below, each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated on the image. Each image cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The first column includes red continuum images; the second column features white light\/red continuum images. The red images are 304-Angstrom extreme ultraviolet images, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The arrowed feature, which shows bright in these images, corresponds with the dark feature at the bottom center edge of the first image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13376 (upper left), 13372 (upper right) and 13373 (below center), as seen in red continuum. The streak going off the bottom edge of the image is real and associated with a sub-flare that peaked a minute earlier.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as viewed in H-alpha imagery.<\/p>\n

The below images from SDO show the same dark streak feature from the red continuum image, but in a different wavelength (EUV), 10 minutes apart. This feature (arrowed) appears bright in these images.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13377 looks like a pair of eyes on the Sun, but was otherwise mostly unremarkable. A tiny unnumbered spot is just visible directly below it, with accompanying faculae (brighter spots).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13377 in H-alpha. Several small filaments are also visible. This region did produce a C1.7 and a SN flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13379 is rotating into better view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The region north and west of 13370 sports a couple of dark filaments which are shown here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 22 July. There is a slight chance of an X-class flare through 21 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continued to be moderate due to an M2\/1 flare late yesterday from AR 13376. This produced a CME, part of which is likely to interact with Earth. AR 13363 produced an M1.4 flare as it rotated over the limb. AR 13372 continued to remain stable as parts strengthen and other parts weaken, AR 13373 experience similar change but added more spots in the leader (front) section. All the other regions visible on the Sun were inactive, little changed, or decayed slightly.<\/p>\n

Even as it departed, AR 13363 contributed most of the activity today, from 0h UT through 20:45 UT. AR 13372 produced a single C-class flare, a C2.4\/SF. AR 13363 produced an M1.4\/SF at 10:57 UT, and an M3.8 at 17:25UT. We observed this one, starting two minutes before the X-ray peak when a flare arcade appeared above the solar horizon. For the next 90 minutes we documented the evolution of this arcade system (one example image is displayed immediately below, west is up, north is left in this 3.9’x3.9′ image, taken at the time indicated).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated on the image. Each image cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The first column includes red continuum images; the second column features white light\/red continuum images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13376 (upper left), 13373 (bottom, left of center) and 13372 (upper right) continue to cross the Sun’s disk together, carried along by solar rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions were monitored for four-and-one-half hours today but displayed little activity during that time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two sizeable new sunspot groups have rotated into view: AR 13379 (top) and 13377 (bottom). An un-numbered spot appears just above and right of image center, and part of AR 13376 appears in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of the regions displayed in this image were quiet. The spot-like mark between the time stamp and the pair of spots at left is a processing artifact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Today, solar activity was forecast to be moderate, with M-class flares likely and a slight chance of X-class flares. Solar activity is forecast to be low from 20 to 21 July, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares..<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 18, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low for much of yesterday until 22:00 UT, when a series of increasingly strong flares occurred: A c5.9 at 22:10, a C6.3 at 22:34, an M2.7 at 22:54 UT, then culminating with an M5, initially peaking at 23:32 UT. This started a long duration event that peaked higher, at M5.7 at 0:08 UT. The source region for the M-class flares was departing AR 13363. The M flare lasted for several hours, staying above the M1 level until 3:08 UT. Such a long event releases much more energy than a typical X1 flare as can be seen in the images below (source: spaceweather.com). The first is an animation showing the initial flaring event as seen in the extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. The second is a visible light animation of the CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the SOHO satellite. Click the image for animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Extreme UV animation (click for animation) of the large solar flare (lower right part of image).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>SOHO visible light animation of CME release. Stars show up in the background and the white circle represents the Sun’s optical disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The CME was first observed at 23:43 (17 July) and expanded from there. An additional M1.5 flare occurred at 6:56 UT from growing AR 13376. This region also produced a C8.3 just before, at 6:10 UT. AR 13372 was the source of a C6.6\/SF art 15:16 UT on 17 July. AR 13372 stayed roughly the same, while AR 13373 and 13376 grew in size and complexity. Periodic C-class flares occurred today from Regions 13372, 13373, and 13376. A double-peaked C-class flare was observed during the morning’s session. It came from AR 13372 and peaked at C5.0 at 17:29 UT and C3.9 at 17:32UT. As the optical component faded, a dark surge emanated from the bright region, spreading toward the north and east before fading a few minutes later.<\/p>\n

Then, after the scheduled session was over, AR 13376 produced a rather long duration M1.3 flare that peaked at 19:47 UT. This may have stimulated another, smaller flare at AR 13372 that peaked at20:05 UT, the X-ray profile superimposed on the first M-class flare. The 13372 event faded quickly but the 13376 event, covering more optical area, started to fade a bit initially but began a resurgence. This led to yet another M-class flare, an M2.1 at 20:27 UT. The flare is now subsiding as of 20:42 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated on the image. The first row of images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky, while the second row of images each cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky. All four are oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The first column includes red continuum images; the second column features white light\/red continuum images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13363, hours after its big event, is rotating out of view and will be invisible tomorrow. AR 13371 appears as a single spot along the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 in H-alpha as it rotates out of view. It only produced three subflares today between the end of its M5 and 20:31 UT today (18 July).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Today’s most active regions: AR 13372 (upper right), 13373 (lower left), and part of AR 13376 (upper left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13376 (upper left), 13373 (lower left) and 13372 (upper right). These were mainly quiet for much of today’s session, but 13376 later produced an M2 at 20:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares as solar activity trends lower. This is expected through at least 20 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate over the weekend with a few M-class flares on the 15th and 16th. The background X-ray flux remained at C-levels. There are 8 spotted active regions on the Sun currently, with five of these numbered as of early this morning. AR 13363 is starting to approach the western limb, carried along by the Sun’s rotation. It produced the largest flare of the weekend, an M4.0\/2B flare at 17:46 UT on 16 July. The region also produced numerous C-class and optical sub-flares. AR 13372 produced an M1.7\/1B flare at 15:08 UT on 16th of July. The region also produced many C-class and optical sub-flares. The other regions were largely stable, but AR 13373 has grown somewhat but remains relatively simple in terms of its magnetic fields. It produced many C-class flares. The many C-class and SF’s continued into this afternoon. A C2.5\/SF was observed, starting just after its maximum at 17:33 UT, from AR 13373.<\/p>\n

As of 19:55 UT on 17 July, there has not been another M-class flare since the M4.0 of yesterday.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated on the image. Except for the second one, each covers 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky and is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The first column includes red continuum images; the second column features white light\/red continuum images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 is about to rotate out of view. The single spot at left is AR 13371.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 with a few filaments to accompany it as it gets ready to disappear from view from Earth in two days or so.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three regions are depicted: AR 13372 (upper right), 13373 (lower left) and AR 13376 in upper left.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13372 and 13373 are expected to be the primary sources of activity over the next few days at least.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There is expected to be a gradual downward trend in solar activity level. It is expected to remain moderate today and tomorrow, with more C-class flares expected and M-class flares likely. There is a slight chance of an X-class flare also. Solar activity drops to low levels on 19 July as AR 13363 rotates out of view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity remains at moderate levels, with many C-class flare events and an M2\/1N flare event at 19:20 UT on 13 July, all coming from AR 13372. AR 13363 remains largely unchanged and produced an M1\/SF at 9:36 UT this morning, 14 July. Some more C-class flares came from just over the east-southeastern limb of the Sun. Limb activity was observed along the west northwest limb (primarily from AR 13361) and west-southwest limb (mainly from AR 13359). Currently there are nine spotted solar regions on the Sun’s visible disk, seven of which are numbered. Several more have rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column displays red continuum images of selected active regions; the second column are the same areas imaged H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 (large spot group) continues to rotate across the solar disk. AR 13362 is barely visible as a single spot in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same view in H-alpha. The filaments south of AR 13363 appeared to have largely vanished. AR 13363 was the source of a number of C-class flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13361 is barely visible just above image center, on the very edge of the Sun as it rotates out of view. The visible group is AR 13367.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Apart from a single sub-flare, AR 13367 had been quiet all day long, despite forecasters’ predictions. It is about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13372 (upper right, large spots), has been rather active today with several C-class flares. The spotted group in the lower left is unnumbered as of today, but will likely be designated AR 13373 soon.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The two active regions as seen in H-alpha. The “new” region at lower left has been absolutely quiet today. It first became visible yesterday as a single spot on the edge, but now the rest of it has rotated into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Moderate solar activity is expected to prevail through tomorrow\u00a0 (15 July) with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares. By the 16rh of July, solar activity is expected to return to low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares. Solar activity continues to be trending downward for the time being. AR’s 13372, 13363, and 13367 are expected to be the primary sources of such flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 13, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since yesterday’s M6.9 flare, the Sun had experienced lower levels of activity with many C-class flares and optical sub-flares. AR 13372 produced frequent C-class flares today, including a C9.7\/1F event at 12:44 UT this morning. The region produced a C4.7 at 16:52 UT during a flare watch and was documented as one of numerous optical subflares that the region has produced so far today. After the conclusion of today’s session, AR 13372 produced an M2.1 flare, the first M-flare since yesterday’s M6.9. The background X-ray flux remains at C-levels. AR 13361 has decayed in the trailing parts but grew in the intermediate parts, and AR 13367 is slowly weakening and decaying. Both are approaching the west limb, carried along by solar rotation. AR 13366 and the regions near it have rotated out of view but some limb activity from these has been documented. AR 13363 continues to grow a bit but remains inactive, as do the remaining five spot groups, each of which is little changed or experiencing minor decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise, and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column displays red continuum images of selected active regions; the second column are the same areas imaged H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13361 (top) is about to rotate out of view, followed by 13367 (bottom center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These two regions were largely inactive today as they get ready to be carried out of view by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 (lower left) and 13362 (upper right) in red continuum light. These regions continue to be inactive.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha imagery of AR 13363 and 13362. The former has added some spots since yesterday and a filament remains visible south of it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13372 is moving into better visibility as solar rotation carries it along. Just noted is another spot (lower left on Sun’s edge) just making its appearance over the “solar horizon”.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 11.4’x7.8′ image shows the region AR 13372, along with the intermediate detail which includes bright plages, dark spots and AR filaments. The new spot is partially hidden below left. A “C” shaped filament is visible in the right half of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Moderate solar activity is expected to prevail through tomorrow\u00a0 (14 July) with M-class flares likely and a chance for X-class flares. By 15 July, solar activity should be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares. Solar activity seems to be trending downward for the time being.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

There has been considerable amounts of activity on the Sun recently, which included two M6 and one M5 flare, all occurring in a less-than-a 15 hour span.AR 13368 produced the M6.8\/SF at 18:08 UT on 11 July, followed by an M5.8 flare from just over the northeastern limb of the Sun happened at 22:15 UT on 11 July. Then AR 13372 produced an M6.9\/1N flare at 8:55 UT this morning, 12 July. This was the largest flare in at least 7 days. Since this large flare , there has only been many sub-flares and a few low-level C-class flares. No further M-class flares have occurred since through at least 22:15 UT (12 July). Five low-level M-class flares came from AR’s 13361 and 13366 in addition to these three larger flares. There was a near-M flare after the latest M6: a C9.1\/SN from AR 13361 at 10:29 UT. This was the last flare this strong today (through 22:15 UT), with only the afore-mentioned small flares occurring since.<\/p>\n

The first of the large M-class flares is depicted below in this gif animation of several SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) images. These were posted on Spaceweather.com<\/a> on 11 July. This image is in the extreme ultraviolet and this radiation ionized the top of the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a short wave radio blackout over North America (click on the image for the animation). One frame becomes very speckly because the event saturated the detector.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A large, active filament that was just south and west of AR 13363 and the filament seen in today’s image erupted, beginning at about 18:30 UT on 11 July.<\/p>\n

The images below depict most of the visible active regions on the Sun. The first column of the table includes red continuum images, the second column displays the H-alpha images. All eight images are 0.5 second exposures at the time printed on each image, . The first and last row of\u00a0 images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky, while the second and third row of images span 11.4’x7.8′. Solar north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This complex of active regions is rotating over the western solar horizon. The large single spot is AR 13366 and the long string of spots is the 13359\/13369 pair.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as viewed in H-alpha with a filament visible left of image center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13364 is the small bunch of spots near the left edge of the image; AR 13367 is below center and 13361 is toward the upper right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same spots as pictured left, but as imaged in H-alpha. There are several filaments in this area as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Large AR 13363 (covers 780 millionths of a solar himisphere) with AR 13362 (upper right) leading it across the Sun’s disk.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 dominates this part of the Sun. The remaining filament appears just below it. It has been mainly quiet today, except for a couple of sub-flares this afternoon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13372 is starting to come into view as solar rotation carries it over.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image was re-centered to highlight the filaments in the right half of the image. AR 13372 is becoming more clearly visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels with M-class flares likely (mainly from AR 13372) and a slight chance of X-class flares, through at least 14 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

Lots of flaring activity from lots of different active regions today as solar activity remains at moderate to high levels. AR 13366 produced an M1\/1N flare at 22:18 UT on 10 July.\u00a0 AR 13372 just rotated into view and yesterday it produced a lot of C-class flares from just beyond the limb. Today it produced an M1.1. flare at 16:12 UT, which is imaged below in the 3.2’x2.6′ closeup of the region, taken at 16:12 UT. AR 13372 also produced an M2.0 at 14:35 UT this morning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

East is up, north is right in the above image.<\/p>\n

Active regions 13360, 13361, 13367, 13368, and 13369 all showed slight decay; AR’s 13363 and 13366 showed some slight growth in at least part of each region. Then AR 13366 produced an M6.8\/SF at 18:08 UT (after the day’s observing session ended).<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column displays red continuum images of selected active regions; the second column are the same areas imaged H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A half-dozen spotted active regions are labeled here, with one additional spotless region on the solar limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13366 has been particularly active, with a number of optical sub-flares and this afternoon’s M6 flare. Everything else is quiet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13361 and 13367 are two of the larger, more complex sunspot groups visible on the solar disk. Two smaller regions are depicted here as well.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, less AR 13364. The two large active regions shown had the highest probability of flaring and so far they had only produced subflares. AR 13361 produced a C4.5\/SF at 11:23 UT this morning.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>As AR 13363 rotates further onto the solar disk, two more regions rotated into view (left).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13363 did produce a few flares, including a C4.5 at 11:23 UT today, and a C6.5 at 13:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 13 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 10, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun has been moderate in its activity level over the last week, with occasional M-class flares from various regions. The most receint is an M2.3\/2N flare at 3:55 UT on 10 July from AR 13366, which was not expected to be a source region for such flares. AR 13361 was the region with the most complex magnetic field type currently visible on the solar disk; this region was expected (and still is) to be the source of larger flares going forward. However, it, along with AR’s 13359, 13363, 13366, 13367, and 13368, produced numerous C-class flares. Ten spotted active regions are currently visible on the Sun’s disk. Five of these are showing signs of growth, but AR 13366 is showing slight decay; the remainder of the spot groups is unchanged.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column displays red continuum images of selected active regions; the second column are the same areas imaged H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A large cluster of small active regions readies to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region of the Sun features several filaments along with a half-dozen AR’s. The one in the lower right part of the image has been moving around a lot during today’s observation session.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four more active regions are pictured in this image centered near the sun’s disk center. AR 13367 emerged just a few days ago, and 13361 developed a complex “beta-gamma-delta” magnetic configuration, making it more likely to produce significant flares.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are pictured above, with the exception of AR 13360 which is just off the upper right corner of the image. AR 13361 has been quiet the entire day and as of 21:25 UT today (10 July) has not produced any significant flares today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Large but quiet AR 13363 (right of center) and soon to be numbered AR 13370 (upper left part of image, the region is likely to receive this designation soon) are rotating onto the visible solar disk. Both have been quiet.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view, but now filaments have become visible south of (beneath) AR 13363. “AR 13370” appears to be in its development stages at this time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 12 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 30, 2023<\/h2>\n

After yesterday’s M3.8\/2B flare, solar activity has returned to low levels, with only C-class and optical subflares occurring since. The largest since then, up to this writing (18:00 UT 30 June) was a C5.7\/1F flare from AR 13354. This large region, almost 900 millionths of a solar hemisphere in areal coverage, is the only sizable spot group remaining on the visible solar disk. There are four other spotted regions, each of which is a single spot or two. AR 13354 is the only region to produce flares so far today, and they are all C-class events.<\/p>\n

The images below are 0.5 second exposures, each covering 7.8’x7.8′ on the Sun’s disk. The first is AR 13354 in red continuum light; the second is the same region in the light of H-alpha. The times each were recorded are stamped on each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares, and a slight chance of X-class flares, through at least 2 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 29, 2023<\/h2>\n

Before the start of today’s session, when the early morning convective cumulus clouds (typical in this area for this time of year) were still abundant, AR 13354 generated an M3.8\/2B flare that peaked at 14:15 UT, sending solar activity levels back to moderate levels. Prior to this, the active region was the source of many C-class flares. AR 13348 managed to produce a C2.8\/SF today at 4:03 UT. AR 13340 has begun to rotate out of view over the solar northwestern horizon and has been fairly quiet. AR 13354 has stabilized some over the last day or so. Aside from these two, there are still five spotted active regions visible on the solar disk. All of these regions are small, quiet, and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated on the image. Except for the second one, each covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky; the second image covers 11.4’x7.8′. The first column includes red continuum images; the second column features white light\/red continuum images. Solar north is up, west is right in each image below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13340 (top, near solar edge) and 13345 (just below and right of image center) prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13340 (right of center, near \/ at sun’s limb), 13345 (lower right, bright areas) appear near a few filaments (gray streaks above image center. AR 13354 (lower left corner) is making an appearance in this field of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13354 has quieted down since the M3.8 flare less than an hour earlier.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13354 has been quiet since the flare and continues to be relatively quiet through at least 19:08 UT today, 29 June.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 1 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) space weather forecasters gave a 40% probability of M-class flare activity and a 10% probability of an X-flare for today. So the extended observing session with AR 13354 being the main focus, since it has what they call a “beta-gamma-delta” magnetic configuration. This is a complex configuration that provides conditions favorable for larger flares to occur. (The typical solar active region has either an “alpha” or “beta” magnetic configuration, a simple dipole setup.) Solar activity was moderate with an M1\/2B flare yesterday at 15:14 UT and an M1.9.2N flare today at 8:44 UT, both from the decaying AR 13340. This region produced most of yesterday’s flares. However, today the majority of activity has come from AR 13354, which produced lots of sub-flares and four C-class flares, one of which was observed during today’s session.<\/p>\n

The surprise today was the C5.0\/SF flare from AR 13348. We observed the above mentioned C5.4 event from AR 13354, which appeared optically as a bright kernel. This faded before another, much larger area appeared just north of the leader spot. This was thought to be a separate optical event but as of this writing (21:45 UT, and no additional M-class flares have happened since the 8:44 UT event), NOAA SWPC has counted this as a single optical event, beginning at 18:46 UT, peaking at 18:53 UT (two minutes before the second spot appeared) and ending at 19:04 UT. As the event was coming to an end, a dark surge appeared and then faded north of the flare location.<\/p>\n

AR 13354 also produced C-class activity yesterday. It is visible to the unaided eye (with proper solar filter protection) and is the largest, most complex active region currently visible on the Sun. There are seven other numbered regions but most are much smaller than 13354. Each of the below images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column of the first two rows are red continuum images of selected active regions; the rest of the images are in H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13340 (above image center) as it is about to rotate over the edge of the Sun. The trailing sunspots at the left end of the region form a ring. AR 13345 remains visible as a single spot below and just left of image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as they appear in H-alpha. Also visible is a dark surge just below the 13340 spots and a filament that stretches from just left of 13340 up and left, with the darkest part near the upper left corner of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13354 continues to grow in size and complexity. Decaying region 13351 is the two spots that are oriented up and down, just above the two diagonal spots just above the lead spot of 13354.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region and area but as imaged in H-alpha. All day long, near the small bright areas, tiny white dots appear and disappear. These are “Ellerman bombs”, magnetic explosions each about one millionth as strong as a real solar flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The initial stage of the optical flare that accompanied the C5.4 event today. It appears as the very bright spot near the heart of the sunspot group.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>As the event unfolded, the original spot faded but another brightening appeared covering a much larger area. As this larger area faded, it produced a dark surge pointing upward, similar to that seen in the 13340 image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 30 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun maintained its moderate activity level with an M1.6 flare at 16:22 UT on 26 June (imaged below, in June 26 section). Another flare, an M1.2\/SF, occurred today at 15:14 UT. Both events came from AR 13340, which also produced many C-class flares and optical subflares. AR 13354 grew quite dramatically over the last 30 hours or so. A few pores existed south of AR 13351 on the morning of 25 June, but a definite region was visible by the 26th of June. The images below show how AR 13354 changed from yesterday to today. The yellow strip is an animation from Spaceweather.com obtained from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. It spans 24 hours. This region produced some low-level C-class flares.<\/p>\n

A single spot, AR 13355, rotated into view. It and the other spotted active regions (except for 13340) continue to be stable, quiet, and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first set of images show the changes experienced by AR 14454 from yesterday to today. The PVSO (gray) images are each 0.5 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Rapidly growing 13354, with 13351 above as they appeared a day earlier in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>SDO animation showing the growth of AR 13354 over a 24 hour period from 26 June to 27 June, 2023. Click on the image for the animation. (Image source: spaceweather.com<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13354 dominates today’s image. AR 13351 has nearly completely dissipated.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This next set of images depict AR 13340 in continuum and three minutes after the X-ray peak of the M1 flare. Reports state an optical 2B flare peaked at 15:12 UT, and a second optical flare (an SF) peaked 15:21. We had recorded three images of AR 13340 prior to the 2B flare, the latest being 15:10 before moving to the next active region in the sequence. The flare appeared as bright plage at the time (it started at 14:53 UT). When we returned to AR 13340 at 15:17 UT, the flare was still bright. However, it faded considerably shortly after that. A secondary flare “kernel” was observed to appear in the central regions of the active region and this was the SF that peaked at 15:21UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the PVSO images (above and below) cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, were 0.5 second exposures, and are oriented so that solar north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13340 as seen in red continuum. The single spot is AR 13345. AR 13337 is just visible on the edge of the sun right of 13340.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13340 in H-alpha a few minutes after the X-ray peak of the M1 solar flare.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13354 as imaged in H-alpha. It has only produced C-class flares thus far but may be capable of larger flares in the days ahead.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 29 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 26, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained on the low side since the last observing session, with many C-class flares and two M-class flares. One of these, an M1.1, happened at 12:17 UT on 24 June. The second of these, an M1.6\/1N, came from AR 13340. This region also produced a C7\/1F flare today at 4:02 UT. This region has grown and become more complex over the last few days. AR 13341 is decaying but did produce a C8.5\/1N flare at 12:18 UT on 25 June. The many other regions on the Sun were either stable or in decay, with a number of them becoming spotless plages (five “H-alpha Plages, according to today’s Space Weather Prediction active region summary).<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky, except where indicated otherwise, and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column are red continuum images of selected active regions; the right column are corresponding images of each area in H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The largest and most active region currently on the visible solar disk is AR 13340, centered. Several smaller AR’s surround it.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image was made 12 minutes after the peak of the M1.6\/1N flare from this region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 7.8’x7.8′ image features AR 13339, which is really the only significant region in this part of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13339 is depicted in this H-alpha image, which covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A curving line of active regions, as depicted in this continuum image. The largest of these is AR 13341, which is decaying but flaring as it does.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13341 as imaged in H-alpha above and right of the image center. A small filament appears off to the left of the main region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 28 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 23, 2023<\/h2>\n

AR 13341 produced an M4.8\/SF at 23:44 UT yesterday, the 22nd. The flare took place centered south of a region along an erupting filament; this produced a globally propagating wave in the solar corona known as an EIT wave. This is named after the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope instrument onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, which detects such types of waves from time to time associated with solar flare and other eruptive events. AR 13337 produced a C4.6\/SF at 3:32 UT. All the other spotted regions remained quiet, stable, and unremarkable. There are now sixteen numbered active regions visible on the disk of the Sun, with only four larger than 100 millionths of a solar hemisphere in area. The largest is AR 13335 at 230 MSH.<\/p>\n

As of this writing (18:20 UT), there were no more M-class flares beside the one described above.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column are red continuum images of selected active regions; the right column are corresponding images of each area in H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13335 (the large spots right of center) is about to rotate over the western limb. The small cluster of spots near the left edge of the image is newly emerged\/numbered AR 13347.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as observed in H-alpha. A dark active filament is visible near the bottom center of this image. This feature had completely disappeared by 18:22 UT, likely much earlier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13341 (left side) and 13339 (right side) as viewed in this image. The texture across the image is solar granulation, typical of white light images.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In Hydrogen-alpha, these regions appear with brighter areas or plages. A filament is also located between the two.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several smaller active regions are visible in this image (clockwise from upper left): AR 13340, 13337, 13338, 13346 (not the dark spot directly below the leading part of 13340 but further down and left; the dark spot is likely another region emerging).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions as seen in H-alpha with several filaments visible, especially along the left edge of the image. AR 13346 is more easily visible in this image as a bright patch directly below 13340, almost to the time stamp.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance of an X-class flare through at least 25 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 22, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained at moderate levels. AR’s 13341 and 13337 were the most active of the visible spot groups\/active regions. They produced low level M-class and C-class flares, the most recent M-flare being an M1.1\/1N from AR 13341. Twelve spotted sunspot groups (or active regions, currently 11 are numbered) adorn the solar disk. Most are quite small, but there are six that cover areas larger than 100 millionths of a solar hemisphere (MSH). Of these, the two largest is AR 13335 (220 MSH) and 13342 (200 MSH). AR 13337 is growing in size and spot number, while AR 13342 seems to stabilize, then decay as it rotates out of view over the western solar limb. This region produced a few C-class flares. The remainder of the active regions were mostly stable, inactive, and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column are red continuum images of selected active regions; the right column are corresponding images of each area in H-alpha. Each was recorded at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13335 dominates this image, located at image center. The small spot upper right is are 13333 as it rotates out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. The remnants of 13336 show as plage below and left of AR 13335, toward the lower edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13341 (near image center) and 13350 (left near sun’s edge).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with a few filaments added, as they appear in H-alpha. Part of AR 13339 is visible at the right edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are visible here: (Clockwise from upper right) AR 13340, 13337, 13338, and 13346. The texture that permeates the image is solar granulation and the subtle brighter areas are faculae.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun’s disk, imaged in H-alpha, with chromospheric spicules now making up the texture that permeates the image. A few filaments show as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low with a\u00a0 chance for M-class flares and a slight chance of an X-class flare through at least 24 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 21, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since yesterday’s X1.1 flare, solar activity had returned to low to moderate levels. Only weak C-class flares and optical sub-flares have happened since, with a pair of M-class flares happening today: an M1.1\/1N from AR 13341 at 12:44 UT, and an M1.0\/SF at 15:38 UT from AR 13338.\u00a0 There are currently 13 sunspot groups on the visible disk, 12 of which are numbered. AR 13342 continues to grow as it rotates out of view, producing quite a few C-class and optical subflares along the way. AR 13333 is slowly growing as it approaches the western limb. AR 13335 also shows growth and is currently the largest sunspot group on the visible disk. It has an area of 200 millionths of a solar hemisphere. The others are smaller in size, including AR 13340, which is also showing growth. The other regions are quiet and inactive.<\/p>\n

The top two images are 13.8’x18.0′ in size and are 0.5 second red continuum images with the SBIG 8300 camera. Then this camera stopped communicating reliably with the computer and was changed out for the 1603 model, with which the remaining four images (each also 0.5 sec exposures) were taken. The four images are H-alpha images, 11.4’x7.8′ on the sky. Each of the below images was taken at the time indicated on the image and oriented to approximately match the solar p.a., thus the orientation is that solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>More than half of the visible active regions are labeled in this red continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The rest of the visible regions are labeled in this red continuum image of the western half of the solar mid-disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13335 (upper left of center), 13336 (the white streaks left of image center), AR 13333 (upper right) and 13342 (right, on sun’s edge) as observed in H-alpha.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13344 appears as a pair of spots just right of image center. The glow in the lower left and left of this and the image on the left is an artifact of stray light in the system.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13341 (left spot) and 13339 (right pair of spots) along with a filament below image center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13345 (lower left), 13346 (lower right) and 13340 just right and above image center) along with an “S” shaped filament (top center of image).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate with a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 23 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since June 14, solar activity remained at moderate levels, with at least one M-class flare each day except for 17 June. There was one such flare on 15 June, three on 16 June, two on 18 June (including an M2.5), two on 19 June, and two on 20 June prior to today’s observing session. AR 13341 produced an M1\/SF at 12:14 UT on 19 June. AR 13342 is growing as it approaches the western limb of the Sun, and AR 13333 is growing slightly and produced a few C-class events over the last day or so. AR 13335 showed some decay, and the remaining spot groups were rather unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Regions 13333, 13336, 13339, 13340, 13341, and 13342 each contributed C-class flares and optical sub-flares. AR 13342 was the most active of these, with an M1.1 just prior to the start of today’s observing session. However, as the day progressed, AR 13341 became more and more active, culminating in an X1 flare at 17:09, which was observed during today’s session from seven minutes before to 46 minutes after the X-ray peak. Images of this event are shown in the second group of images below.<\/p>\n

Each of the first four images is a 0.5 second exposure. The images are oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The top two cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun; the bottom two cover 18.0’x13.8′. Three are red-continuum images, one is an H-alpha image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13333 (upper left) and 13342 (lower right, close to the Sun’s edge). The latter formed over the last few days and grew rapidly. This image was taken in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions but with AR 13335 added (left center) in this H-alpha image. AR 13333 appears above and right of center, and 13342 (showing the “afterglow” of an M1.1 flare) is near the right edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Seven active regions are visible in this 13.8’x18.0′ image in red continuum light. The regions are each labeled and the image time is displayed in UT in the upper right corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Eight active regions are seen in this 18.0’x13.8′ red continuum image obtained at the time indicated above. Currently there is a total of eleven spotted regions on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We imaged much of the X1.1\/1N flare event this afternoon, and representative images showing the evolution of this flare are shown below. This event sent a pulse of extreme ultraviolet radiation that ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere. This resulted in a shortwave radio blackout over North America. Shortly after this event, a Coronal Mass Ejection can be seen emerging into interplanetary space.<\/p>\n

The first seven images, taken in H-alpha, show the development of the optical counterpart of the flare (bright areas). The last image is an SDO far UV animated GIF image. The H-alpha line centered images, cropped to 11.2’x8.0′ on the sky and are oriented so that solar north is up, east is left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>17:02:45 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>17:05:17 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>17:09:29 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>17:21:00 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>17:30:01 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>17:36:57 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>17:55:02 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Solar Dynamics Observatory Animation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 22 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is low. There are seven spotted active regions on the visible disk, with three more spotless regions present, including AR 13327, which appeared spotless during visual sunspot observations early this morning. All of the regions are small, with regions 13331, 13333, 13335, and 13336 being the largest ones visible on the disk. The background solar x-ray flux remains at C-class levels. AR 13334 produced a C6.3\/1F flare yesterday at 17:38 UT. AR 13327 produced a few small C-class and optical sub-flares. AR 13331 has lost most of its trailing spots, while 13333 grew slowly and produced a C2 flare yesterday at 12:45 UT. The newly visible regions AR 13335 and 13336 produced some low level C-class flares. Their visibility will improve as solar rotation brings them more into focus. So far today, AR 13333 produced six optical subflares prior to 12:00 UT; AR 13327 produced two subflares, AR 13334 was the source of one subflare, and AR 13335 produced a C2.0\/SF flare at 9:31 UT.<\/p>\n

AR 13335 produced a C3.7\/SF flare at 15:16 UT, but the clouds remained large over the local observatory, delaying the start of the observing session until 40 minutes later. This same regions produced many subflares this morning, one of which happened just before the start of today’s session; the very next one just after the session concluded.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right, recorded at the times indicated on each image. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images and the UT of each image is “stamped” on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The pair of dots near the Sun’s edge are AR 13329 (left) and 13326 (right) as they get ready to rotate out of view and likely decay further.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions with a filament added in\u00a0 (upper left of the pair of spots), as seen in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13327 (below and right of image center) is marked by bright spots as most of the spots have disappeared. The spots at lower left are AR 13331.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as seen in H-alpha. AR 13327 shows up better in this image, as a bunch of white spots and small dark filament mark the location. All of this is rotating toward the solar limb and will be carried from view within the next few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The old active regions along the west limb are being “replaced” by four new active regions rotating into view along the east limb. These are labeled.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha view shifts focus slightly to center more in the AR 13333 \/ 13335 \/ 13336 complex.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through at least 16 June. Active regions 13331, 13333, and 13334 are the ones most likely to produce such flares at this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 13, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to quiet down as the visible sunspot groups continue to shrink and decay. AR 13327 only has a handful of spots left, but AR 13331 has shown some growth as well as some decay. The other regions were stable and inactive. There continues to be occasional C-class flares, mostly from AR 13327, but AR 13329, AR 13330, and AR 13331 each contributed a C-flare or optical subflare. Today, AR 13329 produced a C4.9\/SF at 12:07 UT, then newly emerged region AR 13333 produced a C2.1 at 12:45 UT. AR 13327 produced a C1.8 at 15:14 UT, but we were in the continuum imaging sequence (and the Sun was mostly behind clouds at this time), to be able to observe any optical counterpart. There was a C6.3\/1F that peaked at 17:38 UT from an AR that just rotated into view, AR 13334. The X-ray flux background has stayed in the C-range for the last several days.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right, recorded at the times indicated on each image. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images and the UT of each image is “stamped” on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The northwest solar disk, featuring AR 13326 (the single spot) and 13329 (the closely spaced double spot). The white spots below and right of 13326 are what remains of AR 13330.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image centered on the two spot groups. Several filaments are also faintly visible. These regions are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13331 (lower left) and 13327 (lower right), with 13332 (above 13331 left center of image) virtually invisible.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, with several filaments added. AR 13327 (right) is marked by some relatively bright plage (lighter areas).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13333 near image center emerged on to the solar disk in the last 24 hours. On the limb (or edge) below and left of 13333 is another region about to rotate into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The region as seen in H-alpha. Along with AR 13333 (left) are two possible new AR’s just beginning to emerge (marked by white spots)-one near image center and one directly right of image center. Two dark filaments are visible below these regions and potential regions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through at least 15 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun has quieted down again, with the last M-class flare being the surprise event mentioned below. Since then, only occasional C-class flares have occurred, the largest of this was a C5.7 at 21:15 UT on 10 June. More recently, AR 13330 produced a C5.2\/1N flare today at 6:58 UT. AR 13331 showed some growth and decay in adjacent spots. The other regions are in a state of decay, especially AR 13327, which looks like a pale remnant of its former self. One of the long polar crown filaments erupted from the northwest disk, beginning the process of lifting off the solar surface after 2:00 UT on 12 June. This produced a CME that was accelerated far above the orbital plane.<\/p>\n

Each of the red continuum images (left column) is a 0.1 second exposure. Each of the H-alpha images (right column) is a 0.5 second exposure. Solar north is up, solar west is right, and the recorded times (in UT) are posted within each image. Each of the images cover 13.8’x 13.8′ on the sky, except where indicated otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13329 (two spots below center) and 13326 (right of center, single spot) prepare to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same two regions, with filaments faintly visible. This includes a “C” shaped feature near left edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This 18.0’x13.8′ image captures AR 13331 (left) and 13327 (right) in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 16.2’x13.8′ image depicts the same regions: Note the filament just below the right region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 14 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity just jumped to moderate levels as a surprise M-flare (looking like two parallel luminous ribbons in GONG H-alpha imagery) erupts from AR 13331 as this goes to post. It was expected that any M-class flare that would erupt would most likely come from AR 13327 or (less likely) 13323, but so far that has not happened. Today, AR 13323 has contiributed a few optical sub-flares and AR 13327 produced at c3.1\/SF at 13:44UT, and a C4.5\/1F at 14:40 UT. Prior to these, this region produced a C2.1\/SF at 23:56 UT on 8 May. The current (as of the writing) has peaked at M2.5 at 17:11 UT and is now in decay phase.<\/p>\n

AR continues to show some development and some consolidation among the spots in the middle of the active region. AR 13323, overall has decayed, but a few new spots have emerged among the decaying spots. The other seven numbered active regions were either stable or gradually decaying, and they seem to come in pairs or threes: ARs 13320, 13321, and 13323 near the west limb, AR 13326, AR 13329, and AR 13330 are on the north central disk, and ARs 13327, 13331, and 13332 are in the southeastern quadrant of the solar disk. The images below present each of these three groups of active regions in turn.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right, recorded at the times indicated on each image. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except where otherwise indicated. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images and the UT of each image is “stamped” on the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The above image (13.8’x18.0′ in size) is red continuum of AR 13326 (upper left corner), 13320 (right of center, near sun’s edge), 13321 (large spot lower right) and 13323 (modest cluster below center). The image at right depicts the last three along with a filament (top) in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13326 (the right spot), 13330 (below 13326 and slightly right) and 13329 (left small group) as seen in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three regions as seen left but with the north polar region exposed, faintly showing some polar filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The image at left shows AR 13327 (lower right), 13331 (lower left) and 13332 (above the trailing spot of 13331) in red light. The above image, 13.8’x18.0′ in sky coverage, depicts these same region in H-alpha, along with a few filaments. The filament winding through the spots of AR 13331 appears to have erupted in an event referred to as a Hyder flare. The event happened almost two hours after the above image was taken.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through at least 11 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity returned to low levels after the M4 flare early morning\u00a0 (local time) yesterday. AR 13327 continued to be the most interesting and active sunspot region on the visible solar disk and produced occasional C-class flares. AR 13323 continues to decay slowly in spot number and area as it rotates towards the western limb of the sun, following AR 13321. I observed a total of nine spotted regions on the Sun today and all of them (except 13327) continued to be unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. Solar north is up, solar west is right, and the recorded times (in UT) are posted within each image. Each of the images cover 13.8’x 13.8′ on the sky. The first column of images are red continuum (“white light”) images, and the second column displays H-alpha line center images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13321 (large spot near center) and 13323 (scattering of spots just above\/left of center) are in decay and are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view of the two regions, along with AR 13320, which can be barely seen in the upper right part of the image (single small spot).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The most interesting region, AR 13327, right side of the image, has a 10% chance of producing an X-flare today. The spot pair on left is AR 13331 and the single spot above it is likely to become AR 13332.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun as depicted left, but shown in H-alpha. The view is shifter to the west by about 2′ to allow a filament (below 13327) to be included in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 10 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 7, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became moderate today when AR 13327 produced an M4 flare at 11:26 UT, the first of this size in many days. Later in the day it produced a C9 flare at 18:35UT; this was two of three quick peaks that happened at 18:29 (C8.7), 18:35 (C9.2), and 18:50 UT (C7.0). It also produced additional C-class flares, including a C7.1 at 6:45 UT on 7 June. This region continues to grow and expand, while the other interesting region, AR 13323 is decaying. The other 7 numbered and 1 unnumbered region were all quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. Solar north is up, solar west is right, and the recorded times (in UT) are posted within each image. Each of the images cover 18.0’x 13.8′ on the sky, unless indicated otherwise. The first column of images are red continuum (“white light”) images, and the second column are H-alpha line center images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several AR’s are visible within this section of the Sun, the largest of which are at the bottom: AR 13323 and 13321.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13320, 13321, and 13323 along with a filament (top center) are on display in this 13.8’x13.8′ H-alpha image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13327 (just right of image center) and what will likely become AR 13331 (lower left near edge of the Sun) are imaged in this 13.8’x13.8′ red continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The H-alpha image reveals the active regions and associated plages (lighter areas) along with a few filaments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 9 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

Low solar activity continued into today and continues to be low as of this writing (21:15 UTC). AR 13323 is the largest and most complex active region currently visible on the solar disk. Despite this and the rather complex magnetic structure it possesses, it only produced a few minor low-level C-class enhancements and mini-flares. These were also generated by AR’s 13320 and 13327. AR 13327 produced a C7.5\/SF this afternoon at 19:00 UT (the optical counterpart peaked at 19:12 UT), after the observing session concluded.<\/p>\n

There are a total of eleven spotted active regions\/groups visible on the solar disk currently, with seven of them numbered. One of these unnumbered regions is a large spot rotating into view near solar latitude 22 degrees south. Everything remained quiet and inactive on the sun today.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. Solar north is up, solar west is right, and the recorded times are posted in the upper right corner of each image. Each of the images cover 18.0’x 13.8′ on the sky. The first column of images are red continuum (“white light”) images, each of which cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky; the second column are H-alpha line center images, each covering 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted regions and one spotless region are imaged in this continuum image recorded at the time indicated. The H-alpha image of the three largest of these is displayed to the right.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four numbered and two unnumbered regions are depicted in this image (above), to include a large spot rotating into view (lower left near edge). The image immediately right emphasizes AR 13327 and includes a filament that is just south of the region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 8 June. Today features a slight chance for X-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 5, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low for the past several days and continues to be low today. The last M-class flare was an M1.5 that occurred at 2:41 UT on 2 June. Since then, only C-class flare have happened, the largest of which was a c5.7\/1N at 14:30 UT on 4 June from AR 13327. This region rotated into view a couple of days ago and is growing. AR 13323 is also growing a bit, while the rest of the numbered active regions remain mostly unchanged. The Sun’s activity level continued to be at low levels through at least 19:00 UT, 5 June.<\/p>\n

The filament we’ve been watching all last week has finally lifted off the Sun, on 4 June between 8:30 and 10:00 UT (see the animation below from the Solar Dynamics Observatory). Some of the filament moved north and crashed back down on the Sun, while some escaped into interplanetary space, forming a CME. This CME may influence Earth’s environment on the 8th of this month. The X-ray flux background has been above C-level since last week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. Solar north is up, solar west is right, and the recorded times are posted in the upper right corner of each image. Each of the images cover 18.0’x 13.8′ on the sky. The first column of images are red continuum (“white light”) images, while the second column are H-alpha line center images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three numbered regions (labeled) and one un-numbered region (just above and left of image center) are visible in this continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area in H-alpha shows the same regions, with the addition of 13325 (single spot, upper right corner).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three numbered AR’s are seen in this image, with two, and possibly three, unnumbered regions below and left of AR 13323.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same area on the Sun, in H-alpha, shows some additional filaments and other features visible only in H-apha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 7 June. There is a slight chance for X-class flares through 6 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels late yesterday after AR 13323 produced a long-duration M4.3 flare that peaked yesterday (May 31) at 22:52 UT. The event began over an hour earlier, at 21:47 and delayed briefly in the upswing. The region also produced an M1\/SF at 22:08 UT during its long-duration M4 flare (likely from another part of the region) and a number of C-class flares. AR 13319 generated a few C-class flares and an M1 flare at 12:26 UT on May 31. AR 13315 produced a C9 flare at 00:41 UT on June 1. This (so far) has been the strongest flare of today (up to 21:45 UT, 1 June). AR 13323 produced most of the flares today, all low C-class and optical subflares; AR 13315 contributed some of these flares as well, including a C6.5 at 11:25 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right, recorded at the times indicated on each image. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except the last row of images, which cover 13.8’x18.0′. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The cluster of active regions (labeled) that have been crossing the Sun for nearly two weeks is dissolving as the regions dissipate and are about to rotate out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This part of the Sun’s disk also appears quiet in H-alpha. The large single spot is AR 13318, with the other regions nearly invisible as few tiny spots within each.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13315 (next to Sun’s edge) and 13319 (below left of image center). 13315 remains the largest visible region, with 3319 as second largest.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. Aside from the above mentioned C9 flare and a few optical subflares from 13315, these regions have been quiet all day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>After AR’s 13315 and 13319, the next largest regions are AR 13321 and 13323. The latter has been the most active, but the activity had been minor. A new, unnumbered AR is emerging as imaged in the upper right corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same field of view as imaged in H-alpha. The filament displayed in yesterday’s image is still present on the solar disk as of 20:47 UT today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through at least 3 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 31, 2023<\/h2>\n

We are watching the departure of an old batch of sunspot as they prepare to rotate over the western limb, a total of 9 active regions. The complex in the northern hemisphere have decayed to the point of being unremarkable, while the ones in the southern hemisphere (actually only two) have grown to be the largest groups on the solar disk. Solar activity remains at moderate levels due to a series of impulsive low-level M-class flares. AR 13315 produced one such event yesterday, an M1.4\/1B event that peaked at 13:38 UT. New AR 13323 produced another event, an M1.3 today at 4:38 UT. This region had been the source of most of today’s flares, at least six C-class flares. AR 13319 also produced C-class activity: a few today and more yesterday as it grows rather rapidly, rivaling AR 13315 as the largest spot group on the visible disk. AR 13315 has begun to decay some in the trailing end.<\/p>\n

The other spots were quiet and stable. We observed a C3.3\/SN flare from AR 13315, peaking at 16:39 UT. This was actually preceded immediately by a C2.5 which peaked at 16:20 UT (we were observing the region by 16:21 UT). A C9.6 flare erupted from AR 13323, peaking at 20:10 UT; this was followed by a C6.8 at 20:48 UT, from the same region.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right, recorded at the times indicated on each image. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except the last image, which covers 13.8’x18.0′. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A cluster of active regions prepare to rotate out of view (labeled) and are decaying in the process.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This area of the Sun looks very quiet in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13319 (center, with possibly a new group emerging above it) and 13315 (right edge), as imaged in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13319 (left) and 13315 (just right of center), with a flare kernel just off the trailing spot group of the latter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The new batch of sunspot groups rotate into view, and farside imagery indicates another, larger region behind 13320. This unseen region is still several days from rotating into view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The three spotted active regions as viewed in H-alpha, with a filament just visible in the lower right corner of the image. The filament is the largest, darkest such feature currently visible on the solar disk.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an increasing chance of M-class flares through at least 2 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 30, 2023<\/h2>\n

Overall, solar activity has been low with the occasional M-class flare since 26 May, but this increased to moderate levels with three M1 flares all within a span of 5.5 hours. Two of these came from AR 13310 as it rotates over the western limb. It also produced two C-class flares. AR’s 13312 and 13317 each produced low-level C-class flare activity. There are currently 10 spotted regions on the Sun, eight of which are numbered so far. AR 13315 remains the largest visible region on the solar disk but it has remained quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images cover 16.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images, and each was recorded at the times indicated on each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13319 has developed quite a bit since it emerged a few days ago. It follows 13315 toward the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13319 and 13315 in H-alpha light. The large spot AR 13310 has rotated out of view since yesterday, and AR 13312 has lost its spots.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More active regions have developed amongst the group of active regions that have been traversing the Sun over the last ten days or so.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same five numbered and one unnumbered regions as they appear in H-alpha. AR 13314 has rotated out of view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 1 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 26, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today included a follow-up imaging session as we continue to follow the visible active regions across the Sun, then break for the long weekend. Solar activity had been moderate, but since the M1\/1N flare yesterday at 14:46 UTC from AR 13312, there had been no further M-class flare activity, with the exception of an M1 flare event in progress as of this writing (22:55 UT). This is coming from AR 13311. All was quiet today except for fairly frequent low-level C-class activity from AR’s 13314 and 13315. In fact, the former produced a C5.5\/SF at 17:54 UT just after the end of today’s session. Another spotted region, AR 13316, emerged today but was quiet as were the remaining visible regions which were each stable or in decay state. A filament erupted off the WSW limb of the Sun at 2:30 UT on 26 May.<\/p>\n

The most recent event appears to be two events: a C6.9 that peaked at 22:43 UT from AR 13315, and an M1.3 that had a flat peak that ultimately crested at 23:04 UT, from AR 13311. The events are in decline as of 23:25 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13310 (center) is approaching the west limb of the Sun. AR 13312 (left edge) appears as little more than a few tiny spots as it decays.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13312 practically disappears in H-alpha, but a short dark filament is visible north of its location.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The trio of regions (AR 13313, 13311, and 13314) continues its march across the face of the Sun and is starting to approach the western limb of the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha: AR 13313 is the single spot at the left end; AR 13314 is the single spot at the right end; and AR 13311 makes up the rest of the train.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13315 continues to grow and develop as it dominates this view. Newly emerged AR 13316 is just visible in the upper left corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image shifts focus to include the dark filament at the right edge. AR 13315 has become a bit more active as it continues to grow in coverage and spot number.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares through at least 28 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 25, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate, with AR 13311 being the source of a majority of the events that have occurred in the last couple of days. It produced an M1.8\/1F flare at 17:21 UT on 24 May. AR 13314 has become a separate entity once again, as it redeveloped some spots to set it apart from AT 13311. AR 13315 continues to grow in size and complexity and produced an M1\/SF at 19:10 UT, 24 March. New spots were seen north of the large leader spot of AR 13310 but these have not received a designation yet. AR 13312 produced an M1.1\/1N at 14:46 UT on 25 May 2023, just before the start of the morning session today. AR’s 13310, 13311, 13312, 13314, and 13315 each contributed flare events today. A prominence erupted off the SW limb occurred today around 8:00 UT. Another filament in the northeast corner of the Sun’s disk, just east of AR 13314 appeared to be a bit active but remains in place as of 20:55 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except where indicated otherwise. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13312 (lower left), 13310 (just below center), and a possible new AR just above the main spot of 13310 as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13312 and 13310 as imaged in H-alpha, with several filaments visible in this 12.6’x13.8′ image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The string of three active regions continues its march across the Sun. AR 13313 is the single spot at the tail end, 13314 consists of several spots below the larger lead spot (right) of AR 13311, which makes up the bulk of this string.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions as imaged in H-alpha. They have been mainly quiet all day today, with only C-class and sub-flares emanating from these groups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>New AR 13315 continues to grow in size and complexity and was the source of several small flares today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of the same AR 13315, showing bright plage in its intermediate region (between the two large spots at either end).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of isolated M-class flares through at least 27 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 24, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate, with AR 13311 producing numerous C-class flares, an M3 flare at 12:13 UT on 23 May, an M1.0\/SN flare at 9:58 UT today, and an M1.8\/1F flare at 17:21 UT today. The numerous C-class flares continued into today. AR 13311 remains the most complex region visible on the solar disk today, with the other visible regions, including AR 13315, being relatively quiet.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images each cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13112 (small spot cluster, left) and 13110 (large with a few attendants) as imaged at 14:33:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Active Regions 13312 and 13310, along with two filaments: one upper left and another lower right. A third is faintly visible at lower left. This image was recorded at 15:23:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13313 and 13311 continue to be carried across the visible disk of the Sun by the Sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 14:31:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions in H-alpha: AR 13313 (single spot, far left) has little plage (bright areas), while AR 13311 (the rest of the train of spots) has much plage, as seen in this image recorded at 15:20:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Visible as a small pair of spots yesterday, AR 13315 has emerged to generate a small cluster of spots. This image was recorded at 14:36:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This region was the source of many sub-flares and one M1.0 flare today as it grows. This image was recorded at 15:26:20 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares through 25 May; the chances for M-class flares increase on 26 May as old AR 13296 is expected to return.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 23, 2023<\/h2>\n

The anticipated major flares from AR 13311 never came, as of 22:00 UT today. Only lots of pointlike “sub-flares”, a few of which were captured in today’s imaging session, which was on and off due to frequent (also unexpected) cloud interruptions. AR 13312 had some development and produced an M1.9\/1N flare at 13:37 UT on 22 May. AR 13311 did produce an M3.0\/SN flare at 12:13 UT, the largest (so far of the last two full days. In addition, I counted 28 small optical flares (most SF, two 1F, one SN) from 1:44 UT to 19:18 UT. A handful of these was accompanied by low-level C-class flares and the M3 flare already mentioned. The X-ray background has been in the low C-range since 5:00 UT 17 May, nearly a week ago.<\/p>\n

AR 13310 showed some growth but stayed quiet. AR 13311 remained the most complex spot group visible on the Sun’s disk, and it “absorbed” AR 13314 as most of its spots decayed to plage and the rest was overtaken by 13311.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images. The top row displays AR 13310 and 13312, and the bottom row images display AR 13311 and 13314. Each was taken at the time indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13312 (small cluster of spots lower left) and AR 13310 (large spot with small attendants) as imaged at 14:12:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13312 and 13310, along with a few small filaments, as imaged at 17:49:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13313 (single spot left end of trail of spots) and 13311 (the rest of the trail) as imaged at 14:11:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same complex of spots, with a few filaments added (above 13313 and above\/right of the leading spot of 13311) as imaged at 17:55:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate through at least 25 May due mainly to the flare potential of AR 13311.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 22, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained moderate over the last several days, with the barrage of regular M-class flares continuing through 21 May. There were ten discrete events from 0:49 UT, 19 May through 2:15 UT, 21 May, all of which came from AR 13311. The strongest of these was an M8 at 12:35 UT on 20 May. More recently this region had shown some decay in the middle of the region. AR 13308, which is about to rotate out of view, showed some minor growth. and a prominence lifted off the surface of the sun around 6:30 UT today. Surprisingly, AR 13312, which does not show much in the way of spot complexity, produced a C7.2\/SF\/SN flare at 13:27 UT, and an M1\/9\/1N\/1B flare at 13:33 UT, lots of activity over a short span of time.\u00a0 So far, AR 13311, the source of great flare potential, has been quiet and unremarkable through at least 18:45 UT, 22 May 2023.<\/p>\n

The quiet, low level activity persisted through at least 23:00 UT today, with none of the forecasted M- or X-class flares occurring with AR 13111. The only event of note was a C3 flare at 18:37 UT from AR 13312. The X-ray background did stay above C1 level all day.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13110 (large spot with a few small spots) and 13112 (small cluster of tiny spots left of 13110) as imaged at 14:39:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same area of the Sun, as imaged in H-alpha at 15:11:00 UT. These regions have been quiet for a few days.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13313 (single spot near image center), 13314 (single spot at right end of complex) and 13111 (complex of spots that make up the bulk of the three groups of spots) as imaged at 14:40:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region of the Sun’s surface as imaged at 15:16:00 UT. So far this has been quiet all day, except for some C-class flares earlier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to moderate to high through at least 24 May due to the flare potential of AR 13311.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 18, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity rose to moderate to high levels. There was M-class flare activity from an unnumbered region on the NE limb. AR 13310 produced a few low level C-class flares. AR 13309 produced a C4.3\/SF are 15:20 UT on 17 May. This produced a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) Another CME was generated by a filament eruption from the same general area. A series of M-class flares began at 6:25 UT today and was the first of eight such events, the last of which (for 18 May) was an M5 from AR 13311 during the short observing session (pictured below). In fact, all of these events were from the same region. AR 13305 redeveloped a bit as did AR 13308. These will rotate out of view in a few days.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except where indicated otherwise. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images. The top row displays the same area of sun (west limb) and the bottom row images display the same area (east limb) of the sun. Each was taken at the time indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13308 (near image center), 13305 (base of triangular spot group), 13302 (top of triangle) and 13304 (elongated bright sliver near sun’s edge), as imaged at 20:55:37 UT. This 18.0’x13.6′ image also captured AR 13307, the small spots in the lower left corner.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha image shows the spotted trio, along with the associated plage (bright spots) and filaments. Additional filaments appear left of the spots, near the left edge of the image. This image was recorded at 21:36:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>(At least) two new active regions are rotating over the Sun’s eastern limb. AR 13111 (top) and 13110 (bottom) were both flare-producing regions. This image was recorded at 20:53:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as imaged in H-alpha. An M5 flare is in progress at this time, and appears as a semi-circular bright arc near the top of the image. This image was recorded at 21:36:25 UT, some 31 minutes after the peak of the flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 20 May<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

After reaching high levels with yesterday’s M9.6 flare from just over the ESE limb, solar activity returned to low levels for the rest of the day and for most of today, through at least 21:50 UT. There was a C9.5 flare from an undetermined source that peaked at 21:47 UT. The region that was the source of the M9.6 flare also produced additional C-class flares. There were quite a few C-class flares today, from AR’s 13310, 13305, and 13309. Of the three C-class events that occurred during today’s 2.5 hour session, only one was visible, from AR 13309. Old region AR 13288 has rotated over the east southeastern limb and has been renumbered 13310, as is usually the case for regions making a second rotation\/appearance on the solar disk. AR 13305 has been relatively quiet and the rest of the other 8 visible active regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

There continues to be plenty of filaments visible on the solar disk. Today there is 18 total. A 14-degree long filament near S13 E62 (near the east southeastern edge) disappeared at approximately 10:54 UT on 16 May. This one was mostly reabsorbed into the Sun as opposed to launching off into interplanetary space.<\/p>\n

The below images were taken at the times indicated on the image and include a variety of surface features, from spots, to filaments, to a solar flare. The top two images are in red continuum light; the remaining 4 are in H-alpha. Each covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except for the last one, which covers 18.0’x13.8′. Each is a 0.5 second exposure and each is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum images of group of active regions rotating toward the western limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A new, large active region rotating into view. This is likely old AR 13288, now renumbered 13310.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The active region complex as it appears in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13310 and a prominent C-shaped filament, one of many filaments currently visible.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13309 with C4 flare, five minutes after the flare X-ray peak of C4.3.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>At least four filaments are visible in this image, with AR 13308 visible in the lower right corner. The one in upper left seems particularly active.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar Activity is expected to be low, with a chance for isolate M-class flares, through at least 19 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 16, 2023<\/h2>\n

Non-meteorological circumstances today limited the observing session to 15 minutes, time only to get a few white-light images of the visible active regions on the Sun. The complex of 3 regions, AR 13301, 13302, and 13305, continue to dominate the solar disk. AR 13304 is nearly spotless, and three more spots or tiny spot groups, yet to be numbered, have appeared on the solar disk. AR 13305 produced a pair of c1 flares today at 4:31 and 4:44 UT. Several additional C-class flares occurred since, but without attribution to a specific active region. The largest of these was a C4.5 at 12:14 UT. Then, before today’s short session, an M9.6 flare erupted, peaking at 16:43 UT. This came from a region just beyond the ESE solar limb, likely from old AR 13288, which produced 45 C-class flares and 4 M-class flares during its last appearance on the last rotation.<\/p>\n

Each images measures 18.0’x12.0′ and is a 0.5 second exposure, oriented so that solar north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four regions are visible in this red continuum image which was captured at 17:28:54 UT. These are starting to rotate toward the western limb of the Sun, just as 13305 becomes more complex.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three tiny regions and a spotless “plage region” (the AR 13303 region) as imaged at 17:32:35 UT. AR 13307 (off the left edge of the image) appears similarly small to those pictured.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to start with on 16 May, with increasing chances for M-class flares on 17 and 18 May with the return of old AR 13288, the likely source of today’s M9 flare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 15, 2023<\/h2>\n

With AR 13296 and its companions rotating out of view, solar activity has returned to low levels. A few new active regions have emerged, including AR 13306, which produced a C3.4 flare at 0:51 UT 15 May. There was another C-class flare, a C1.7 from an area over the SE limb of the Sun, possibly from old AR 13299, which is due to return on May 17. During its last trip across the Sun’s disk, it produced M-class flares. There is another region emerging near S09 E39, which is AR 13307. It was visible since at least yesterday afternoon. The last M-class flare occurred late on 11 May. All the other regions were quiet and stable.<\/p>\n

The main cluster of active regions are pictured below, in white light\/red continuum, and H-alpha. Each image covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky and is a 0.5 second exposure, taken at the time indicated in the lower left corner of each image. Solar north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted regions (labeled) are visible in this red continuum image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same five regions as viewed in H-alpha. A filament is visible on the right center edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for isolated M-class flares through at least 17 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since the last observation session the frequency and strength of the M-class flares on the Sun have decreased markedly. Since the double event of 9 May after 1800 UT, there had only been 3 M-flares, an M2.2 at 14:20 UT on 10 May; an M2.2 at 11:09 UT on 11 May, and an M1.8 at 18:30 UT this afternoon just before the observing session. There are 10 spotted regions on the Sun today, 8 of which are numbered. AR 13296 is weakening; it lost its delta magnetic signature yesterday but it is still complex magnetically. It is still unstable, being the source of one of the M-class flares (AR 13294 was the source of the other two) and several C-class flares. AR 13297 remained mainly unchanged and the rest of the regions have been rather unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with solar north up, west right. The images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The first column below are red continuum images; the second column are H-alpha images. The top row displays the same area of sun (west limb) and the bottom row images display the same area (east limb) of the sun. Each was taken at the time indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex we have been watching over the last 10 days or so is approaching the west limb of the Sun. This image was recorded at 19:28:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view, but in H-alpha. Note the filaments, especially among the spots of AR 13296 (upper right). This image was recorded at 19:49:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another, much smaller and less complex group of active regions are rotating onto the solar disk. There are five groups, three numbered. This image was recorded at 19:54:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as left, but in H-alpha, with a few filaments added. This image was recorded at 19:32:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain moderate with isolated M-class flares likely, along with a slight chance of X-class flares, through at least 13 May. This is mainly due to the flare probability of AR 13296.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

A break in an extended period of cloudy, rainy weather allowed for an hour-and-a half session, enough time to view parts of three flares! The active region cluster that rotated into view crossed the center of the Sun’s disk and has moved to the western hemisphere. AR 13296, a sunspot group with a magnetic polarity reversed compared to typical northern solar hemisphere sunspots during Cycle 25. Hale’s law stats that all (or most) sunspots of a particular hemisphere have the same polarity, with spots of the opposite hemisphere having the opposite magnetic polarity. In other words, for a typical northern hemisphere sunspot for the current solar cycle, the positive polarity is the front half, and the negative polarity is the back half, and vice versa for southern hemisphere spot groups. AR 13296 shows the opposite. It also has been unusually active, producing lots of flares.<\/p>\n

There was a lull in the M-flares from late 5 May through late 7 May, then at 22:20 UT that same day, a long-duration M1.5 flare erupted from AR 13296 and lasted over six hours, with additional flares enhanced by its decay tail. An M2.3 of much shorter duration then happened at 20:24 UT, 8 May. Then there was an M6.5 flare at 5:34 UT on 9 May from the same AR as this region grows in the middle region but decays in the leading region. AR 13297 is also growing and has the potential for large flares but it has only been producing low-level C-class events. Since the M7 event, AR 13296 produced four more M-class flares: an M1.2 at 6:13 UT, an M1.3 at 10:20 UT, an M4.2\/1B events at 18:58 (today’s session began while this flare was still in decay, with an M1.2 enhancement or “spark” at 20:09 UT; then finally an M5.0\/1N, the beginning and peak of which was observed before the clouds filled back in, stopping the observing session.<\/p>\n

There are three more unnumbered spotted regions rotating into view on the eastern limb of the Sun, but they look unremarkable so far.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. The first image (red continuum) covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the Sun, the second and third (at various stages of the M5\/1N flare event) are each 16.2’x13.8′. Each is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right. The brightening in the lower left of the H-alpha images is an image artefact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Six spotted regions and one spotless region are captured in this red continuum image. AR 13293 is partially off the right edge. This image was recorded at 19:31:33UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as left, but without the thin cirrostratus that was present during the continuum imaging session. AR 13296 is in the upper right corner and the bright spot marks the beginning of the flare. This image was recorded at 20:42:55 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region as the M5 flare is underway. This image was recorded at 20:54:17 UT, two minutes after the X-ray peak and seven minutes after the optical peak intensity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to stay moderate, with more M-class flares likely along with a slight chance of X-class events through at least 11 May. These are due to the enhanced flare probabilities of ARs 13296 and 13297. Unfortunately the weather forecast calls for more thick clouds and heavy rain making further observations of this activity unlikely, but as of this writing, the forecast is for partly sunny on 11 May, so there may be more opportunity for observations then.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 5, 2023<\/h2>\n

Yesterday was clouded out, today returned to partly cloudy conditions and enabled a morning observing session. Overnight (local time) a filament lifted off the Sun’s eastern edge. This started a chain of events that included strong flares and a solar tsunami. These explosions may have launched several overlapping CME’s into interplanetary space. These images depict the event from these three wavelengths (three images immediately below) show different aspects of the events. More information can be obtained from today’s spaceweather.com<\/a> story. Each of the animated gif’s were obtained from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) thru three of its filters. Click on each for the animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>SDO 304 A, gas temperature of 50,000K<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>SDO 193 A, gas temperature of 1,000,000 K<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>SDO 131 A, gas temperature of 10,000,000 K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There was a continuation of moderate solar activity with an M3.9 flare on 4 May at 8:44 UT (this was a long-duration event from AR 13296). The next M-class flare occurred this morning \/ overnight local time, with a long duration M2 flare from AR 13296 at 8:01 UT. Another M-class flare occurred at 15:31 UT, while we were working through the red continuum imaging sequence. This was followed by a C8.2 at 15:47 UT, the latter part of which was captured in the slightly offband (-0.1 Angstrom) image below. No further significant activity has occurred since, with the X-ray background slowly declining (at C1.3 level as of 222:05 UT). AR 13293 continued to slowly decay, AR 13289 and 13295 have decayed to spotless plage; AR 13298 (just southwest of 13294) formed late in Wednesday’s imaging sequence but was gone by today. AR 13297 looks large and impressive but its magnetic fields remain simple.<\/p>\n

The first image, upper left quarter of image panel, displays a red continuum image covering 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The remaining three are H-alpha emission line (or near-line) center, 13.8’x13.8′ in size. Each image is a five second exposure and is oriented so that solar north is up, west is right (the P.A. axis, the apparent tilt of the Sun’s rotation axis as seen from Earth, has begun to decrease and is now -23.5 degrees, down from -26.2 degrees a few weeks earlier) in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Six current and former active regions are on display in this image. taken at 15:46:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>There were actually three active regions at this location, all that is left now if a filament or two and some brighter patches. This image was recorded at 16:04:36 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The last glows of an M2\/C8 double flare are arrowed above. This image was recorded at 15:55:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, less Spotless 13298, during a long lull in the activity. This image was recorded at 16:52:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The background X-ray levels are expected to remain above C-class level through at least 7 May. There is a chance for isolated M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 7 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 3, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became high today due to an impulsive M7.3 flare at 10:45 UT today, from AR 13293. Over a 4.5 hour period, there were five M-class flares, the largest of which was the M7 just mentioned. These were preceded by a C9.6 flare from AR 13295 at 7:37 UT today. AR 13293 was the source for all five M-class flares. Because of the frequent flaring of this region earlier, and the favorable weather and other circumstances, today was a full day observing session to attempt to capture another large flare from this active region or its neighbors. So far, as of 20:15 UT, it has only produced low-level C-class flares, along with AR 13288 and 13297. The most recent M-class flare from AR 13293 was an M2.2 that peaked at 13:50 UT today, just prior to the start of the session.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column features H-alpha line center images, each also 0.5 second exposure. Each image covers 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2019 on the sky and heliocentric (solar) north is up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13285 and 13288 are in the process of rotating out of view. This image was recorded at 14:27:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13285 and 13288 as they continue to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 14:56:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions (labeled) are rotating into better view. AR 13293 and possibly the others show signs of activity. This image was recorded at 14:24:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as viewed in the light of H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:02:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 5 May. The flare probabilities come mainly from the flare potentials of AR 13288 and 13293, although all the visible regions have potential for flaring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 2, 2023<\/h2>\n

After yesterday’s M7.1 flare, everything is much quieter today, with only fairly regular occurrences of C-class flares from ARs 13288, 13289, and 13293. Another source of these flares is possibly a large AR that is about to rotate over the solar eastern limb. The largest event today so far (through 20:49 UT) was a C5.5 flare from AR 13288. AR 13288 has decayed somewhat, while AR 13293 showed some growth. There are five numbered spotted active regions currently visible on the solar disk with two (and possibly three) additional regions rotating into view along the eastern solar limb. Aside from magnetically-complex 13288 and 13293, the other regions are quiet, simple, and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Today’s weather was forecast to be cloudy, but the Sun shone brightly from the time it rose (enabling a good view of its disk visually for daily sunspot counts) until mid- to late-morning. So we conducted this observation session to get follow up images of active regions, to document their day-to-day changes. Thin cirrus was present throughout the session, increasing in thickness as the morning progressed. Hence, the H-alpha images appear low-contrast and a bit “washed out”. In addition to the cirrus, large cumulus clouds came and regularly interrupted the observations.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposure. The second column features H-alpha line center images, each also 0.5 second exposure. Each image covers 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2019 on the sky and heliocentric (solar) north is up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 13285 and 13288 (bottom) along with 13291 (top, just left of the artifact brighter gray spot) are about to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 15:04:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:39:58 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two new spots have rotated into view and have yet to receive numbers. AR 13293 is visible just above image center. Behind (left) of the main spots are smaller spots, which could be yet another active region. This image was recorded at 14:58:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Because of the challenges of imaging through and between clouds, this image ended up being offset as compared to the adjacent image, so that one of the two new spots is partly cut off. This image was recorded at 16:00:43 UT and includes a filament lower right corner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 4 May. The flare probabilities come mainly from the flare potentials of AR 13288 and 13293.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

AR\u00a0 13288 produced an M7.1 flare this morning at 13:09 UT, raising solar activity to moderate levels. This follows an 2 at 20:28 UTC on 30 April from AR 13293 (just rotating into view) and an M1 flare at 1:21 UT on 1 May from AR 13288. AR 13288 continues to grow in complexity and has the potential to produce more M-class and possibly X-class flares. AR 13293 is also growing in size and complexity, while AR 13289 has decayed slightly. A C2.7\/SF event was observed briefly from the Observatory from AR 13289 at 15:30. This event peaked at 15:27 UT. The other visible regions (there is a total of five spotted groups that are visible) are unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The red continuum images (first column of the table below) are each 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images (right column) are each 0.5 second exposures. The first row containing images of AR 13285, 13288, and 13291, have the images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The second row of images of AR 13289 and 13293 cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. The images are such that heliocentric (solar) north is up and west is right; that is, they are aligned with the Sun’s coordinate system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13288 (long string of spots along bottom edge), 13285 (single spot above leader of 13288) and 13291 (two tiny spots top center) as imaged at 14:17:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions as imaged in H-alpha. These regions are approaching the west limb of the Sun. This image was recorded at 14:57:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Wide angle image showing AR’s 13293 (lower left) and 13289 (center, right). AR 13292, which was below and left of 13289, has decayed and lost its spots. This image was recorded at 14:23:13 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same part of the Sun’s disk as depicted left. Each of these regions has produced C- and M-class flares today. This image was recorded at 14:49:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 3 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains at low activity levels, with rather frequent C-class activity. Today, AR 13288 developed a beta-gamma-delta magnetic field type, a complex configuration that is conducive to large solar flare production. A C6 flare came from AR 13285 at 1:22 UT on 28 April. AR 13288 produced a C6.8\/SF at 16:00 UT today, which was observed in one frame of image during the morning’s session (further observations of this event were not possible due to large and persistent convective cumulus clouds). AR 13288 produced most of today’s events, and generated a series of C-flares from 15:00 to 20:00 (with a low-level C-flare in progress from AR 13288 as of this writing). It appears like AR 13288, over time, is smoldering with almost continuous low-level C-flare and sub-flare activity. It does have the potential for an M- or even an X-class flare, but none have happened so far today.<\/p>\n

A prominence erupted off the west limb earlier today, generating a CME that was detected by far UV satellite imagery beginning at 10:25 UT. This was likely the dark, semicircular filament that we had followed for several days.<\/p>\n

The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column features H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposure. Each image covers 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2019 on the sky and celestial north is up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions remain visible; the largest lies along the bottom, and is AR 13288. This image was recorded at 15:07:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These regions were inactive at the time of this observation, 17:00:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13289, just below image center, and 13292, a single dark spot left of the main group, as imaged at 15:10:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, plus an active filament, which had been wavering all day. This image was recorded at 15:39:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through at least 30 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels today with an M1.8 flare at 11:14 UT from AR 13288. This was the first M-class flare since the M1.5 on 21 April at 18:20 UT. AR 13288 is growing, with increasing complexity as it gained intermediate spots (that is, spots between the large lead\/front spot and the almost-as-large trailing\/following spot). AR 13289, on the northeast limb, produced a few low-level C-class flares, which featured a long-duration C2.5 flare that peaked at 2:49 UT, 27 April. All the other regions, four more in total, were stable, quiet, and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The below images were made this afternoon after persistent clouds cleared. The first column includes red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column features H-alpha line center images, each 0.5 second exposure. Each image covers 13.8\u2019x13.8\u2019 on the sky and celestial north is up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13285 (single spot with a couple small trailers), 13288 (well-developed string), 13286 (small spots just below image center), and 13291 (above and right of image center) as imaged at 19:32:57 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same area near the center of the Sun’s disk, at 20:08:36 UT. A curving bright arc is visible just above the trailing spots of 13288; this is a sub-flare fading after its X-ray peak C2.5 at 19:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13289 is rotating into better view. This had been the source of small flares all day. This image was recorded at 19:37:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13289, accompanied by a filament (right edge) and prominence (directly above on edge). This image was recorded at 22:10:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low to low with a chance for C-class flares and a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 29 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 26, 2023<\/h2>\n

Despite a mostly cloudy, chance of rain type forecast, the clouds partially parted at mid-day to allow more than enough time to complete a quiet sun imaging sequence. AR’s 13284 and 13287 both decayed to plage. AR 13290 and 13291 emerged in the solar northern hemisphere. Two of the filaments in the southern hemisphere which were imaged yesterday disappeared today. All the visible active regions are unremarkable. AR 13289 did produce a C2.5\/SF this morning at 14:23 UT to break the monotony; otherwise solar activity remained very low.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. The first column of images are red continuum images; the second column contains H-alpha line center images. Each image is 13.8’x13.8′ in angular size, with celestial north is up, west right, in each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13285, the large leader spot near right center edge of image; AR 13288 is the pair just below and left; AR 13286 appears directly above 1328; and AR 13291, in the upper right corner; as imaged at 17:23:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same active regions, plus a filament (left and slightly below image center) as imaged at 17:34:18 UT. AR 13287 decayed to plage, which is located left center in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>New AR 13289 (upper left near Sun edge) and 13291 (lower right corner) as imaged at 17:23:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:33:39 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class and a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 28 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 25, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today’s weather featured variable cloudiness all day, from brief instances of mostly clear, to generally partly cloudy and extended times of overcast. The first part of today’s sessions happened during on brief clearing spell. This was followed by two hours of cloudy conditions before another partly sunny period occurred, allowing more imaging before the clouds returned. This constantly changing weather continued after the session ended, but the Sun continues to exhibit low activity. AR 13283 decayed to spotless plage, but as it does so it produced a C2.8 flare yesterday at 13:05 UT. AR 13285 showed some decay in its trailing region and was the source of a C1.5\/SF at 17:27 yesterday (before yesterday’s session began), and AR 13288 emerged rapidly and produced C1.7 flare today at 8:07 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. The first image is a red continuum image; the remaining images are H-alpha line center images. Each image is 13.8’x13.8′ in angular size, except for the H-alpha image of AR 13281, 13283, and 13284 and filaments. This image covers 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right, in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>A small cluster of spotted active regions is being led by AR 13285 across the sun. This image was recorded at 15:27:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region viewed several hours in H-alpha light shows many filaments. This image was recorded at 18:26:11 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two small spotted active regions and a plage region (13283), along with two dark filaments are imaged in this H-alpha image covering the southwestern quarter of the Sun’s disk. This image was recorded at 18:15:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A new active region is rotating into view at the 10:30 o’clock position, marked by a short, squat, bright prominence network. Other prominences and filaments are also visible in this 18:17:35 UT image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class and a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 27 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 24, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity level had been at very low to low levels these last few days. AR 13282 is in the process of rotating out of view and it produced several low-level C-class flares; including two events today. The most recent was a C1.1 today at 16:22 UT. This region has started to decay, but AR 13285 has shown some slight growth. It was the source of a C1.5 flare at 17:27 UT today (prior to start of today’s session). AR 13283 contributed a C2.8 at 13:05 UT, the largest event since a C4.8 at 1:48 UT on 22 April. No flares have occurred from 17:27 to at least 22:15 UT today.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure. The top row of images cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky, while the bottom row of images are cropped to 13.8’x13.8’square. The first column contains the red continuum images; the second column contains the H-alpha line center images. Celestial north is up, west right, in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Six regions, four spotted, two not, are visible \/ labeled in this image that was taken at 18:27:44 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the solar disk displaying the same regions and a filament. This image was recorded at 18:37:51 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two regions (labeled) are depicted here along with two spots belonging to two unnumbered regions. This image was recorded at 18:20:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same area of the Sun’s disk showing the regions and a few additional features. This image was recorded at 18:40:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through 25 April and a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 26 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 21, 2023<\/h2>\n

The expected clearing of the skies did not occur until late in the day, but it was enough to obtain a complete set of images of the visible solar features. Several hours prior to the observing session, a filament erupted, producing an m1.7\/2N parallel ribbon flare (from the vicinity of AR 13282) and launching a coronal mass ejection straight toward the Earth. (Image courtesy of spaceweather.com<\/a>, click on the image for the full animation of the flare event.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aside from this event, solar activity remained on the low side today. The only other flare for the day was a C4.0\/SN from AR 13279, which peaked at 22:23 UT (as we were just getting started, working in the continuum). A dark surge was noted just south of the main\/leader spot of AR 13282 (pictured below). Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure and cropped to 13.8’x13.8’square. The first image, with the labeled regions, covers 18.0’x13.8′. The first column contains the red continuum images; the second column contains the H-alpha line center images. Celestial north is up, west right, in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five AR’s (labeled) are visible in this image as the group begins to rotate toward the western edge of the Sun. This image was recorded at 22:23:55 UT (the C4 flare is here but hidden from view by the bright photosphere).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as viewed in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 22:57:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Newly-revealed AR 13285 (left edge) and old AR 13284 (right edge) as imaged at 22:28:18 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as imaged in H-alpha at 22:50:03 UT. All seems quiet as shown by lack of plage and filaments in this part of the Sun (except along the bottom edge of this image)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a 35% chance for M-class flares through at least 23 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

Overnight in North America, there was a hybrid solar eclipse on the other side of the world. This means the ends of the eclipse were annular, then became total as the curvature of the Earth brought it closer to the Moon. More information on this event can be obtained at the Eclipse Wise web page<\/a> for this event. Images of this event can be viewed at the Spaceweather.com Realtime Images<\/a> page. There is over three hours of videotape coverage and commentary from Exmouth, Australia, at https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=StSPFuFi4g0<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0To watch the several minutes centered around totality, start the video at 1:23:00 and watch the dramatic change that takes place as the crescent Sun (red H-alpha image) thins and “disintegrates”. Totality at this site lasted 55 seconds.\u00a0 This is a sneak preview of the eclipse that will cross North America on 8 April 2024. More information on this can be viewed at Eclipse Wise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Overcast skies briefly became mostly cloudy skies as some breaks appeared for less than one hour. This was enough to get a quick set of follow-up images of visible active regions, mainly in continuum imagery. The holes were not large enough to capture very many H-alpha images and the one displayed below was flat fielded with the continuum flats, so it was not the best outcome. The images are cropped to 12.9’x13.8′ to remove the effects of imaging processing (though some still persist, especially in the H-alpha image. Solar activity remained low today, with only low-level C-class flare events and optical sub-flares. AR’s 13282 and 13283 contributed most of these but AR 13281 and 13284 also contributed; AR 13281 was the source of the largest flare so far today: a C3.6 at 9:22 UT, 20 April. AR 13282 has developed a beta-gamma magnetic configuration. All the other regions were either unremarkable, stable, or quiet.<\/p>\n

A large new spot is rotating into view near S18E85. It is too early to tell how active this one will be.<\/p>\n

AR 13282 and some of the smaller regions were imaged below. Some artefacts of the processing appear as “craters” and fade spots, especially in the second image. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13282 (upper right) continues to grow, while the other regions (bottom left) remain unremarkable. This image was recorded at 18:41:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of the same area of sun, through some thin clouds. The largest dark spot below and left of center is AR 13281. This image was recorded at 19:16:56 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, through at least 22 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

The cloudy weather broke into partly to mostly sunny weather around mid-afternoon or 20:00 UT. The observing session began and we were able to image the entire Sun several times. Solar activity remained low. The activity had been coming primarily from AR’s 13272 as it departed over the western solar limb; and 13283. Large AR 13282 remained quiet prior to this morning. Some increase in area happened in AR’s 13279, 13282, and 13284. The rest of the regions were either stable or in slight decay.<\/p>\n

AR 13282 did produce a C1.8 at 13:18, a C2 at 13:35, a C2.3 at 13:47, a C2.7 at 16:08 and a C3.4 (the largest today so far) at 16:28. All else was quiet, including during the hour long viewing session this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below are 0.5 second exposures. The two images in the top row, of AR 13282 and other regions, each cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky; the bottom continuum image of AR 13284 also covers 18.0’x13.8′; the H-alpha image of 13284 covers 13.8′ square. The first column images are in red continuum, the second column in H-alpha. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13282 (upper right) and four smaller regions (along the bottom) as imaged at 20:01:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions plus one filament (lower left) as imaged at 21:00:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13284 (above left of center) has rotated into better view. AR 13283 and 13281 appear in the lower right corner. This image was recorded at 20:03:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13284, above and slightly left of center, and a filament (lower right quadrant) as imaged in this H-alpha image at 20:58:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight change for an X-class flare through at least 21 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 18, 2023<\/h2>\n

The skies cleared rather unexpectedly (from cloudy and rainy early in the day to partly cloudy by early afternoon) allowing follow-up observations to be made of existing active regions and the many filaments visible on the Sun’s disk. So far it has been quiet on the Sun with only the occasional C-class flare. A C6.9\/SF came from AR 13282 at 14:17 UT yesterday. This region has grown slightly. AR 13280 is rotating out of view, producing\u00a0 a few small C-class flares as it departs. ARs 13279 and 13284 showed some growth and increase in complexity, and the other regions were quiet and stable. For today (18 April) through at least 21:40 UTC, AR 13282 has not produced any flares. Only AR’s 13280 (from just over the southwestern limb) and 13283 generated some low-level C-flares, the largest of which was a C3.2\/SF at 18:13 (just before this afternoon’s observing session) from AR 13283.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below are 0.5 second exposures. The two images in the top row, of AR 13282 and other regions, each cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky; the bottom two are each 13.8′ square. Each is H-alpha except the first one, which is red continuum. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions (labeled) continue their trek across the Sun. This image was recorded at 18:24:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region in H-alpha light. Note two of the many filaments currently visible on the Sun toward the left part of the image. This image was recorded at 18:52:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13272 (small whitish patch near sun’s edge right side of image) follows 13280 over the solar horizon. A short filament is visible just left and below image center. AR 13276 and 13279 are visible in the upper left corner of this 19:33:32 UT image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is a view of the northern part of the Sun’s disk showing some of the many filaments currently visible. AR 13282 appears at the lower right corner. This image was recorded at 19:36:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight change for an X-class flare through at least 20 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

Despite the impressive appearance of some of the sunspot groups (including a long string of active regions across the southern hemisphere) and two of the regions having complicated “beta-gamma” magnetic configurations, there has been no M-class flare since late 14 April, when an M1.5 at 23:27 on 14 April occurred. Since then the largest had been a C9.0 at 17:44UT on 16 April. The source of this flare was an active region beyond the northeast limb of the Sun. AR 13281 produced a C7 flare at 6:33 UT today, 17 April. Additional C-class flares came from AR’s 13282, 13280, and 13279. AR 13283 showed growth while the remaining regions were either stable or in decay. The quiet Sun conditions continued throughout the day today, including the duration of this morning’s observing session.<\/p>\n

The left column of the table contains red continuum images, and the right column contains H-alpha images; each of the four images is a 0.5 second exposure. The top row of images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the bottom row covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13280 and 13272 are in the process of rotating out of view. This image was recorded at 14:55:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13280 and 13272 in H-alpha. The latter region is quiet, the former produced low-level flares until 8:37 UT. This image was recorded at 16:25 :09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The large region AR 13282 appears above, with a string of smaller regions below, going across the image. It is hard this afternoon to tell where one region begins and another ends in this image, taken at 14:50:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions in H-alpha shows lots of bright plages. AR 13282 (top) has been the source of a number of small flares today. This image was recorded at 16:25:09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight change for an X-class flare through at least 19 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

Unlike the last several days, the weather was not very cooperative for observing today. Although the day started out partly cloudy, the clouds increased (“ahead of schedule”) by the time we were able to open up this morning. Visual sunspot counts earlier this morning revealed that AR’s 13280 and 13282 grew dramatically since yesterday, so I wanted to get images of these. I was able to do so, but through occasional breaks in clouds and mostly with some cloud interference. This interference shows itself in diagonal broad streaks in the image. The sky became solidly overcast before we could do any H-alpha imaging, so only continuum images were collected today.<\/p>\n

AR 13282 produced most of the flares today so far, including an M1.1 (hidden behind the clouds) at 16:18 UT. The rest were C-flares from this region and AR 13281. The below continuum images are each 0.5 second exposures of the indicated regions at the indicated times. Each measures 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky unless indicated otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three spotted active regions and two spot-less plage regions (the two toward the right edge of the image) as imaged at 14:50:25 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13282 (left of center) and AR 13275 (near right edge) as imaged at 14:58:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The indicated regions are imaged in this 13.8’x13.8′ image taken at 14:53:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares, through at least 16 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 13, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar Maximum may arrive early, as early as late this year or early next year. Today’s (April 13, 2023) spaceweather.com<\/a> has details as to why this may be the case. The website speaks of a “magnetic termination event” that may be currently underway. Check out the website for more details. The below diagram shows the sunspot numbers over the course of 4-1\/2 solar cycles, and indications show that we may be reaching the peak of the current cycle by early 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The favorable observing weather continues but the Sun remained quiet for the day. Observations happened in the morning hours, but no flaring events were observed. The largest event was a C8.4 event that came from AR 13279 at 10:43 UT. There were a number of C-class events\u00a0 and optical subflares from AR 13279 mostly, with a few from AR’s 13272, 13280, and 13281. The most complex regions, magnetically speaking, are AR 13272 and 13280, both with beta-gamma magnetic configurations. These were the subject of a short watch for flares from this morning’s observing session. However, as of 20:40 UT, 13 April, these have remained almost completely quiet.<\/p>\n

The left column of the table contains red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The right column contains H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposure. The top row of images cover 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; the bottom row covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The labeled active regions show mainly small spots. Despite their magnetic complexities, AR 13272 and 13280 were quiet today. This image was recorded at 14:29:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as depicted and labeled at the left are shown in the light of H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:17:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The labeled active regions look more impressive than the ones depicted in the first row of images. AR 13279, the wide pair of spots (with some in between), just left of image center, produced most of today’s flares This image was taken at 14:33:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as shown on the left, but in H-alpha. Notice the short, stubby filament just right of center in the bottom of the image. This image was recorded at 15:09:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight change for an X-class flare through at least 15 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

Beautiful weather for a morning observing session, but the Sun remained quiet during the 3 hours we watched. There was a 50% chance of an M-class flare today and a slight chance of an X-class flare, so we watched the two most likely regions to flare: AR 13272 and AR 13276. Beyond 13276, on the solar edge, another, potentially large active region is starting to rotate into view and a C5 event was observed from this one. Overall, solar activity remained low, and ARs 13272, 13273, and 13276 each produced a few C-class flares. The largest of these was a C5.9\/1B at 22:42 UT, 11 April. AR’s 13275, 13277, and 13278 were inactive today.<\/p>\n

A filament erupted in the southwest quadrant of the Sun, producing a Coronal Mass Ejection that was observed by satellite shortly after 4:00 UT today. It was not the large, dark filament that we had been watching yesterday (pictured below) as it was still present during today’s observing session.<\/p>\n

The red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure, are presented in the left column. The H-alpha images are shown in the right column. Each image is 13.8’x18.0′ unless otherwise indicated. Celestial north is top, east at left unless indicated otherwise. The Sun’s north polar region is tilted toward the left by26.2 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The indicated active regions are visible in this continuum image. The pair of spots on the right edge of the frame belong to AR 13278. This image was taken at\u00a0 14:32:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four active regions and filaments are visible in this H-alpha image. Two of the AR’s (13277 and 13278) emerged within the past 24 hours. This image was recorded at 16:49:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The image at right, taken at the indicated time, shows the two regions that are most likely to flare: AR 13276 on the edge at left; and 13272, in the lower right of the image. Both were mainly quiet through much of today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13276 in continuum lighting. This 13.8’x13.8′ image was recorded at 14:36:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A closeup of the flaring region (top center, on edge of Sun) from a yet-to-be-revealed AR. The flare was a C5.4 at 15:44 UT. This image was recorded at 15:11:13UT. Celestial east is up, north is right in this 8.1’x11.7′ H-alpha image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 14 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

After an extended period of cloudy weather, the skies broke enough this afternoon to allow a short session under excellent seeing. The Sun displays a few respective sunspot groups these days. The largest is near the solar disk center, AR 13272, which is responsible for an M1.3 flare at 10:16 UT today. But AR’s 13272 and 13276 (which is growing) combined to produce over a dozen C-class flares yesterday through this morning. Things seem to have quieted down quite a bit since the M1 flare, as only a C2.1 occurred at 14:40 UT, from AR 13273. The rest of the event were merely enhancements in the B8-9 to C1 range, through 20:00 UT, 11 April.<\/p>\n

AR’s 13272 and 13273 are imaged in the same field of view along with an un-numbered wide pair of spots. Each of the images is 0.5 exposure, with the red continuum at the left, and the H-alpha images at center and right. The right image shows a filament and prominence and a small patch of plage (the slightly brighter spot left and slightly below the bottom end of the filament). Each image is 18.0’x13.8′ and is orientated with celestial north up, west right. Solar north is tilted 26.2 degrees left of the vertical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13273 (upper right), 13272 (bottom center) and an un-designated region (top center) as imaged at 18:11:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but imaged in H-alpha, with a few filaments added. This image was recorded at 18:39:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Various solar features, including a prominence on the edge, as imaged at 18:49:23 UT. Extend a line down from the filament to find the prominence on the edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance of M-class flares, through at least 13 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 3, 2023<\/h2>\n

As the month of April began, the Sun was about to become a blank disk as sunspot groups rotated out of view or decayed to plages or small spots. The weather at the PV observatory has been unsettled for more than a week, but with periods of reasonably good weather to allow for some observations over the last week. This weather pattern is expected to continue through the end of the weekend with maybe a return to partly sunny skies by Monday the 10th. Sometime on April 2nd, a new sunspot group emerged where none was located just the day before. By 22:00 UT the group, AR 13270, formed a ring of sunspots that grew over the next day or so. We were able to observe this new sunspot group today as the cloudy weather gave way to partly cloudy skies late in the afternoon. Solar activity had been low with only C-class flares occurring. AR 13270 was the source of a C3.4\/SN flare at 23:13 UT on 2 April. There were three other spotted regions on the Sun today, each of which were stable, small and quiet.<\/p>\n

The two images depict AR 13270 and its surroundings. The red continuum image, top, depicts all four visible spotted regions on the Sun (labeled). The H-alpha image, bottom, shows 13270, along with several filaments visible in the area. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure, with the top image covering 13.8’x18.0′ on the Sun, the bottom image covers 13.8’x13.8′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The four visible active regions (labeled) on a mostly blank solar disk. This image was recorded at 21:01:41 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts to AR 13270, which is rapidly growing in size, spot number, and magnetic complexity. Note the filaments in its “wake” (left and above left of spot complex). This image was recorded at 21:46:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at low levels with a slight chance of M-class flares through at least 6 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 29, 2023<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a> An X1.2 flare came from AR 13256 at 2:33 UT on 29 March. Click on the image (from spaceweather.com<\/a>) at left for a short animation of the event. This event produced a CME which lofted off the WSW limb of the Sun, well ahead of Earth’s orbit. AR 13256 also produced an M1.2 flare that peaked at 14:07 UT. In addition, there was another flare that initially peaked at C5.6 at 16:12 UT before leveling off and increasing again to peak a second time at C6.6 at 16:25 UT before gradually tapering off. The source of this flare activity was also AR 13256. All three of these events happened prior to the start of today’s observing session.<\/p>\n

Two of the other regions, AR 13262 and 13265 produced isolated C-class flares. The other regions were stable and inactive, including three un-numbered spotted regions near S07 W15 (this was a cluster of five spots yesterday, but only a single spot remains today); N09 E46 (a small cluster of 6 spots, with one spot notably larger than the others); and S18 E51 (a dark, small spot). This totals to ten spotted regions, all small and most inactive.<\/p>\n

The pattern of unsettled weather continued this week, with a mid-day clearing of the mid-level clouds. This allowed for observing for nearly one hour through cloud-free and nearly cloud-free skies. The session ran from 16:40 to 17:45 UT, when the clouds filled in to cover the sky once again. Each of the below images from today is a 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column, the H-alpha images are displayed in the right column, and each of the four images cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The southern cluster of active regions is rotating toward the solar limb. This image was recorded at 16:47:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This is the same quarter of the solar disk, in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 17:30:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The northern cluster of active regions is also preparing to exit the visible solar disk. This image was recorded at 16:46:44 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same view as immediately left, but in H-alpha, showing a filament near AR 13264. This image was recorded at 17:11:58 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 31 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

Skies were mostly cloudy today as a steady stream of high clouds move over the area. Later in the morning, there was a thinning of the clouds to allow for some viewing. The image\/seeing was steady (based on visual sunspot counts) but there was always a thin film of clouds\/haze present which reduced H-alpha contrast significantly. Nonetheless, the daily collection of images was acquired, with the leftovers of a flare (image below) captured in the H-alpha image of the complex of active regions AR 13256, 13257, and 13259. This was a C2.3\/SF that peaked at 15:47 UT from AR 13259.<\/p>\n

Activity remained at low levels, with AR 13256 producing C-class flares. It is in the process of decaying after developing a beta-gamma magnetic configuration a few days ago. AR 13258 is rotating over the western limb and is not visible in the below images. Everything else was unremarkable: nine numbered spotted active regions are visible, with a tenth consisting of a small cluster of almost a half-dozen spots emerging near S05 W10.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images from today is a 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column, the H-alpha images are displayed in the right column, and each of the four images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13262 (upper left), 13257 (below, just right of center), 13259 (just right of 13257) and 13256 (single spot farthest right) as imaged at 14:56:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same complex of active regions, in H-alpha light. The contrast is greatly reduced by a thin veil of cirrostratus, but a dark filament, as well as a flare spot (tick marks) are still visible. This image was recorded at 15:51:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13265 (pair of spots near image center), AR 13260 (large single spot right of 13265) and 13263 (lower right of 13260) as imaged at 14:57:21 UT. A small cluster of new spots is just visible in the lower left corner of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions as imaged in H-alpha. This “northern complex” of regions, along with the “southern complex” pictured above, are starting to rotate toward the western limb. This image was recorded at 15:53:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 30 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low with only occasional C-class flares, most of these from AR 13256. AR 13258 produced a C2.9\/SF at 19:01 UT today; the largest of today’s events was a C4.6\/SF from AR 13256 at 6:36 UT today. This may have produced an observed coronal mass ejection, visible one hour later via SOHO. ARs 13256, 13263, and 13265 were the only growing regions, with the remaining images either being stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images from today is a 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column, the H-alpha images are displayed in the right column, and each of the four images cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The indicated active regions (labeled) as they approach the western limb. This image was recorded at 17:20:33 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as the\u00a0 left image, but with chromospheric features added in. This image was recorded at 17:39:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More active regions (labeled) approach the western limb. This image was recorded at 17:15:33 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region of the Sun, in H-alpha. Cirrus clouds reduced the contrast a bit. This image was recorded at 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 29 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 25, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun remains at low levels of activity today. Some slight growth occurred in AR 13258, but the other regions were either stable or unchanging up to this point in time. Each of the below images from today is a 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column, the H-alpha images are displayed in the right column, and each of the four images cover 18.0’x13.8′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13262 (upper left), 13257 (just right and below image center), 13259 (just above and right of 13258), and 13256 (lower right corner) as imaged at 16:44:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as pictured on the left, but in H-alpha. Plage (the brighter areas) and a few filaments are also visible. This image was recorded at 17:16:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13260 (large spot just above and left of image center), 13263 (very close to image center) and 13258 (toward the lower right) as imaged at 16:44:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three regions, in H-alpha, shows a few filaments and some plage. This image was recorded at 17:12:42 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 27 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 24, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels as the background X-ray continuum falls to B-level. There were very few C-class flares yesterday but some more have occurred today, the largest of which was a C2.2 at 13:40 UT, 24 March. This came from AR 13259. The other regions show little change from day to day. Each of the images is 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column, the H-alpha images are displayed in the right column, and each of the four images cover 16.5’x11.9′ on the sky. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13262 (upper left), 13257 (just right and below image center), 13259 (just above and right of 13258), and 13256 (lower right corner) as imaged at 20:00:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions along with some dark filaments and surges. This image was recorded at 20:47:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13260 (large spot above and left of image center), 13263 (just left of image center) and 13258 (toward the lower right) as imaged at 20:03:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, along with a few filaments. The small spot toward the left of the 13260 is AR 13265, just emerging into view. This image was recorded at 20:48:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 26 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 23, 2023<\/h2>\n

Much better weather today, with a period of mostly sunny conditions during the 45 minute observing session. The session was short, only to document a snapshot of today’s sun, as flare activity is quite subdued. Yesterday’s observed long-duration C2.5 flare (observed at 19:50 UT, peaking at 19:57 UT) from AR 13256 was the strongest since a C4.6 flare at 13:54 UT on 21 March. Since then, a couple of C1 flares and some high B-level enhancements have occurred as solar activity remains low to very low. There are six spotted active regions, with two more possibly emerging today (one just south of AR 13260 and one just north of AR 13259). The largest of these are 13260 and 13262, each of which cover an area equal to 180 millionth of the solar hemisphere.<\/p>\n

Each of the images is 0.5 second exposure. The red continuum images are in the left column and are each 16.2’x12.0′. The H-alpha images are displayed in the right column and are trimmed to 15.9’x13.8′. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three (possibly four) active regions are visible in this continuum image taken at 16:32:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, along with their plage structures, in this H-alpha view. This image was recorded at 17:02:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13260 (single spot above and left of center) and AR 13238 (lower right) as imaged at 16:36:01 UT. A new, unnumbered region appears below AR 13260.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are depicted in emission line center light (H-alpha). This image was recorded at 16:58:39 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, through at least 25 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 22, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations attempted under partly to mostly cloudy skies this afternoon. Since the forecast called for partly cloudy skies, the observations were resumed today (it had been cloudy the last few days, then Spring Break before that). Solar activity was moderate a few days ago with occasional low-level M-class flares (it has been more than two weeks since an M5+ event). Most of the spotted regions are clustered just southeast of the solar central meridian, which is the focus for today’s images.<\/p>\n

Only low-level C-class events occurred since yesterday. AR 13259 was the only visible region that showed growth, but it remained quiet. The other five numbered regions were either stable or in decline.<\/p>\n

Observations were made in red continuum light and H-alpha, both types were made in 0.5 second exposures. Both images are 13.8’x15.0′ on the sky, taken at the indicated time, with celestial north up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Red continuum of spotted active regions, including one rotating into view. This image was recorded at 18:35:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, in H-alpha, featuring a c2.5 flare which peaked at 19:57 UT. This image was recorded at 19:50:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 24 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

March 10, 2023<\/h2>\n

Much better weather today; the expected cloudy conditions scattered out just after 1:00 pm local time and it has remained mainly sunny since. However, activity has waned and only a short session of follow up images of visible regions occurred today.<\/p>\n

There has only been C-class flare activity today and yesterday, with AR 13242 decaying almost to a lone spot (a few tiny trailing spots remain), and AR 13245 starting to decay itself.\u00a0 There are now twelve spotted active regions visible on the solar disk, but most are small and simple. This region produced a C7\/1F overnight (local time) at 7:08 UTC today. AR 13242 is approaching the western limb of the Sun and despite its decay, had produced a c4.5 flare at 10:06 UT today.\u00a0 There are a total of 10 spotted regions on the visible disk today, but most of them remain unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Each of the images is 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column contain the red continuum images; the second column the H-alpha images; each of the designated active region taken at the listed time. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13246 (upper left), 13241 and 13239 (pair of spots near solar limb), and 13242 (larger spot beneath them) are depicted above. This image was recorded at 19:12:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same four active regions are on display in this image, with three of them preparing to be carried out of view by the Sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 19:37:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A string of small active regions makes their way across the Sun. Diagonally from upper left to lower right, they are ARs 13249, 13250 (the close pair), 13247 (leaving a trail) and 13245 (largest one toward lower right). This image was recorded at 19:09:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same active regions as they appear in H-alpha light, along with an additional region near the image edge in the upper left corner: AR 13251. This image was recorded at 19:39:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 12 March.<\/p>\n

PROGRAM NOTE:<\/strong> This will be the last observing session until at least 20 March 2023.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

Persistent cloudiness made for rather difficult observing but the seeing (atmospheric steadiness\/clarity of images) was excellent between and apart from the clouds.<\/p>\n

AR 13245 produced an M1.3 flare yesterday at 22:44 UTC (after our session closed for the day). This region is now slowly decaying but it produced some C-class events, including a C6.2 at 20:24 UT today (which we observed between clouds). This C6.2 occurred just 18 minutes after a C3 flare, also observed between clouds at our location. AR 13242 is decaying and losing spots and surface area but it is still able to produce several C-class flares. Other regions contributed to today’s solar activity, including AR 13248 (a C1.8 at 0:07 UT today), and AR 13250 (a pair of C2 flares at 18:16 and 21:09 UT today; we caught a few images of the optical component of the latter also). The rest of the regions were unremarkable today. There are now twelve spotted active regions visible on the solar disk, but most are small and simple.<\/p>\n

Each of the images is 0.5 second exposure and covers 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky, except for the H-alpha image of AR 13242, which is 13.8′ square. The first column contain the red continuum images; the second column the H-alpha images; each of the designated active region taken at the listed time. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five of the twelve visible active regions (labeled) are captured in this image, taken at 19:00:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Each of the regions (except 13246) are visible in this image, along with a couple of filaments (near bottom center and left edge below center). This image was taken at 19:34:11 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three more active regions (labeled) are seen here, as imaged at 18:57:13 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but with the addition of AR 13251 (upper left close to edge of Sun) and 13249 (just right of 13251), as imaged at 19:30:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-flare and a slight chance for an X-flare from either AR 13242 or 13247, through at least 11 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 8, 2023<\/h2>\n

The weather was much better for imaging today, staying partly to mostly sunny all day. We used 3 hours of today to collect images of all the visible features, with an emphasis on AR 13242, due to its flare potential.<\/p>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels with a long duration M1.1 flare at 10:12 UT today from AR 13242. This was the only M-flare so far today (up to 21:10 UT), with other regions (13244, 13245, and 13248) contributing low-level C-class flares yesterday and today. Aside from AR 13245, which experienced separation in its leader and intermediate spots, all the other ten visible active regions were either stable or in decay. AR 13242 produced a long-duration C3.7 flare at 19:44 UT.<\/p>\n

Each of the images is 0.5 second exposure and covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. The first column contain the red continuum images; the second column the H-alpha images; each of the designated active region taken at the listed time. Celestial north is up, west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13242 (below center), 13241 (above center) and 13239 (upper right) as imaged at 15:58:57 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same active regions as imaged in H-alpha at 16:30:09 UT. Notice the dark filament coming from the large leader spot of AR 13242.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13245 (right) and 13247 (left) as seen in this image taken at 15:55:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, along with new region AR 13249 (upper left). This image was recorded at 16:32:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an isolated M-flare from either AR 13242 or 13247, through at least 10 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 7, 2023<\/h2>\n

Expected clearing this afternoon did not really happen but we did push forward with some imaging anyway. Some of the best images still show the influence of clouds. Solar activity was moderate due to an M1 flare yesterday at 17:50 UT from AR 13242. AR 13243 had produced a number of C-class flares; AR 13241 produced a C4.2 and C7.2 flare yesterday, within 18 minutes of each other yesterday. Growing AR 13245 was mostly inactive.\u00a0 The aforementioned M1 flare was the last M-class flare\u00a0 with solar activity today declining to low, with only low-level C-class flares.<\/p>\n

The images below focus on the largest active regions currently visible on the Sun (there is a total of eleven spotted regions currently visible). Each image is cropped to 7.8′ square (except for the last one, which is slightly larger at 8.0’x7.8′. The first column contains red continuum images; the second H-alpha images; and each image is 0.5 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13242 (the larger complex left of center), along with 13241 (top center) and 13239 (upper right corner, imaged through passing clouds at 21:19:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Conditions improved for a short time to enable better imaging in H-alpha. The same three images are visible in this image taken at 22:08:39 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Growing AR 13245 (right side) is being trailed by AR 13247 (upper left) in this image recorded at 21:20:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Another region, AR 13249, has rotated into view (upper left corner) in this 8.0×7.8′ image taken at 22:09:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of an X-class flare through at least 9 March due to the magnetic complexities of ARs 13242 and 13245.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 6, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity reached high levels with five M-class flares occurring yesterday into early today. The largest of these was an M5.8\/2N flare that came from AR 13243 at 2:28 UT on 6 March. Since then, two\u00a0 more M-class flares occurred, an M1.3 flare from over the western limb, and an M1.0 event from AR 13242. Since then, only C-class flares have occurred and the overall trend for the X-ray background is decreasing.<\/p>\n

Clouds did not clear sufficiently for observations until late, and equipment problems further delayed the start of observations. No significant activity was observed during the one hour period that observations were conducted. The trend of lots of spotted regions on the Sun continues. There is one dominant region, AR 13242, and ten smaller regions scattered across the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky and are 0.5 second exposures. The images in the left column of the table below are red continuum images; the right column images are H-alpha emission line images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four AR’s visible in this image (labeled). This image was recorded at 22:14:11 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions and area of the solar disk as shown in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 22:47:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13242 is the long chain of spots lower left in the image; AR 13241 is top center and AR 13239 is near the upper right corner of the image. This image was recorded at 22:12:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13242 has been the most dynamic and active region on the visible solar disk in recent days, growing significantly since rotating into view nearly one week ago. This image was recorded at 22:52:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13245 (near center) and 13247 (near Sun’s edge) as imaged at 22:08:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions also show up in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 22:51:54 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be at moderate levels, with a slight chance of an X-flare through at least 8 March. This is due to the combined flare activity and potential of AR’s 13238, 13242, and 13243.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 3, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun’s activity reached high levels today with an X2.0\/1B flare at 17:52 UT from AR 13234. AR 13234 also produced an M3.3\/1F flare at 10:32 UT today; and an M3.8 flare at 21:16 UT on 2 March (we were not able to open until the afternoon, so we missed the midday event). AR 12342 appears rather active and dynamic in today’s images. It sported a dark filament during this afternoon’s sessions. This region was the source of a C7.2\/SF today at 2:23 UT. There are seven additional spotted regions visible on the solar disk today, but none of these was very active. Regions 13236 produced several optical sub-flares (SF’s) and AR 13239 produced a C3.0 flare at 7:16 UT.<\/p>\n

The first row of images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky; the second row, 13.8’x18.0′ on the sky; each image is oriented with celestial north up. The red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure, appear in the first column of the table; the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, are displayed in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 rotating out of view, followed by 13243. This image was recorded at 20:09:17 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, in H-alpha. Some surging activity is visible on the very edge of the Sun. This image was recorded at 20:40:06 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Six active regions are visible in this image and are labeled. This image was recorded at 20:05:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in the light of H-alpha. This image was recorded at 20:44:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 5 March; there’s a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 4 March, from AR 13234 rotating over the western solar limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 1, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has returned to low levels today after yesterday’s M8.6\/2B flare from AR 13234. This region produced an M1.0\/1N at 1:07 UT today then had been the source of a half-dozen C-class flares since. Regions 13236 (about to rotate out of view) and 13240 (on the opposite side of the solar disk) each produced C-flares, the largest of which was a C9.3 at 1:47. There are now six spotted regions visible on the solar disk, with the sixth being un-numbered as of this writing as it rotates into view over the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

The day was cloudy except for about an hour of partly cloudy conditions, so observing was rather limited. Nonetheless, the entire Sun was imaged in H-alpha, especially the aforementioned regions. The first image is a red continuum image taken through a break in the clouds; the others are H-alpha images taken later when conditions were more favorable. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure and the seeing conditions (apart from the clouds) were excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 slowly approaches the western limb. This image was recorded at 18:34:47 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 19:16:39 UT. Although the region had continued to produce small C-class and numerous sub-flares, we weren’t able to observe any of these today.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>After AR 13234, these are typical of what is currently on the solar disk. AR 13238 is the bottom spot, AR 13239 is the top spot, and an unnamed region appears just left of it on the edge, in this 20:23:32 UT image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for an M-class flare, primarily from AR 13234, through at least 3 March.<\/p>\n

February 28, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity had been low until today, with the background solar X-ray flux remaining at C-class levels, and 7 sunspot groups present on the visible solar disk. The largest of these was AR 13234, which has been carrying a potential for flare activity, there was only a few C-class events that came from it, the most recent being a C5.8\/SF at 16:22 UT (we imaged the last decay part of this event). Then, at 17:50 UT, this region produced an M8.6 flare, which we were able to capture in its entirety (the optical flare near X-ray peak levels is shown below. This sent solar activity to high levels.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky and are oriented with celestial north up. The exception is the prominence image, which is oriented with celestial east up. The first image is a red-continuum of AR 13234; the rest are H-alpha line-center images. All images used exposure times of 0.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 as observed at 16:31:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 as observed at 16:56:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A good-sized quiescent prominence on the east limb of the Sun. This image was recorded at 17:09:29 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>An M8.6-class flare as imaged near X-ray maximum at 17:50:33 UT. There has not been any report concerning the optical counterpart reported as of 22:09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for an X-class flare through at least 2 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Two notable events occurred since the last observing session. On February 24th, beginning at 19:49 UT, a magnetic filament erupted and launched into space. This filament was connected to AR 13229 and destabilized the region, causing a long duration M3.7 flare that peaked at 20:30 UT. Click on the below SDO far ultraviolet image to see an animation of the filament eruption.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This chain of events sent a coronal mass ejection (CME) into interplanetary space, which arrived at Earth’s magnetic field in the late hours of 26 February. This impact resulted in a display of aurorae across the northern third of the USA.<\/p>\n

A similar chain of events from AR 13229 happened on 25 February, resulting in an M6.3 flare that peaked at 19:44 UT on 25 February. This launched another CME that is due to strike the Earth’s magnetic field on February 27 or 28th. Click on the SOHO wide field image below to see an animation of this CME.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Since these events, solar activity had returned to low levels. Low level C-class activity has been observed, yesterday and today, from AR 13234, which has grown some overall. This region was forecast to produce an M-class flare, and even carried a slight probability of an X-class flare, today, so it was the primary flare watch target of today’s observations.<\/p>\n

The first column in the table below feature red continuum images which cover 13,8’x18.0′ on the sky. The second column are the H-alpha images, cropped to 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure taken at the time indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several active regions are visible in this image, recorded at 16:56:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image focusses on AR 13234 (large spot group left of image center) and 13299 (indistinct, lower right near sun’s edge). This image was recorded at 17:29:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three images are captured in this red continuum image, taken at 17:05:50 UT. The regions each appear to be in decay.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as the image at left. AR 13237 is the small bright arc just above image center; AR 13236 is the larger group of spots near the bottom, right of center; and AR 13230 is the spot near the lower right corner. This image was recorded at 17:39:43 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate with a slight chance of an X-flare through at least 1 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 23, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations were intermittent throughout the day due to weather and equipment (camera mainly) problems. We were able to get images of active regions only, not much else. Solar activity remained moderate as AR’s 13234 and 13235 each produced an M1 flare and additional C-class flares. AR 13234 is growing some, while AR 13229 decayed some. AR 13230 grew some, then decayed some. AR 13235 and (soon to be numbered) 13236 emerged and grew some today. AR 13220 and 13226 have rotated over the western solar limb. No flares were observed during today’s observing sessions.<\/p>\n

The top two red continuum images were taken earlier today with the STF 8300 camera, 0.1 second exposures. The image at left covers 13.8’x18.0′ of sky; the right image covers 7.8’x7.8′ (to match its corresponding H-alpha image below it). The H-alpha images were taken later today, with the STT-1603 camera and 0.5 second exposures; the image at lower left covers 7.8’11.4′ on the sky and the image at the lower right covers 7.8’x7.8′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 13234 (left of image center), 13235 (just below image center), and most of 13299 (lower right) as imaged at 17:06:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13236 (left) and 13230 (right) as imaged at 17:07:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Same regions as above, but with AR 13234 on edge, 13235 left of center, and 13229 lower right. This image was recorded at 20:53:45 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13236 and 13235 as imaged at 20:51:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of an X-class flare from ARs 13229, 13230 and 13234 through at least 25 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 22, 2023<\/h2>\n

AR 13234 produced an M5.0 flare at 20:17 UT on 21 February. Two additional M-flares happened since then: an M1.4 at 5:12 UT, 22 February from AR 13234; and an M2.6, also from AR 13234, at 13:50 UT. There were many additional C-class and optical subflare events today, mostly from AR 13234. AR 13230 contributed a C3.2 at 10:27 UT and departing AR 13226 produced a C2.1 at 1:15 UT. Since the M2.6 flare, everything has been rather quiet, with the background X-ray level remaining above C-level.<\/p>\n

Clouds cleared just after 16:00 UT, the session today began shortly thereafter and ran until a little before 18:00 UT. No flares were observed during this time. Each of the red continuum images are 0.1, and the H-alpha images are 0.5 second exposures. The top row images cover 18.0’x13.8′ and the bottom row images cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The red continuum images are presented in the left column; the H-alpha images in the right column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13229 (right) and 13234 (left) in red-continuum. 13229 is decaying some and has not flared any today. This image was recorded at 16:24:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Both AR’s as they appear in the light of H-alpha emission line center. AR 13234 remains magnetically complex. This image was recorded at 16:56:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13230 appears isolated in this red continuum image. Some old faculae, “ghosts” of long-decayed active regions, trail it. This image was recorded at 16:25:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region in H-alpha light. The boundaries of the former active regions are often marked by filaments, a few of which are faintly visible near the edge. This image was recorded at 16:50:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with an ongoing chance of more M-class flares from ARs 13229 and 13234 through at least 24 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 21, 2023<\/h2>\n

So far the second largest flare today was an M4.7 from AR 13234 at 11:23 UT today (as of 20:10 UT). There have been many C-class flares so far from a variety of regions, and another M-class flare (an M5.0\/SF) from AR 13234, peaking at 20:17.<\/p>\n

Weather was better for observation this morning. The red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure, are displayed in the left column; the H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposure, are displayed in the right column. Each image covers 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky, except for the middle two images of ARs 13229 and 13234; these images cover 13.8’x18.0′.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13231 (top) and 13226 (bottom) about to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 15:47:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The view is shifted to include AR 13220 (bottom) and a filament (lower left). This image was recorded at 16:53:59 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13234 (left) and 13229 (right) as imaged in one frame of the northern solar hemisphere at 15:42:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions, plus a dark filament, are imaged in this H-alpha view. This image was recorded at 16:48:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12330 appears alone in this image taken at 15:46:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, as imaged at 16:52:51 UT in H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares from ARs 13229 and 13234 through at least 23 February,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 20, 2023<\/h2>\n

After the large X2.2 flare three days ago, the Sun has quieted down. Active regions 13226, 13229, 13230, and 13231 were each the source of C-flare activity on 19 February. There was an M4.4 flare at 14:58 UT on 20 February and an M4.7 flare at 11:23 UT on 21 February. Both of these flares came from AR 13234. Today, various regions were sources of C-flare activity, including a C9.6\/SF from AR 13226, which is about to rotate out of view.<\/p>\n

Today’s observing session was made amidst clouds later in the day, with thin cirrus increasing a bit toward the end of the session. This resulted in images with less contrast than usual. Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures and cover 13.8’x13.8′ on the sky. The red continuum images are presented in the left column; the H-alpha images in the right column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Departing regions (from top to bottom) AR 13231, 13226, 13220, and 13217 (on the very edge) as imaged at 22:25:31 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions, less 13231, as imaged in H-alpha. Below AR 13220 is what’s left of AR 13228, a low contrast plage region. This image was recorded at 22:55:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13229 (right), the source of last week’s X-flare; and 13234 (on the limb upper left), as imaged at 22:24:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions, as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 22:58:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 22 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 17, 2023<\/h2>\n

Surprisingly, AR 13229 unleased a powerful, long-duration X2.2 flare that peaked at 20:16 UT. The X-rays started to rise shortly after 19:00 and as of 21:37 it is slowly decaying at M5 level. The X-rays stayed above X-level for 50 minutes. The image below, from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the flare as it appeared in the extreme ultraviolet at 21:30 UT.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aside from this surprise, the Sun had quieted down considerably over the last three days. The overall background X-ray level had lowered to C1 level and the last M flare was an M1.1 at 0:30 UT on 16 February. Since then, two C9 flares, the most recent being C9.1 at 21:15 UT, 16 February from AR 13229, which rotated into view two days ago. Since the C9 event, there has been only low-level C-class activity (mostly from AR 13229) through 19:00 UT, 17 February. The large active regions of earlier this week have weakened and simplified and are currently relatively stable.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images covers 13.8’x13.8” on the sky and was taken at the time indicated. The left column contains red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column includes H-alpha images (0.5 second exposure). Skies contained scattered to numerous cirrus, which allowed for breaks of clear sky during the short imaging session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Six AR’s (labeled) are visible in this image. This whole batch is about to rotate out of view over the next several days. This image was recorded at 15:30:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These are the same six AR’s as seen in the left hand red continuum image. They appear relatively inactive in H-alpha. This image was recorded at\u00a0 16:08:20 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13229\u00a0 has rotated into view. This region appears as a simple pair of sunspots in the continuum. This image was recorded at 15:35:45 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13229 has been the most active of the visible active regions, producing six C-class and optical subflares through 19:00 UT. This image was recorded at 16:03:51 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance of M-class flares through at least 19 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 14, 2023<\/h2>\n

We had to change cameras due to a persistent communication problem with the STT 1603 camera. We also had some difficulties with the STF 8300 camera but they remained isolated enough to complete the afternoon observing session after the clouds cleared completely out. AR 13226 produced an M1.4 flare at 15:56 UT on 13 February (image in the February 13 section) and an M1.8\/1N at 2:03 UT on 14 February. This region grew rather rapidly yesterday and appears much larger today than it did yesterday. Departing AR 13213 produced an M2.6 flare at 12:12 UT on 14 February. The other eleven active regions, including AR 13217, were either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

Aside from a C9.6 event at 6:24 UT, the afore-mentioned M2.6 and a C8.9 at 21:25, the Sun has been manly quiet today. The sunspot groups, except for AR 13226, appear to be on the decline once again. The Space Prediction Center website had shared that four active regions, 13213, 13214, 14217, and 13226, each had the potential to produce an M-class flare. During all of 14 February (UTC) only AR 13226 and 13213 flared.<\/p>\n

With the 8300 camera in place, the imaging area increases by 278%, enabling greater coverage of the Sun at higher resolution; the file size of each image is 5.4 times larger. The larger coverage will enable a complete solar disk image in 6 frames, as opposed to almost 20 with the other camera.\u00a0Each of the below images covers 13.8’x15.3′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated). The left column contains red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column are H-alpha images (0.5 second exposure). The small, faint white “fingerprints” on the continuum images are artifacts from the processing: the combined larger area covered on the Sun plus the presence of large sunspots made obtaining good flats difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five active regions (labeled) are shown in this red continuum image taken at 19:45:39 UT. AR 13213 is barely visible on the very edge.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of these regions. AR 132115 appears as a vertical streak of plage midway between 13214 and 13216. This image was recorded at 20:22:28 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A total of 9 active regions are recorded in this image taken at 19:39:32 UT. Typically the entire Earth facing hemisphere of the Sun does not display this many.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as viewed in H-alpha. The most active of these is AR 13226 near the top of the image. It remained quiet during today’s imaging session. Time of image is 21:15:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AR 13213 as it was departing, and as we were observing the various quadrants of the Sun in a tour, produced a C8.9 flare on the edge of the Sun. This is visible as the object rising over the edge of the Sun. The image is enlarged compared to others and oriented so that celestial west is up, north is left. The image covers 11,7’x10.3′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>21:25:20 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to continue at moderate levels with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of an isolated X-class flare due to limb activity from AR 13213 through 15 February. Solar activity is expected to return to low levels after the 15th.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 13, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at high levels. AR 13217 produced an X1.1\/2N flare at 15:48 UT on 11 February, right during a scheduled observing run that was cancelled due to clouds! Since then, seven M-class flares occurred, the most recent being 15:56 UT today from newly-emerged AR 13226. This was imaged in part during today’s sessions that imaged through high clouds of various thicknesses. The Sun had been mostly quiet since (through 23:15 UT).<\/p>\n

This SDO animated sequence below shows the X-flare’s eruption. Click on the image to see the animation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Each of the below images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky and was taken at the time indicated on the image. The left column contains red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column are H-alpha images (0.5 second exposure).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three spotted and one non-spotted regions are visible in this image. AR 13213, which had been the source of much activity, is now rotating out of view.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same as image at left, but filaments become visible, and the non-spotted region is marked with an elongated vertical segment of plage (just above and left of image center).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four active regions are visible in this image. AR 13217 appears to have simplified considerably after the X flare of two days ago.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region as seen in H-alpha. A new region in the upper left part of the image may soon be designated AR 13227.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Various regions are visible in this image, along with lots of faculae in the upper left quarter of the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image centers on AR 13226, which was in the middle of flaring at image time. This image shows the region one minute after the peak of the M1.4 flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate to high with a slight chance of an isolated X-flare through 14 February and M class flares likely through at least 15 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 10, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been high, but the frequency and intensity of the M-class flares seems to have eased somewhat. The largest since yesterday’s observing was an M3.7\/2N flare from AR 13213 at 3:03 UT. Shortly afterwards, at 5:46 UT, AR 13217 produced a C9.3\/1F event; this was followed by an M1.4\/SN flare at 8:05 UT. During this morning’s cloud-riddled session, AR 13213 produced another M class flare, an M1.6 at 16:00 UT. We managed a few images of the event but an abundance of clouds prevented a complete sequence of images..<\/p>\n

Each of the below images covers 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky and was taken at the time indicated on the image. The left column contains red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column are H-alpha images (0.5 second exposure). Skies were mainly mostly cloudy with some openings and breaks in the clouds that allowed for some imaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Slightly off-band red image of five active regions, including the two large regions 13213 and 13214.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>On-band image of the same regions as labeled in the previous image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Red continuum image of three active regions as labeled in the image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three regions as imaged in H-alpha. AR 13217 is the most active of these.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate with M-class flares expected (75% chance of these on 10 February) and a slight chance of isolated X-class flares (15% chance of these on 10 February) through at least 12 February, mainly from AR’s 12313 and 12317.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

Since the last observing run, the Sun became very quiet, as if it were resting from its recent frenzy of activity. The spot groups became few and tiny, with the Sun almost appearing spotless at one point. But the occasional C-flares continued and the X-ray background, haven dropped below the C1.0 level into the B-range for the first time in some time, began to slowly rise up again, passing back into the C-range around 11:40 UT on 6 February and continuing to rise from there. The M-flares began again on 7 February at 13:55 UT and continued on a more-or-less regular basis since, with the largest event an M6.3 at 23:07 UT on 7 February from AR 13213, which had been rapidly growing before becoming a bit more stable today. Since this event, another eleven low-level M-class flare events have occurred (up until 21:35 UT, 9 Feb), from AR’s 13213 and 13217. An M1.8 flare was captured during today’s imaging session.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are cropped to 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky. The left column are red continuum images and the right column are H-alpha images, each image a 0.5 second exposures. Skies were clear and seeing excellent during this three-hour observing session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13213 (upper right) and 13214 (lower left) dominate the northern solar hemisphere. This image was recorded at 15:53:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions are viewed in H-alpha light between flares. This image was recorded at 16:28:46 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13217 rotating into view. The large spot on the very edge is likely another active region just starting to come into view. This image was recorded at 15:58:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13217 in H-alpha. This was later viewed during a C6 flare that it had produced. This image was recorded at 18:06:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The above image depicts the region AR 13213 during the M1.8 flare that peaked at 18:42UT. The optical counterpart was unusually faint. This image was recorded at 18:42:40 UT, near the peak of the X-ray flare.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels through at least 11 February due to occasional M-class flares, with a slight chance for an isolated X-class flare, from AR’s 13213 and 13217.<\/p>\n

\n

January 27, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has settled to low levels as the two most active regions have rotated over the limb. Since an isolated M2.8 flare from AR 13192 at 13:06 UT yesterday (26 January), there have been no more M-flares through 20:36 UT today (27 January). There are currently 8 small sunspot groups in the northern solar hemisphere (none in the southern…). Of these, AR 13200 and 13203 show growth, with the other six being stable or showing decay. AR 13200 had been producing low-level C-class flares yesterday (none today so far), and regions 13198 and 13202 had each produced one optical subflare today. A C2.8 flare (which peaked at 1:36 UT) came from an active region just over the ESE limb of the sun.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are cropped to 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky. The left column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure; the right column are H-alpha images, 0.5 second exposures. An incoming overcast deck brought an abrupt end to today’s observing session. Because of an expected, extended spell of inclement weather, these will be the last observations until at least 6 February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The indicated AR’s are getting more difficult to see as they shrink and rotate closer to the western limb. This image was recorded at 15:12:45 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as seen in H-alpha. Some of the smaller ones become even more difficult to see. This image was recorded at 15:43:28 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13201 (upper left, larger spot), 13203 (bottom center triangle of spots), and 13200 (spot pair right center), as imaged at 15:10:55 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three regions as imaged at 15:42:30 UT in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 29 January. There is a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, especially starting 28 January and after with an active region rotating into view on the SE limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 26, 2023<\/h2>\n

AR 13190 has rotated over the western solar limb and has left behind a string of eight spotted active regions, each consisting of tiny spots strung out along a wavy line girdling the northern hemisphere. Most of these are either stable or in slow decay. AR 13196 grew slightly and AR 13200 produced a C2 flare at 2:48 UTC on 26 January. Yesterday, there was an M1\/SF at 17:01 UTC and an M2 at 22:35 UTC, the first came from AR 13190; the second, from AR 13192.<\/p>\n

AR 13192 produced an M2.8 event at 13:06 UT, along with a few additional C-flares. ARs 3194, 3199, 3200, and 3202 each produced low level C-flares and\/or optical subflares (SF), but overall things have been quiet on the Sun today. Each of the below images are cropped to 7.8’x10.2′ to fit all the small spot groups in the image. The prominence image was set at 7.8’x7.8′. The left column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure; the right column are H-alpha images, 0.5 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions, small, are depicted and labeled in this image, which was recorded at 16:45:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same five regions as depicted in H-alpha light, shows some plage spots and small filaments associated with the regions. This image was recorded at 17:20:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three more small spotted active regions. AR 13203 was visible yesterday but only received the designation (along with 13202) this morning. This image was recorded at 16:43:13 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13201 (large spot upper left) seems to be the largest AR, but AR 13200 (marked by plage and a curving pattern of dark spots) seems to be the most active besides the departing regions mentioned above. This image was recorded at 17:20:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This image depicts some prominence activity on the eastern limb of the Sun, which may be the imminent appearance of an active region just over the limb. The region is indicated on farside maps of the Sun and should become visible to ground-based instruments on Earth in a day or two. This image was recorded at 17:26:55 UT.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least January 28. There is a lingering chance of an M-class flare and a slight chance of an X-class flare on January 26, due to AR’s 13190 and 13192 being just beyond the west limb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 25, 2023<\/h2>\n

(Corrected active region designations for AR 13202 and 13203).<\/p>\n

After a stormy day, skies had slowly cleared to allow observations this afternoon. These were mainly follow-up observations of visible active regions. The large region 13190 is in the process of rotating out of view and was the source of an M4.6 flare that peaked at 10:11 UTC today. The day before, an approximately 14 degree long filament erupted and resulted in a long duration C9\/SF event at 14:35 UTC. AR 13192, barely visible on the WNW limb, produced a C9 flare at 4:53 UTC today. A number of C-flares occurred yesterday and today from a variety of regions. Prior to today’s observing, AR 13190 produced another M class flare, an M1.3\/SF at 17:01 UTC.<\/p>\n

AR 13190 and most of the small northern spots are documented in images below. Each image is a 0.5 second exposure and is cropped to 7.8’x7.8′ size unless otherwise indicated. The red continuum images are displayed in the left column, with the corresponding H-alpha images in the right column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13190 is rotating out of view as depicted in this image taken at 18:44:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13190 in H-alpha, with filaments visible to the south. There is also some associated limb activity. This image was recorded at 19:27:43 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A string of small spot groups runs from the WNW limb across the northern solar hemisphere. Each AR is labeled in the image above. This 7.8’x10.2′ image was recorded at 19:05:43 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions, as seen in the light of H-alpha. Several small filaments are found among and near these spot groups. This 7.8’x10.2′ image was recorded at 19:29:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The tail end of the string of northern hemisphere spot groups are seen near the NE limb and are labeled. AR 13203 is the most recently designated region on the Sun currently. This image was recorded at 19:02:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same three active regions as seen in H-alpha light. There is a filament left\/east of the spot groups (left edge of image). Each of these groups is unremarkable. This image was recorded at 19:34:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 27 January. There is a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class flares through 26 January due to AR 13190. These chances drop off as the region rotates out of view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 23, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low overall with only two M-class flares since the last observing session of 19 January. The most recent, and strongest of these was an M1.7\/1B flare at 17:02 UTC on 22 January from AR 13194. AR 13190 also produced an M1.1 flare at 12:26 UT on 22 January. Today saw only C-flares through 22:40 UTC, with AR’s 13190 and 13194 being the source of these. The below full-disk GONG white-light image shows that, aside from AR 13190 (large spot toward the right of the Sun’s disk) all the sunspots on the Sun are small. Most occupy a band stretching from the WNW to the ENE limbs. This is in contrast to the large, prominent spots seen last week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The below images show the active regions that we had been following last week as they approach the solar limb, carried along by rotation. The red continuum images, left column, are 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images, right column, are 0.5 second exposures. Each image covers 7.8’x7.8 on the sky and were taken at the indicated times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Continuum image of AR 13190 (top) and 13194 (bottom). This image was recorded at 16:36:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in H-alpha. A few filaments were included in this image, which was recorded at 17:09:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The above active regions have mostly become indistinguishable as they rotate toward the west limb. This image was recorded at 16:38:20 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as left, but with a few filaments added \/ revealed in this H-alpha image. This image was recorded at 17:11:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low, with a chance for M-class flares through at least 25 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 19, 2023<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is moderate overall. So far today, there have been three M1-class flares from AR 13196; the largest of these was an M1.7 at 10:12 UT. Active regions 13192, 13190, 13186 and 13196 each produced C-class flares. There was a 60% chance for M-class flares today and a 15% chance of X-class flares today, primarily from AR’s 13190 and 13192. So far, nothing more powerful than the M1.7 has occurred.<\/p>\n

The red continuum images in the left column are 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images in the right column are each 0.5 second exposures. The images are each 7.8’x7.8′ in angular size on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 continues to move closer to the solar limb, carried along by the sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 15:52:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 in H-alpha. So far there have been no recorded flares from this region. This image was recorded at 16:28:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 also continues to rotate toward the solar limb. This image was recorded at 15:50:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 in H-alpha light. It was responsible for a C2.6 flare, but otherwise was quiet. This image was recorded at 16:30:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13190 (just above and left of image center) and AR 13194 (lower right corner) as imaged at 15:47:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13190 and 13194 in H-alpha. Despite its impressive size, AR 13190 was only responsible for a C7.2\/SF at 5:37 UT today. This image was recorded at 16:30:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13191 (lower right) and 13192 (upper left) appear intertwined in this image taken at 15:49:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as depicted on the left, but in H-alpha. AR 13192 is responsible for four C-class and sub-flares so far today. This image was recorded at 16:25:59 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with an ongoing likelihood of M-class flares and a slight chance of an X-class flare through at least 21 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 18, 2023<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be rather active with 9 visible spotted regions, three of them rather large. The dominant region is AR 13190, which is visible to the unaided eye viewing with proper protection. Newly-numbered AR 13196, which does not look like much visually, produced M-class flares, the largest of which was an M1.7 at 10:12 UTC on 19 January. AR 13192 produced a C9 flare at 20:47 UTC on 18 January; and AR 13190 generated a C7 flare at 5:43 UT on 19 January. A coronal mass ejection (CME) came from the sun, first observed at 13:36 UT on 18 January, from some explosion on the far side of the Sun. A prominence erupted from the Southeast limb around 18:00 UTC (18 Jan.) and generated a CME.<\/p>\n

Due to the weather (which did not clear until early afternoon) and start-of-semester activity, observations were limited to survey and mosaic mode. Yet the large number of regions were worth monitoring. Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures, with the red continuum images in the left column and the corresponding H-alpha images in the right column. Each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ of sky except where indicated otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 (the spot pair) along with old plage from AR 13193 are visible in this image taken at 21:01:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but with part of a fluffy filament (lower left corner) included. This image covers 7.8’x10.5′ on the sky and was recorded at 21:33:42 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 has been mostly inactive and is slowly decaying. This image was recorded at 20:59:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 as imaged in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 21:32:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13190 is now situated near the center of the Sun’s visible disk. This image was recorded at 20:56:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This 7.8’x10.5′ image records AR 13190 and its immediate surroundings, which include a number of small filaments. This image was recorded at 21:36:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions are visible in this image. AR 13192 starts with the triangle of larger spots just above image center and trails to the left of the image. AR 13191 appears below and offset to the right. The small cluster of spots near the image’s right edge is AR 13195. This 7.8’x10.5′ image was recorded at 20:57:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions, but as seen in H-alpha. Lots of bright plage, and a few filaments are visible in the region of these spots. This 7.8’x10.5′ image was recorded at 21:30:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with an ongoing likelihood of M-class flares and a slight chance of an X-class flare through at least 20 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 13, 2023<\/h2>\n

There are ten spotted active regions visible on the Sun, several of them fairly large. However, the overall activity level has gone down a bit, with only two M-class flares earlier today (so far, as of 21:47 UT). AR 13181 produced an M3.9\/SN at 10:15 UT; AR 13186 produced an M1.4\/1N at 2:59 UT. AR 13182. AR 13182 generated a C9.0\/1N flare at 17:01, the latter part of which was observed.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images covers 7.8’x11.4′ with solar and celestial north up in each image. The first column contains the red continuum images; the second the H-alpha images. The former are 0.1 second exposures each and the latter are 0.5 second exposures each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 (just above image center) and 13181 (on edge lower right) are visible in this red light image taken at 16:06:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 with flare shortly after the peak in X-ray and optical output. This image was recorded at 17:04:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 (two groups of spots upper right of image), 13188 (two small spots below and left of image center) and a new large spot rotating into view, as seen in this red continuum image taken at 16:08:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as pictured left, but with the addition of several filaments among the sunspot groups as imaged in H-alpha. Each of these regions was quiet today. This image was recorded at 16:50:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 (upper right) and two new active regions rotating into view (lower left) as seen in this continuum image recorded at 16:09:20 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at 16:51:48 UT in H-alpha. Note the bright plage associated with the lower of the two newly-visible regions rotating into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with M flares likely and a chance of X-flares through at least 13 January. Flaring probabilities decrease slightly on 14 and 15 January with a remaining chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 12, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today featured five low-level M-class flares (each in the M1 range), the largest of which was an M1.5 at 6:46 UT from AR 13186. There were no further M-flares after 19:13 UT (as of 23:13 UT). There are currently seven spotted regions visible on the solar disk, with at least one large region starting the process of rotating into view along the east-southeastern limb.<\/p>\n

The below images include red continuum of most of the visible spotted active regions in the left column, and the H-alpha version in the right column. The red continuum images are 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images are 0.5 second exposures. Each covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
AR 13181 (right) is about to rotate out of view. It was the source of two C-class flares and one M-class flare today. This image was recorded at 18:24:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 as imaged in red continuum. It was the source of two M1 flares and several optical subflares. This image was recorded at 17:26:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This image of AR 13182 shows bright plage and small trailing spots behind a large leader. This image was recorded at 20:50:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13188 (lower left) and 13184 (right) as imaged in red continuum at 17:31:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, plus a potentially large active region (arrowed) just appearing on the solar horizon. This image was recorded at 18:19:02.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 continues to develop and was the source of two M1 flares that peaked 28 minutes apart. This image was recorded at 17:30:22 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 18:17:50, just before the peak of an optical subflare at 18:26.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with isolated M flares and a slight chance of X-flares through at least 14 January. These are due to the combined flare probabilities of AR’s 13181, 13182, 13184, and 13186.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 11, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today featured three M-class flares, the largest of which was an M5.6\/1B at 1:21 UT from AR 13184. There were no further M-flares after 8:33 UT as the Sun seemed to have quieted down. There are currently seven spotted regions visible on the solar disk, with two additional regions rotating out of view (and difficult to see). In addition, there are at least two large active regions on the solar far side that will rotate into view later this week (see the diagram immediately below, with the far side regions circled in red).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The below images include red continuum of most of the visible spotted active regions in the left column, and the H-alpha version in the right column. The red continuum images are 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images are 0.5 second exposures. Each covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13181 is nearing the western limb of the Sun as depicted in this image, which was recorded at 20:42:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13181 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 21:30:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 seems to be slowly decaying. This image was recorded at 20:43:33 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 displays some plage in the trailing and middle parts of the region. This image was recorded at 21:29:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 (right of center) and a new, small unnamed group, lower left, imaged in red continuum. This image was recorded at 20:28:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 produced a C6 flare that peaked about 13 minutes before this image was taken. The flare ribbons are still visible as white areas. This image was recorded at 21:13:07 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 is growing in size, spot number. and complexity. This image was recorded at 20:31:47 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13186 was the source of an X1.0\/2B flare at 22:47 UT on 10 January. This was the most recent X flare yet. This image was recorded at 21:23:55, 22.5 hours after the flare event.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with M flares likely and a chance of X-flares through at least 14 January. These are due to the combined flare probabilities of AR’s 13181, 13182, 13184, and 13186.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 10, 2023<\/h2>\n

Today featured six M-class flare events, all before today’s afternoon observing session. The largest of these was an M5.1\/SF from AR 13186 at 0:16 UT. Other M-flares came from AR’s 13181 and 13184. Many C-flares happened today, from AR’s 13182, 13184, 13185, and 13186. Later in the day, AR 13186 produced an X1.0 at 22:47 UT, after today’s sessions concluded.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are cropped to 7.8’x7.8′ with solar and celestial north up in each image. The first column contains the red continuum images; the second the H-alpha images. The former are 0.1 second exposures each and the latter are 0.5 second exposures each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13183 (large complex of spots just left of image center) and 13181 (single spot near sun’s edge) as imaged at 19:07:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same two regions, along with a filament or two. This image was acquired at 19:44:59 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 as imaged at 18:59:48 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 with a possible mini-flare, as imaged at 19:35:44 UT. This is likely related to a C3.3 that peaked at 19:38 UT from this region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 as imaged in red continuum at 19:00:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13184 in H-alpha light. The region was quiet during this afternoon’s observing session. This image was recorded at 19:36:56 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain moderate with M flares likely and a chance of X-flares through at least 13 January. These are due to the combined flare probabilities of AR’s 13181, 13182, 13184, and 13186.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 9, 2023<\/h2>\n

Observations resumed today after a three-week break. Solar activity is at moderate to high levels with a half-dozen M flares over the last two days. There was an X-1.2 flare at 0:50 UT on 6 January, then an X1.8 flare today at 18:50 UT. The latter was barely caught in the images as an automated imaging sequence was executed for one hour, which caught the event on the edge of the last 10 minutes of frames. Another, much smaller flare was imaged at 18:29 from AR 13182.<\/p>\n

The three large active regions dominate the Sun’s disk: AR 13181, 13182, and 13184. The latter two proved to be the more active of these, but most of this came from 13184 which rotated into view two days ago. Except for the top two images, each image is 7.8’x11.4′ in size. The two red-continuum images are 0.1 second exposures, while the H-alpha images are 0.5 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13181 (left) and 13183 (right) as imaged in this 7.8’x10.2′ red continuum image, which was obtained at 16:51:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active region, but in H-alpha. This 7.8’x10.2′ image was recorded at 17:25:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Red continuum image of AR 13184 (left) and 13182 (right), as imaged at 16:47:43 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of the same two active regions depicted at left. This image was recorded at 17:27:20 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13182 produced an optical sub-flare (bright spot right of main dark spot) at 18.29 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The peak of the X1.8\/3B flare is caught on the edge of the image, which was recorded at 18:50:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

More M-class flare activity is likely, along with a chance for X-class flares, through at least 11 January.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Latest Solar Images Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2024 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved. Observations are happening daily, except for Saturday, Sunday, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5873","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5603,"date":"2022-11-09T17:05:10","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=5603"},"modified":"2022-11-10T11:15:01","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T17:15:01","slug":"total-lunar-eclipse-2022-1-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/total-lunar-eclipse-2022-1-2\/","title":{"rendered":"November Beaver Mini-Moon Total Eclipse, November 8, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

November Beaver Mini-Moon Total Eclipse, November 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

Earlier this week featured a total lunar eclipse, the second this year, visible from the United States. This was a pre-dawn celestial event with the moon setting just after, or during, the final phases of partial eclipse (depending on which part of the country it was observed). We hosted a gathering of 25 students and 5 faculty at the Prairie View Observatory on Monday evening November 7 for a pre-eclipse telescope viewing session. The Moon was bright and full in the eastern sky, with Jupiter high in the south southeast and Saturn medium high in the south southwest. These were the targets viewed with four telescopes: a wide field view of the Full Moon (especially easy to take cellphone images through) with the Takahashi 5.1-inch refractor; a close-up view with the Meade 10-inch Cassegrain; and the planets through our 10″ Dob reflectors, one looking at Jupiter and another viewing Saturn.<\/p>\n

The graphic below provides the circumstances for the eclipse, with times listed in CST. The image at left is from last May’s total lunar eclipse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All of the images below were made afocally (taken through the eyepiece) with a Samsung Galaxy 21 smart phone in pro mode or night imaging mode, exposure times ranged from 1\/500 second to 2 seconds at ISO 400. The telescope was a University-owned CPC 1100 (11-inch f\/10 Cassegrain, with 41 mm eyepiece). The times of each image are listed in Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, where CST = UTC – 6 hours.<\/p>\n

After the Moon entered the penumbra (the fuzzy outer part of a shadow) at 8:02 UTC, the eclipse is invisible at first. Then, 35 to 40 minutes after this event, the first hint of shading appears on one side of the Moon. It is very subtle and hard to see, but it gradually gets darker and darker (as shown in the two images below) in the last 20 minutes before first contact with the umbra (the dark core or main part of the shadow, which marks the start of partial eclipse), which happened at 9:09 UTC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>8:52:21 UTC, 50 minutes after first penumbra contact.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>9:03:14 UT, less than six minutes before first umbral contact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The first of six images below show that the penumbral shading can be quite obvious in the last few minutes before partial eclipse begins.<\/p>\n

For the next 67 minutes after the start of partial eclipse, the Moon steadily slips deeper into the dark umbra shadow. Even with only about a third of the Moon covered in shadow, the moonlit surroundings are noticeably dimmer. By about 50% immersion, the part of the Moon in shadow can be seen, even with the naked eye. It looks like a ruddy version of the earthshine phenomena that is commonly seen when the Moon is a thin crescent. Binoculars bring out the colors more. The progression of the partial phases is summarized in the six images below. The exposures are short to emphasize the overall visual appearance of the Moon as it gets deeper into the umbra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>9:07:24 UTC<\/td>\n\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>9:16:51 UTC<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>9:26:17 UTC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a>9:38:26 UTC<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>9:53:58 UTC<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>10:07:15 UTC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

It is always interesting to watch the transition from one phase of the eclipse to the next, especially through a telescope with a wide field of view that allows the entire moon to be seen. Totality began at 10:16 UT, so the first two images below are actually very deep partial phases, moments before the onset of totality, when the entire Moon lies inside the umbra shadow.<\/p>\n

It can also be interesting to see how different settings in imaging can result in different color balances in the results. The “night mode” produced more orange-colored eclipse images. The “pro mode” showed more of a pinkish hue, which I also noticed visually. Overall the Moon glowed softly in shades of orange, but with a hint of pink overall. The images were taken at various times throughout the 85 minutes of totality. Maximum \/ Mid-eclipse (when the Moon is deepest in the umbra, and thus darkest) was at 10:59 UT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>10:12:48 UTC<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>10:13:10 UTC.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>10:22:04 UTC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>10:34:52 UTC<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>10:49:34 UTC<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>10:59:51 UTC-mid-eclipse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Nearing the end of Totality, which occurred at 11:41 UT. As this event neared, one side of the Moon became noticeably brighter and brighter, until it returned to sunlight. The last of the four images below was taken about a minute after end of totality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>11:16:10 UTC<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>11:30:31 UTC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>11:38:37 UTC.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>11:42:33 UTC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The partial phases as the Moon moves out of the Earth’s shadow… As the Moon got lower in the sky, I needed to change to a smaller, more portable personal telescope, a 4.5-inch f\/8 reflector.\u00a0 This needed to be moved to various locations as the Moon sank behind houses and other obstructions. The images below were taken through the eyepiece of this instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>11:53:38 UTC.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>12:01:02 UTC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>12:09:31 UTC.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>12:13:55 UTC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

My last view of the Moon for this event was at 12:24 UT through a space in the trees. It was still 25 minutes short of exiting the umbra and about two-thirds in sunlight. Actual moonset was about three minutes after the end of the partial phases, or nine minutes after local sunrise.<\/p>\n

The next total eclipse visible from the United States will happen March 14, 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

November Beaver Mini-Moon Total Eclipse, November 8, 2022 Earlier this week featured a total lunar eclipse, the second this year, visible from the United States. This was a pre-dawn celestial event with the moon setting just after, or during, the final phases of partial eclipse (depending on which part of the country it was observed). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":1267,"menu_order":100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"side-navigation.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5603","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5603\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5133,"date":"2022-05-16T15:36:27","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T20:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=5133"},"modified":"2022-05-16T16:52:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T21:52:25","slug":"total-lunar-eclipse-2022-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/cosmic-corner\/total-lunar-eclipse-2022-1\/","title":{"rendered":"May Flower Super Moon Total Eclipse, May 16, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

May Flower Super Moon Total Eclipse, May 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Last night featured the first “full length” total lunar eclipse visible from the Continental United States since January 2019. This is one of two similar total lunar eclipses to grace our skies this year. Weather largely cooperated in the greater Houston, Texas area to allow observations to take place. I was able to follow all the stages of the eclipse, from the very first hint of penumbral shading, through “first contact” (when the Moon first enters the dark umbral shadow). Then the partial phases where I followed the progression of the covering of the bright lunar disk, watching and timing the moments the terrestrial shadow sweeps over pre-selected lunar features. This looked to be a dark eclipse, even from the early partial phases, because normally the shadowed part of the Moon is still visible due to light scattered in the umbra. This part looked noticeably dimmer than during previous eclipses.<\/p>\n

All of the images below were made afocally with a Samsung Galaxy 21 smart phone in pro mode, exposure times ranged from 1\/500 second to 2 seconds at ISO 400. The telescope was a University-owned CPC 1100 (11-inch f\/10 Cassegrain, with 41 mm eyepiece).<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This pair of images was taken during the penumbra phase of the eclipse.\u00a0 First penumbral contact (invisible) was at 1:32:07 UT (8:32 CDT) and the shading was expected to be first seen 30 minutes or so later. This stage of the total eclipse is the most subtle type of lunar eclipse, visible as a faint shading (left side of lunar disk). The first image above was taken at 2:01:41 UT, and the second was taken at 2:13:47 UT. During the last 10 minutes before partial eclipse began, the shading intensified in the region, leading to the subtle entry of the Earth’s dark umbral shadow onto the Moon’s disk at 2:27:53 UT (8:28 pm CDT).<\/p>\n

The progression of the partial phases is summarized in the six images below. It took a little over one hour for the Moon in its orbit to slip entirely into the shadow of the Earth. The below images represent the changes seen as the Moon gets deeper into the umbra. The last two images were made such as to emphasize the eclipsed part of the Moon. The beginning of the total eclipse phase was at 3:29:03 UT (10:29 pm CDT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Just after start of partial eclipse, 2:30:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a02:31:04 UT.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>2:58:25 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>3:10:30<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>3:16:13 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>3:26:42 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

It is always interesting to watch the transition from one phase of the eclipse to the next, especially through a telescope with a wide field of view that allows the entire moon to be seen. It can also be interesting to see how different settings in imaging can result in different color balances in the results. The images were taken at various times through the 86 minutes of totality. Maximum \/ Mid-eclipse (when the Moon is deepest in the umbra, and thus darkest) was at 4:13 UT. The image below at 4:16 UT best represents the visual appearance of the Moon as seen through a small telescope: as seen by me it had more of an orange color than a red color; in fact the brightest section took on a golden orange hue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>3:30:13 UT, a wide field view showing stars<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 3:51:59 UT<\/td>\n\u00a0 \"\"<\/a> 4:13:24 mid-eclipse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>4:16:07 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>4:29:30 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>4:44:29 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dr. Saganti recorded a series of wide field images during totality, with the magnification provided by a hand held finder scope. The images were erected to approximate the orientation visible to the unaided eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Once totality ended, at 4:53:56 UT (11:54 pm CDT) the bright part of the moon grew steadily as the partial phases played out in reverse from before. At this point, some high clouds moved down from a set of storms in northeast Texas and made it difficult to distinguish subtle hues of color in the eclipsed part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>4:56:25 UT<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>5:04:43 UT.<\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a>5:17:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>5:38:32 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>5:46:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>5:54:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Finally, fourth contact (5:55:07 UT, 12:55 am CDT), then the latter penumbra stages as the Full Moon returns to its former brilliance. The last of the penumbral shading fades from optical view about 30 minutes after fourth contact, with the last lunar contact with the penumbra occurring at 6:50:48 UT. The whole eclipse, from start to finish, lasted 5 hours, 18 minutes, and 40 seconds; the umbral part lasted 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 14 second; and the total eclipse part lasted 1 hour, 24 minutes, 53 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>5:58:27 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>6:10:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>6:16:26 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The next total lunar eclipse to be visible from North America will happen on 8 November 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May Flower Super Moon Total Eclipse, May 16, 2022 Last night featured the first “full length” total lunar eclipse visible from the Continental United States since January 2019. This is one of two similar total lunar eclipses to grace our skies this year. Weather largely cooperated in the greater Houston, Texas area to allow observations <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":1267,"menu_order":100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"side-navigation.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5133","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5133\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":4897,"date":"2022-03-04T16:23:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T22:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=4897"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:34:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:34:02","slug":"solar-observations-2021-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2021-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solar Images from 2022<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2023 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

Observations are happening daily, except for Saturday, Sunday, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be limited or non-existent. Whenever the Sun becomes active again, the observing program will become active as well, weather permitting.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website, https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and an SBIG STT-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

\n

December 17, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun has become quieter as AR 13165 begins to rotate over the solar horizon. Only occasional C-flares are occurring as the remainder of the regions are quiet, including AR 13163, which has the potential to unleash some large flares. There was an M1 event at 19:50 UT from AR 13169, which is growing. This occurred prior to the opening of this afternoon session.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images are 0.5 second exposures. The left column of the table contains red continuum images; the right column includes the H-alpha images. The images of AR 13160 and 13167 (top row) each are 7.8’x7.8′; the images of the multiple AR’s listed on the red continuum image are each 7.8’x11.4′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13167 (near image center) and 13160 (single spot above and right of 13167) as imaged at 20:27:17 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13167 and 13160 as they appeared in H-alpha. They will rotate out of view in a few days. This image was recorded at 21:03:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The indicated active regions, above, as imaged in red continuum light. AR 13165 is almost invisible on the limb. This image was recorded at 20:24:46 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same AR’s as depicted at left as imaged in H-alpha light. Most of these were quiet this day. This image was recorded at 21:06:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate through at least 19 December, with a slight chance for an X-flare through 18 December due to the ongoing flare potential of of AR 13165. After this interval, low solar activity was expected through 21 December, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains high as AR 13165 continues to produce frequent M-class flare, ten since 22:00 UT yesterday, 15 December. The flare that peaked at 22:40 UT was an M6 and the others were M1 to M4. AR 16163 looks like a potential source of big flares, but it has not been producing anything more than optical subflares.<\/p>\n

Weather was not favorable for imaging today as a deck of altocumulus moved in ahead of schedule. Due to the excellent seeing absent of the clouds, and the ongoing elevated activity of the Sun, imaging took place through moving cloud breaks. Each of the below images was cropped to 7.8’x7.8′, with celestial north up, west right. The two red continuum images (left most column below) show artifacts due to the fact that no continuum flats were taken; the later H-alpha flats were used, and even these left faint cloud markings on the image. The two continuum images were 0.1 second exposures; the rest were 0.5 second exposures<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13163 (large group lower left), 13166 (top center) and 13162 (right edge) as imaged at 15:52:48 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13163, 13166, and 13162 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:01:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13167 (left) and 13160 (top, center) as imaged in H-alpha at 16:43:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13165 preparing to rotate out of view, flaring as it goes. This image was recorded at 15:55:05UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13165 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:33:16 UT. It was in the early phases of a C7 flare that peaked at 16:48 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13168 had rotated into view several days ago. It is the source for occasional optical subflares. This image was recorded at 16:43:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate through at least 18 December, with a good chance of more M-flares and a slight chance of X-flares, mainly from AR 13165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 15, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be very active these days, with nine M-class flares yesterday (and 7 more today, as of 19:45 UT). We observed a double-peaked M-class flare from AR 13165; the first peak, an M1.1, was at 16:44, the second, an M2.0, was at 16:56. All of the M-flares came from AR 13165, including the largest one, an M6.3\/2B at 14:42 UT on 14 December. AR 13165 also produced a number of C-class flares, as did AR 16163.<\/p>\n

Each image was taken at the time indicated, and are cropped to 7.8\u2019 squared on the sky, except where indicated otherwise. The Red Continuum images (top row) were each 0.1 second exposures; the H-alpha images (bottom row) were each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13163 (largest one lower left), 13166 (top center) and 13162 (single spot right edge) as imaged at 16:32:06 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13165 nears the sun’s edge as captured in this image taken at 16:25:51 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lots of active regions in this image, as indicated above. The full size of the field of view (7.8’x11.4′) was needed to capture all these. The image was recorded at 16:23:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Three AR\u2019s as see in H-alpha. AR 13163 is the largest\/most impressive of these. This image was recorded at 17:02:59 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13165 in H-alpha. This region was flaring, just having passed the second peak of M2 at 16:56; this image was recorded at 16:57:30 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Same regions, but imaged in H-alpha. Only AR 13167 (left) and 13160 (near image center) are visible as spotted images in this 17:16:00 UT, 7.8’x11.4′ image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be moderate through at least 17 December, with a good chance of more M-flares and a slight chance of X-flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar observations resumed after several days of inclement weather; the skies cleared at midday today allowing for resumption of observations with good seeing.<\/p>\n

Solar activity became moderate in level as AR 13165 recently emerged and has grown rapidly. It produced an M2.4\/1N event at 7:40 UT on 14 December. Regular flaring continues today. There is an additional 9 spotted regions visible on the Sun: AR 13167 is growing, and the remaining regions are either stable or in decline. AR 13153, watched closely last week, is now rotating over the western solar limb. It produced two M1 flares earlier, each with an associated Coronal Mass Ejection.<\/p>\n

Each image was taken at the time indicated, and are cropped to 7.8\u2019 squared on the sky, except where indicated otherwise. The Red Continuum images (top row) were each 0.5 second exposures; the H-alpha images (bottom row) were each 0.5 second exposures. Celestial north is up, west is right in each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The three active regions indicated above in continuum light as imaged at 18:51:55 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13165 and 13164 as they near the solar edge. AR 13165 is the large complex of dark spots. This image was recorded at 18:53:07 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Several AR\u2019s with and without spots are labeled in the above red-continuum image. This image covers 7.8\u2019x11.4\u2019 on the sky. This image was taken at 18:55:57 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Same three active regions, with AR 13163 displaying a flare (three bright spots). This image was recorded at 19:30:28 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13165 and 13164 imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 19:26:55 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 13167 (center) and 13160 (right) imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 19:31:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 16 December, with a chance for M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

As has been the case all week, a cloudy morning transitions into a partly to mostly sunny afternoon, with haze and warmth and excellent seeing. There are now ten regions on the visible disk but two of them have dissipated to spotless plages. Most of the regions are either stable or in decay, including the intermediate spots of 13153. There was some growth in AR 13157. Another region, soon to be called AR 13163, has produced a number of C-class flares today, from locations just beyond the SE limb. AR 13162 produced one of these flares.<\/p>\n

The images are presented of eight of the ten regions currently visible. The left column of the below table of images are the red continuum images; the right column are the H-alpha images. Each image is cropped to 7.8′ square and has celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 appears to be getting simpler in this red continuum image taken at 18:04:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 as imaged in H-alpha. It also looks rather simple in this wavelength. This image was recorded at 18:23:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of three regions: AR 13156 upper right, AR 13161 top center, and AR 13157 just below image center. This region shows growth since yesterday. This image was recorded at 17:59:09 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha, showing a filament north of these regions and some bright plage within two of these regions. This image was recorded at 18:32:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13160 (bottom) is visible, but the spot of AR 13159 has dissipated. This image was recorded at 18:06:18 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13160, along with a few filaments, show up in this H-alpha image, taken at 18:31:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13162 (near center) and 13163 (on edge) as imaged at 18:05:31 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. Considerable activity is seen coming from 13163, on edge. This image was recorded at 18:25:26 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 11 Dec, with a slight chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

The sky transitioned from mostly cloudy to mostly sunny by early afternoon with excellent seeing. The Sun is now adorned with nine spotted active regions, but most of these have been inactive.<\/p>\n

AR 13157 is the only region so far today (with the possible exception of 13152) that has produced any flares, and these are few\/far between. It has experienced some minor growth. AR 13161 emerged in the trailing regions of AR 13156, the former is its own distinct active region. All of the regions, except for 13157, are either stable or in decay.<\/p>\n

The images are presented of each of the nine regions currently visible. The left column of the below table of images are the red continuum images; the right column are the H-alpha images. Each image is cropped to 7.8′ square and has celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 continues to look impressive but is otherwise unremarkable. This image was recorded at 19:12:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 in H-alpha showing some plage between the main spots. This image was recorded at 19:44:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13158 (image center) and 13155 (right, near Sun’s edge), as seen in red light. This image was recorded at 19:16:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same AR’s as seen in H-alpha. Two filaments (left) also appear in this image, which was taken at 19:43:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13157 (lower left quarter of image), 13161 (image center) and 13156 (single spot, right) as imaged at 19:15:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, along with a filament, as imaged in H-alpha at 19:42:10 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The two new regions slowly make their way on the Sun’s disk. AR 13159 (tiny spot right of image center) has almost disappeared, leaving 13160 (below image center). This image was recorded at 19:18:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as depicted at left, but AR 13159 is now very difficult to see. AR 13160 is much more easily seen below image center. This image was recorded at 19:41:11 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another spot has rotated into view, this time in the southern hemisphere. Likely to be designated AR 13162, it has not received a number as of this posting. This image was recorded at 19:23:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The new region remains visible in H-alpha, left edge of image. Also seen is a large filament (right). This image was recorded at 20:06:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 10 Dec, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares remaining in the forecast picture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

NOTE: Tonight, the Full Moon occults (covers up) Mars for much of North America. Check out www.spaceweather.com<\/a> for more information and times.<\/p>\n

Skies were mainly clear early on and stayed so much of the day, so an earlier session was had. Solar activity remains low, in spite of the complex-looking regions currently visible on the Sun’s disk. AR 13157 has been the source of all the flares so far today (through 18:10 UT): a c1.2\/SF at 11:11 UT; a C1.2\/SF at 12:07 UT; a C5.8\/SF at 13:04 UT (the largest since the M-flare back on 3 December); a C1.1 at 15:23 UT; a c1.5\/SF at 16:34 and 16:40 UT (we observed parts of this one), and a c1.3 \/ SF at 17:59 UT.<\/p>\n

All the regions visible on the solar disk were all stable or in slight decay, including two more spot groups have rotated into view in the solar northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n

Each of the seven visible active regions is depicted in red continuum (top row) and H-alpha (bottom row) below. Seeing was excellent for today’s observing sessions. The UTC of each image is indicated in the image or below each image, and the region number is indicated either within the image itself or below the image, in caption form.\u00a0 Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ of sky, except for the two of AR 13153, each of which measure 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky; celestial north is up, west is right. The exposure times of each was 0.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13158 (center of image) and 13155 (right, near Sun’s edge), as imaged in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 as imaged in red continuum at 15:11:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four active regions are depicted in this red-continuum image. The regions are labeled and time of image recorded above.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13158 and 13155 in H-alpha light at the time indicated above. Both are being carried toward the limb by the Sun’s rotation.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 as imaged in H-alpha at 16:19:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions labeled in the red-continuum images are shown in the light of H-alpha.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, through at least 9 December 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

Clouds began to break up midday and stayed partly to\u00a0 mostly cloudy the remainder of the day. This allowed for more observations but not as many as yesterday due to increased overall cloud cover.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains low with the first C-level event occurring as of this writing (C1.2 at 21:47 UT from AR 13157) since 20:55 UT on 5 December. All the regions visible on the solar disk were all stable or in slight decay, except for AR 13158, which grew slightly. Two more spot groups have rotated into view in the solar northern hemisphere and have yet to receive designations.<\/p>\n

Each of the seven visible active regions is depicted in red continuum (top row) and H-alpha (bottom row) below. Seeing was excellent for today’s observing sessions. The UTC of each image is indicated below each image, and the region number is indicated either within the image itself or below the image, in caption form.\u00a0 Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ of sky, except for the two of AR 13153, each of which measure 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky; celestial north is up, west is right. The exposure times of each was 0.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 continues to cross the solar disk, carried along by the Sun’s rotation. This image was taken at 18:19:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13158 (left) and 13155 (right) as seen in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 18:23:55 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13157 (bottom center) and 13156 (right) as imaged in red continuum light at 18:25:51 UT. Two new spots have rotated into view, lower left.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13153 in H-alpha continues to look rather impressive but remains quiet. This image was recorded at 19:04:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13158 and 13155 in H-alpha, with a filament between the two. The vertical broad banding is due to cloud interference. This image was taken at 19:06:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 19:11:12 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with C-class flare activity, with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, through at least 8 December 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 5, 2022<\/h2>\n

Clouds began to break up midday and stayed partly cloudy for the remainder of the day, which allowed us to resume observations.<\/p>\n

Despite some impressive looking sunspot groups, there had been only low-level C-class events on the sun today. AR’s 13153 and 13158 produced nearly all of these. The last M-class flare so far was one that occurred at 17:41 UT on 3 December, an M1.2 event. All has been quiet since then.<\/p>\n

Each of the five visible active regions is depicted in red continuum (top row) and H-alpha (bottom row) below. Seeing was excellent for today’s observing sessions. The UTC of each image is indicated on the image, and the region number is indicated either within the image itself or below the image, in caption form.\u00a0 Each of the images covers 7.8’x11.4′ of sky. The exposure times of each was 0.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha image depicts AR 13155 and departed region 13152 on the limb.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The regions shown in the continuum image, plus AR 13158 and a few filaments are visible in this H-alpha image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>In this H-alpha image, as well as the above red continuum image, looms AR 13153, the largest visible spot group.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with C-class flare activity, with a slight chance for M-flares, through at least 7 December 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 1, 2022<\/h2>\n

The day started out clear and sunny and cold, but a deck of stratocumulus clouds was moving steadily toward the northeast from the west and southwest. This was low in the western and southwestern skies at the time of the observing session started. The clouds moved in later that morning. The seeing was not too good, fair at best. Two large active regions have come into view along the solar eastern limb. The larger of the two, on the east southeastern limb, was designated AR 13153, the one on the east northeastern limb is AR 13156.<\/p>\n

AR 13152, which had been decaying the last several days, produced an M1.0\/1N flare at 7:21 UT (overnight local time). It had been quiet up to that point, and continued to be quiet thereafter. The region due south of it, AR 13154, continues to grow slowly as it rotates toward the western disk.<\/p>\n

Each of the four visible active regions is depicted in H-alpha below, with only the region 13152 being displayed in red continuum. The rather poor seeing resulted in rather poor continuum images, so only one of these is displayed. Each of the images, except for the AR 13153 image, covers 7.8’x7.8′ of sky; the latter covers 7.8’x11.4′ to include a filament. The exposure times of each was 0.5 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>(left)<\/em> AR 13152 in red continuum, imaged at 15:43:34 UT; (above)<\/em> AR 13153 in H-alpha with filament, at 16:21:28 UT; (right)<\/em> AR 13154 in H-alpha as imaged at 16:20:47 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n(left)<\/em> AR 13152 as imaged in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:23:25 UT.<\/p>\n

(right)<\/em> Another region has appeared over the solar horizon, AR 13156. This image was recorded at 16:22:27 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance of C-class flares, through at least 3 December 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 30, 2022<\/h2>\n

This morning’s cold front left the atmosphere unsteady, leading to rather poor seeing. Hence the images are not as clear as they usually are.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 13151 continues to generate C-class flares and display some interesting limb activity. The region itself had rotated out of view. AR 13152 remains stable and another spot had appeared (it was visible as a tiny pore yesterday) and has gotten a bit larger and darker since yesterday, but has not received an AR designation number. The first image depicts some of the limb activity from AR 13151. The second image is a 0.1 second exposure continuum of AR 13152; the third is the H-alpha view of the same region. The H-alpha images used 0.5 second exposures. Each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ of the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Limb activity from departing region 13151, as seen in this 16:34:01 UT image.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 appears as a single spot, with maybe 1 or 2 tiny attendants. This image was recorded at 15:51:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 in H-alpha with a couple filaments faintly visible nearby. This image was recorded at 16:32:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares through at least 2 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 29, 2022<\/h2>\n

Clouds gave way to a haze late afternoon when today’s images were recorded.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains low. There had been some C-class flares from departing region AR 13151, but the region is not visible otherwise. Thus, only one spot group is visible on the Sun currently. AR 13151 is portrayed in the first image near the maximum output of a “SN” flare (bright spot on edge). There is also surge activity from several additional small flares observed from this region. The second image is a continuum of AR 13152; the third is the H-alpha view of the same region. Each image is a one-second exposure, except for the red continuum image, a 0.5 second exposure. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13151 is seen as a bright spot on the edge of the Sun. This image was recorded at 22:39:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 is the last remaining sunspot group on the visible solar disk. This image was recorded at 21:37:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 as imaged in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 22:04:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares through 1 December.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 28, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been quiet since the last observation session eleven days ago. There are only three tiny sunspot groups on the visible disk today: the one near the solar CM is decaying and the two others are rotating out of view. Each of the below images were 0.5 second exposures. The first column contains red continuum images; the second column has H-alpha images. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13151 is about to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 15:40:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13151 with some AR prominences from newly-departed region 13147. This image was recorded at 16:12:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 is decaying. It was somewhat larger a few days ago, now only small clusters of spots and pores remain. This image was recorded at 15:36:46 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13152 in H-alpha. There is some bright plage and a filament associated with this region, made visible in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:18:12 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares through at least 30 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

November 17, 2022<\/h2>\n

Observations were made through a variable window of clear skies, which lasted less than one hour. Further imaging was done through the clouds. The white light\/continuum session was done through clear skies, but the clouds varied for the H-alpha observations. AR 13147, 13148, 13145, and 13140 each produced C-flares today, the largest of which was a C6.1 at 9:28 UT.<\/p>\n

The complex of active regions 13140\/14141\/13145 have mostly rotated over the limb, with only some plage and AR prominences visible in H-alpha (first image). AR 13147 is the large spot first seen yesterday, it is accompanied by AR 13148, a much smaller spot. AR 13146 has decayed to plage, and another rather bright plage area (AR 13149) has rotated into view along the east-northeast limb (second image below). This was the source of a C2.1\/SF which occurred at 16:38 UT. The bottom row depicts AR 13147 and 13148 in continuum light (left) and H-alpha light (right). Each of the images cover 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky and are 0.5 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Departing active region complex rotating over the Sun’s edge as seen in this H-alpha view. This image was recorded at 19:26:31 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13149, seen as bright plage in this view, is rotating into view. No spots were yet seen with this rather prominent feature, imaged at 19:39:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13147 and 13148, as indicated above, have rotated into view and are becoming more easily seen. This red continuum image was recorded at 18:54:18 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as seen in H-alpha. This also reveals a filament close to the edge and a prominence bottom center. This image was recorded at 19:42:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares through 18 November as AR 13145 rotates out of view; there is only a chance of C-flares on 19 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Clouds were very slow to clear out today; in fact much of the observations were done though a persistent veil of thin mid-level clouds, which actually acted more like a neutral density filter than clouds. They gradually thinned throughout the session, allowing a brief window of truly clear skies in the last 20 minutes or so of the session. The red continuum filtered images were obtained through the clouds; the H-alpha images displayed below were obtained through generally clear skies.<\/p>\n

Since last observing session, AR 13140 grew significantly, with a new spot pair emerging below the existing old single spot. The 11 November images show the early stages of this emergence in the form of two spots that made a triangle with the pre-existing spot. The region became magnetically complex, with the potential to unleash X-class flares. This had not happened, only two M-flares occurred since the last session: an M1.1 flare at 0:18 UT on 12 November, and an M1.0 flare at 2:51 UT on 15 November. There were frequent C-class flares. The X-ray level had been above C-level since 11:05 UT 14 November, and frequent C-class flares have been happening.<\/p>\n

The active region complex AR 13140\/13141\/13145 is rotating out of view. A small pair of spots is visible on the solar CM; this is AR 13146, which shows signs of decay. A large single spot has rotated into view in the southern hemisphere and has not yet been numbered, although it will likely be dubbed AR 13147.<\/p>\n

The left column below are the red continuum images; the right column are the H-alpha images. Each red continuum image was a 0.5 second exposure; each H-alpha image was a 1.0 second exposure. Each image covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of regions is in the process of rotating out of view. Mixed together just right of image center are AR 13140 and AR 13145 (two spots left of the main cluster). The single spot at lower right is AR 13141. This image was recorded at 17:06:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions as viewed in H-alpha. The bright areas top center belong to AR 13140; AR 13141 is the single spot near the sun’s edge, right of image center. This image was recorded at 18:26:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>(Soon to be designated) AR 13147 is rotating into view, the first southern solar hemisphere spotted region in quite a while. This image was recorded at 17:03:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same region with a filament as imaged at 17:53:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low for the next three days with a chance of M-class flares on November 16 and a slight chance of M-class flares from November 17-18.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 11, 2022<\/h2>\n

There was a burst of activity earlier today with a lot of C-flares and two M1 flares coming from AR 13141. Things had quieted down just in time for the morning observing session. Both this region and AR 13140 developed new spots in growth, but AR 13145 decayed since yesterday. All the other numbered regions were spotless.<\/p>\n

The left column below are the red continuum images; the right column are the H-alpha images. Each image was a 0.5 second exposure. The AR 13141 images are each 7.8’x7.8′ and the plage images are each 7.8’x10.4′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Each of the numbered regions (except 13140) were spotted regions at one time. This image was recorded at 15:59:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions are almost completely hidden from view in this H-alpha image. AR 13140 remains visible lower left. This image was recorded at 17:01:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13140 is the triangle of three spots top center of the image; 13145 has only two spots left, middle left of image; but AR 13141 remains large and complex. This image was recorded at 15:44:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions, as pictured at left, but in H-alpha light. The large region 13141 continues to emit dark surges from its leader spot. This image was recorded at 17:04:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low for the next three days with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares, each from AR 13141.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low overall, with frequent low-level C-class flares today. The largest of these, over the last 24 hours, was a C4\/SF flare at 20:05 UT on 9 November. We captured one of the C-flares today, a C1.4\/SN that peaked at 21:41 UT.<\/p>\n

AR 13141 (below) and 13140 (upper right) are the two largest spots\/spot groups on the solar disk. The small cluster of spots left of image center, and above the trailing part of 13141 is AR 13145. The other visible active regions, AR 13137, 13143 and 14144 are mostly spotless, except for 13144 which has a single, tiny spot at its location.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below covers 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky and are 0.5 second exposures. The first is in red continuum light, the other two are taken in H-alpha centerline light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13145 (upper left), 13140 (upper right) and 13141 (bottom) as imaged at 20:50:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>ARs listed at the left side as seen in H-alpha. Notice all the dark surges emanating from the lead spot of 13141. This image was recorded at 21:30:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13141 (lower spot complex) with a C1.4 flare (small bright spot)\u00a0 in progress. This image\u00a0 was recorded one minute after optical maximum, and near X-ray maximum, at 21:41:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with a slight chance of M-class flares through at least 12 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be low overall, but some activity is happening in both AR 13140 and 13141 (pictured below). Each have produced many B- and C-class flares, the largest of which was a C4.3\/SF that occurred at 20:05 today.<\/p>\n

We imaged the C1.2\/SF event from AR 13141. This event peaked at 18:05 UT. Six images show the changing appearance of this region below. Notice the dark surges or “ink streaks” coming from not only AR 13141 but also from AR 13140. The first image show the regions in red continuum light; the first of the six depict these regions before the flare event, which is documented in the latter five images. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Above is the red continuum image, taken at 16:52:52 UT, showing AR 13140 (top) and 13141 (bottom). The below six images, taken at the times indicated, depict the changing appearance of these two regions, in H-alpha. The bright spots in the third and fourth images are the flares themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>17:31:03 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>17:57:51 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>18:03:44 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>18:05:29 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>18:09:42 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>18:13:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low, with a slight chance of an M-class flare, through at least 11 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

Skies cleared by late morning and remained partly cloudy through early afternoon before clearing then becoming partly cloudy again closer to sunset. The seeing was excellent. The parade of sunspots continues across the northern hemisphere but the southern hemisphere remains nearly spotless. Two regions popped up yesterday but dissipated today. AR 13135 is preparing to rotate out of view carried along by the Sun’s rotation; this is being trailed by spotless plage regions leftover from prior spotted active regions. The complex of active regions 13140 13141, and 13142 are nearing the solar CM, with 13141 remaining the largest and most complex of the visible sunspot groups. AR 13142 is already decaying, containing a third of the number of small spots as yesterday. Today’s activity was low, with only a few low-level C-class flares.<\/p>\n

Each image is 7.8′ x 11.4′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. The red continuum images are in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13135 is about to “disappear” in this image recorded at 21:17:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The many filaments remain faintly visible, trailing AR 13135. This image was recorded at 21:50:34 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13141 (bottom), 13140 (center), and 13142 (upper right) are portrayed in this image, recorded at 21:14:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 21:48:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with C-class flares expected and a slight chance of M-class flares through 10 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

Skies cleared by late morning but remained partly cloudy throughout the day. The seeing was very good. The parade of sunspots continues across the northern hemisphere but the southern hemisphere is starting to show two small spot groups. AR 13135 is preparing to rotate out of view carried along by the Sun’s rotation. Following this are plage regions leftover from prior spotted active regions. Toward the northeast limb, three sunspot groups are visible, a small cluster of tiny spots, a large single spot and a pair of single spots with a few attending small spots. AR 13142 is the largest and most magnetically complex active region (sunspot group) visible on the solar disk currently. It produced an M5 flare at 0:11 UT on 7 November.<\/p>\n

Each image is 7.8′ x 11.4′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. The red continuum images are in the left column and the H-alpha images are in the right. The bright localized areas in some of the images below come from the processing and are not intrinsic to the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13135, along with lots of faculae leftovers from prior sunspot groups. This image was recorded at 18:37:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13135 is trailed by lots of filaments that have formed at the boundaries of the magnetic fields of the old active regions. This image was recorded at 19:20:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The solar disk west-southwest (heliocentric or Sun-centered coordinates) of AR 13135 displays lots of filaments and H-alpha texture during a moment of excellent seeing. This image was recorded at 19:18:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Newly-numbered AR 13142 (small spot cluster upper right), joins AR 13140 (just above image center) and 13141 (bottom, left of center). This image was recorded at 18:34:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. AR 13142, being newly formed, has some of the brightest plage in this area of the Sun. This image was recorded at 19:15:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a slight chance of M-class flares through 9 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 3, 2022<\/h2>\n

Clouds once again interfered with observing but we were able to capture some images of visible features on the Sun. Things remain quiet with only occasional low-level C-class events from AR’s 13135 and 13137. There is a large spot that is starting to rotate into view. There are currently six spotted active regions visible on the solar disk, all of them quiet and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The top row of images are red continuum images, and the bottom row consists of H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposure. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 continues to rotate toward the west northwestern limb, as imaged at 19:16:44 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13135 continues to quietly march across the Sun, carried by the Sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 19:20:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13137 (upper right), 13139 (center) and rotating into view potential AR 13140, as imaged at 19:24:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 in H-alpha displays a dark surge (ink mark below and right of main spot). This image was recorded at 19:43:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13135 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 19:44:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same AR’s as pictured at the top. This H-alpha image was recorded at 19:54:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 5 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 2, 2022<\/h2>\n

Today was mainly a cloudy day with a sunny break lasting about two hours. During that time, an imaging session was able to be completed, monitoring the continued quiet Sun for various features. There are currently five spotted active regions visible on the solar disk, all of them quiet and unremarkable. Occasional C-class flares have come from AR 13135, but none were observed this session.<\/p>\n

The top row of images are red continuum images, and the bottom row consists of H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposure. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 is little more than a single spot, as imaged at 19:04:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13135 is visible in the right half of this image. Spotless faculae adorn the lower left. Image was taken at 19:01:51.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13136 seems to be redeveloping a bit. This image was recorded at 19:00:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 is accompanied by plage in this image taken at 19:29:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but displaced lower to show a filament (upper left). This image was recorded at 19:29:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13136 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 19:23:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 4 November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 31, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to lack large sunspot groups as it continues an extended spell of quiet. Only occasional low-level C-class events occurred today, from AR’s 13133 and 13135. No such event was observed in today’s session. AR 13131 and 13135 are the two largest spot groups currently visible; AR 13133 and 13134 have lost their spots, and another region appears to be rotating into view following the AR 13131\/13135 pair.<\/p>\n

All of the visible spotted active regions are depicted below in both red continuum and H-alpha light. The red continuum images, each 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky, appear in the left column. The H-alpha images, each (7.8′ x 11.4′) corresponding image appear in the right column of the table. The seeing was excellent, despite high clouds passing in front of the Sun from time to time. Each of the below images is a 0.5 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n(left)<\/em> the labeled regions appear in this red light continuum, with only 13131 sporting spots. This image was recorded at 15:38:58 UT.<\/p>\n

(below)<\/em> AR 13133 appears as plage, along with the spotted 13131. AR 13134 is indistinguishable below and right of 13131. This image was recorded at 16:13:39 UT.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Left)<\/em> AR 13135 as imaged in red continuum light at 15:40:21 UT.<\/p>\n

(above)<\/em> AR 13135 as seen in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:15:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be low through at least 2 November 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 27, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 13133 produced two low-level C-flares: a C2.3 at 1:26 UT, and a C2.2 at 1:57 UT, 27 October. AR 13130 has shown some growth since yesterday and was the source of a C1.7 at 1:03 UT, 27 October. The X-ray emission background had stayed relatively level and flat since these trio of small C-flares; it continues to be flat with low amplitude undulations as of 18:30 UT.<\/p>\n

The other two visible regions on the solar disk today were all inactive or otherwise unremarkable. AR 13126 is very difficult to see on the western solar limb as it rotates out of view.<\/p>\n

All of the visible spotted active regions are depicted below in both red continuum and H-alpha light. The red continuum images, each 0.5 second exposure, appear in the left column. The H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, corresponding image appear in the right column of the table. The seeing was poor this morning but was somewhat improved with the use of H-alpha line center imagery. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13130, bottom, and 13132, top, are following AR 13126 (no longer visible on the disk) toward the edge of the Sun, carried along by its rotation. This image was recorded at 14:59:48 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of same regions. AR 13130 has grown some since yesterday and a filament is seen north of the active region center. This image was recorded at 16:00:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13133 (left) and 13131 (right) are visible in this red continuum image, taken at 15:02:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13133 and 13131 in H-alpha light. A filament is present just north of AR 13131. This image was recorded at 16:15:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a slight chance for a C-class flare, through at least 29 October 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 26, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low. AR 13133 produced a C3.3 and a C4.9\/SF yesterday and a C6.7 today at 12:43 UT. All has been quiet since with only a B8 level enhancement at 19:19 UT (as of 19:44 UT). The other visible regions on the solar disk today were all inactive or otherwise unremarkable.\u00a0All of the visible spotted active regions are depicted below in both red continuum and H-alpha light. The red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure, appear in the top row. The H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, corresponding image appears in the bottom row of the table. The seeing was poor this morning but was somewhat improved with the use of H-alpha line center imagery. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13126 is about to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 15:49:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13130 (spot complex bottom center) and 13132 (single spot near center) as imaged at 15:47:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 (large spot right) and 13133 (small spots left) as imaged at 15:53:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13126 has not produced any flares for the last two days. This H-alpha image was recorded at 16:27:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13132 essentially disappears in H-alpha but a filament is visible north of 13130. This image was recorded at 16:26:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha. AR 13133 has been the source of several C-class flares. This image was recorded at 16:30:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low through at least 28 October 2022. There is a chance for C-flares from AR’s 13126 and 13133.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 25, 2022<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Overnight local time in North America, there was a partial solar eclipse in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, including India. The above partial eclipse image was captured at one of the GONG (Global Oscillation Network Group) solar observatories in Udaipur, India. More images can be viewed at this livescience website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains low. A new active region, AR 13133, is the source of two flares so far today: a C3.3 event at 15:19 UT (while we were finishing the red continuum imaging), and a C4.9\/SF at 19:03 UT (well after our observing session). The other visible regions on the solar disk today were all inactive or otherwise unremarkable. A new region, AR 13132, emerged north of AR 13130; the largest region currently visible on the solar disk is AR 13126, which is about to rotate out of view.<\/p>\n

All of the spotted active regions are depicted below in both red continuum and H-alpha light. The red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure, appear in the top row. The H-alpha images, each 0.5 second exposures, corresponding image appears in the bottom row of the table. The seeing was poor this morning but was somewhat improved with the use of H-alpha line center imagery. Each image measures 7.8’x7.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13126 has grown some, but is about to rotate out of view. This image was taken at 15:07:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13132 (top, just emerged) and 13130 (bottom) as imaged at 15:09:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 (large spot) and 13133 (small spot near edge) as imaged at 15:13:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13126 as imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:49:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13132 and 13130 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:48:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13131 and 13133 as imaged at 15:51:03 UT. Both regions were inactive at time of observation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 27 October 2022. AR 13126 is expected to be the main source of flaring activity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 21, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues at low levels, but with lots of little C-class flares. Yesterday they were all coming from AR 13122 as it exited the visible solar disk via rotation; today no source region has been assigned to the seven C-flares between 0:00 and 7:20 UT.\u00a0 The two new spot groups that have been developing over the last few days have received designations: NOAA 13126 and 13127. They remain small and unremarkable, but 13127 seems to be growing a bit.<\/p>\n

The left images are red continuum images of the indicated active regions, each a 0.1 second exposure. The right column images are 1.0-second exposures of the same regions, but in H-alpha. Each image covers 7.4’x7.4′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13125 in red continuum light as imaged at 15:07:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13125 is accompanied by several filaments. This image was recorded at 15:40:36 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13126 (upper right) and 13127 (lower left) are visible in this red continuum image, taken at 15:03:55 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same active regions as depicted left, but in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:42:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of C-flares through at least 23 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 19, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been at low levels the last few days, with only modest enhancements of the X-ray levels into the C-range. There was a C3.4 event that peaked today at 17:50 UT but the source of this had not yet been reported. A new active region\/cluster of spots has emerged in the solar southern hemisphere near the meridian; this is followed by a smaller pair of tiny spots embedded in a facula field.<\/p>\n

The left images are red continuum images of the indicated active regions, each a 0.1 second exposure. The right column images are 1.0-second exposures of the same regions, but in H-alpha. Each image covers 7.4’x7.4′ on the sky, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13124 is rotating out of view at right, and AR 13125 is barely visible in this image, which was recorded at 15:24:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image showing the same regions as depicted at left, with the addition of many filaments. This image was recorded at 16:20:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two new regions are visible in this image. As of this writing they remain unnumbered, but the more prominent one in the upper right may become AR 13126. This image was recorded at 15:21:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same area, but in H-alpha. The larger new spot cluster displays bright plage, and may be the source of some of the C-level enhancements as well as this afternoon’s C-3 event (we weren’t observing when it happened). This image was recorded at 16:27:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance of C-flares through at least 21 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 18, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low with a few small spot groups visible on the nearly-blank solar disk. The largest of these is AR 13124 which formed the day after the last session and is about to rotate out of view. It has produced quite a few C1 and subflares today. The other regions are unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The setup which includes the STT-1603 continues to perform with no technical issues, so it remains in use. The top image is a red continuum image of the AR’s 13124 and 13125 (labeled), a 0.1 second exposure. The bottom image is a 1.0-second exposure of the same regions, but in H-alpha. The images each cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Clouds delayed the start of the session until the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This red continuum image was taken at 20:13:22 UT. the object along the lower left edge of the picture is an imaging artefact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha image was recorded at 20:38:47 when the seeing was relatively good. Afterwards the seeing became worse.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance of C-class flares, through at least 20 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is transitioning to low values, with the exception of a single M-class flare that elevated it to moderate. The flare came from AR 13112 and occurred at 9:44 UTC today. It was ranked as an M1.3\/SF, an isolated event. Aside from a quick C1.3\/SF from AR 13119, peaking at 14:49 UT, there has not been any flare events since, up through 21:20 UTC on 14 October. The active regions 13112 and 13116 are rotating out of view and should be completely invisible in a day or two. AR 13119 follows them and it should be gone from our view in another 3-4 days or so. All that is left are two tiny active regions, one of which is numbered and shown below. The other is a single dark spot amidst a lot of faculae\/plage.<\/p>\n

The setup which includes the STT-1603 continues to perform with no technical issues, so it remains in use. The left images are red continuum images of the indicated active regions, each a 0.1 second exposure. The right column images are 1.0-second exposures of the same regions, but in H-alpha. The images in the first column each cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky; those in the second column are 7.4’x7.4′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13119 is the most prominent region in this image as 13112 and 13116 are rotating out of view at upper right. This image was recorded at 14:31:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:14:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Small AR 13121 is centered in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 14:37:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13121 as seen in H-alpha light. The region is just below center. This image was recorded at 15:29:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a decreasing chance of M-class flares as AR 13112 rotates over the limb, through at least 16 October.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

Once again, solar activity is low, with the most recent M-flare happening today at 0:18 UT, an M1.5\/SF from AR 13112. Since then only occasional C-class flares have happened from both regions 13112 and 13119. The strongest of these was a C47\/SF from AR 13119 at 9:17 UT. NOAA Space Weather Prediction center gave a 45% probability for another M-class flare today from AR 13112; there was also a 10% chance of an X-flare from this region. The general trend in solar activity continues downward as the complex of regions AR 13112\/13116\/13119 continue to rotate toward the western limb. The former two are starting the process of rotating out of view.<\/p>\n

The setup which includes the STT-1603 continues to perform with no technical issues, so it remains in use. The top image is a red continuum image of the AR 13112\/13116\/13119 complex, a 0.1 second exposure. The bottom image is a 0.5-second exposure of the same spot complex, but in H-alpha. The images each cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky. Clouds delayed the start of the session until the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>This image is a red continuum view of AR’s 13112 and 13116 quite close to the limb; AR 13119 lies to the lower left of image center in this view. This image was recorded at 19:35:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This is an H-alpha view of the same regions. Note the bright plage that accompanies AR 13119.\u00a0 This image was recorded at 20:31:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares, through at least 15 October.<\/p>\n

October 12, 2022<\/h2>\n

Once again, solar activity is low, with the most recent M-flare happening yesterday at 10:50 UT. Since then only C-class flares, the strongest a C8.8 event at 14:15 UT today from AR 13112.\u00a0 The general trend in solar activity currently is downward as the more prominent regions have become stable or have begun to decay. Two new small spots\/spot groups have rotated into view on the eastern limb.<\/p>\n

The setup which includes the STT-1603 continues to perform with no technical issues, so it remains in use. The top image is a red continuum image of the AR 13112\/13116\/13119 complex, a 0.1 second exposure. The bottom image is a 1.0-second exposure of the same spot complex, but in H-alpha. The images each cover 7.8’x11.4′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The most prominent active regions continue their march toward the solar horizon. AR 13119 is the one in the lover left; AR 13112 and 13116 appear in the upper right. AR 13112 makes the base of the triangular configuration of spots while 13116 forms the top. This image was recorded at 15:51:56 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>These same regions as imaged in H-alpha. There are several filaments that appear in the vicinity of the AR 13112\/13116 pair. This image was recorded at 16:44:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 14 October 2022, with a slight chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 11, 2022<\/h2>\n

Activity has been more on the low side over the past 7 days, but has picked up some over the last two days with more frequent M-class flares from AR 13112. The largest flare over the last week was an M3.9 at 8:40 UT on 11 October. We captured part of a C3.6\/SF event this morning; this peaked at 16:45 UT. This region also produced several more C-flares. AR 13119 (to the left of each image below) also produced a few C-flares, the most recent peaking at C3.9 at 21:21 UT.<\/p>\n

The setup which includes the STT-1603 continues to perform with no technical issues, so it continues to be in use. The top image is a red continuum image of the AR 13112\/13116\/13119 complex, a 0.1 second exposure. The bottom image is a 1.0-second exposure of the same spot complex, but in H-alpha. The images each cover 7.2’x10.8′ on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13119 (left) follows AR’s 13112 and 13115 (upper right) toward the western limb in this image taken at 15:00:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>H-alpha view of the same three active regions. To the right of the leader spot of the 13112\/13116 complex is a patchwork of plage, which was once spotted AR 13120. This image was recorded at 15:42:22 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 13 October 2022. There is a chance of M-class flares from AR 13112.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun is once again quiet today with only occasional low-level C-class flares. AR 13112 produced three C1 flares so far today, and everyone else is quiet. AR 13110 had been a productive flare-producing region but it has quieted down and rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

We continue to work with the STT-1603 camera, which offers a smaller field of view. The top images are red continuum images, 0.1 sec. exposure each. The bottom images are H-alpha images, 1.0 sec. exposure each. The camera was oriented with the long axis of the CCD aligned with celestial east-west; north is up in each image. Each image was cropped to 7.4′ square on the sky to emphasize the region(s) imaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13110 (on edge top center, not distinct) is rotating out of view, with AR 13111 (left) to follow. This image was recorded at 15:06:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13112 and 13116 are near the central meridian of the Sun. This image was recorded at 14:58:57 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13115 (center) and 13117 (left edge) appear to be decaying. This image was recorded at 15:07:42 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This corner of the Sun is now quiet with the flare-producing region 13110 out of view. This image was recorded at 16:24:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Despite their dynamic appearance in this H-alpha image, the regions 13112 and 13116 are quiet, only weak C-flares. This image was recorded at 16:47:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions are depicted here as in the image immediately above but this image was recorded in H-alpha line center light. This image was recorded at 16:25:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels, with a continuing likelihood of M-class flares, and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 8 October. However, this likelihood is diminishing with AR 13112 being much quieter than expected and AR 13110 rotating out of view.<\/p>\n

October 5, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun became active as a new, large active region complex rotated into view. 13 M-class flares and 1 X-class flare erupted from the Sun between 30 September and 4 October, mainly from the large active region complex AR 13112. Since early yesterday, however, the trend in activity seems to be declining as some decay has occurred in some of the spots of 13112. Skies were mainly cloudy on 3 October, and again for the first half of the day 4 October; but other commitments kept us from taking advantage of clearer conditions later that day.<\/p>\n

A filament that had been gracing the disk of the Sun launched itself into space yesterday (image below, also visit the 05 October 2022 edition of spaceweather.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We continue to work with the STT-1603 camera, which offers a smaller field of view. The top images are red continuum images, 0.1 sec. exposure each. The bottom images are H-alpha images, 1.0 sec. exposure each. The camera was oriented with the long axis of the CCD aligned with celestial east-west; north is up in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR’s indicated. This image was taken at 15:58:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13112 is the largest visible region. This image was taken at 15:53:46 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several AR’s are captured in this image, taken at 15:55:04UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The above labeled AR’s as imaged in H-alpha at 16:12:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13112 and 13116 and associated features as imaged at 16:27:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The above active regions, as imaged in H-alpha at 16:13:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain at moderate levels, with a continuing likelihood of M-class flares, and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 7 October. AR 13110 could be the source, as could 13112, but the former will rotate over the west limb by 7 October, leaving 13112 as the main flare source.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

September 20, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is moderate due to an M1.0\/1N flare that peaked at 11:22 UT today. Other than this, the region produced several C-class and optical subflares today.<\/p>\n

Due to technical difficulties, we had to change back to the older SBIG STT-1603 camera. Each of the images from this camera is 11.4′ x 7.8′ with celestial north up, west right. The red continuum images are 0.1-sec exposures and the h-alpha images are 1.0 second exposures<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13102 continues to be the most productive region on the solar disk. This image was recorded at 15:16:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13102 in H-alpha light. This region is starting to rotate toward the limb. This image was recorded at 15:52:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13105 (formerly 13089) is growing again. So far it has not produced very many flares (none today, in fact). This image was recorded at 15:17:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, as imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:53:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance of M-class flares from AR 13102 and\/or 13105 through at least 22 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 19, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low overall with only C-class flares. A pair of M-flares occurred two days ago: an M1.9 at 13:35 UT on 17 September, and an M2.6 around 20:40 UT on 17 September. Today only C-class events have occurred, the largest being a C7.6\/1F at 2:30 UT, 19 September. AR 3102 was the source of the other half-dozen C flares and optical subflares; newly emerged AR 3105 produced a C1.5 flare at 19:36 UT.<\/p>\n

Currently there are three spotted groups visible, with a fourth rotating into view over the east-southeast limb. This new region, AR 13105, is likely the return of old AR 13089. All of the spot groups are in the solar southern hemisphere, with the northern hemisphere being spot-free. All of the below images are cropped 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky. The first is a red continuum image taken during a time of bad seeing; the seeing improved a bit later for the two H-alpha images presented below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three spotted regions and an unspotted region are visible in this red continuum image taken at 15:52:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four solar regions appear in this H-alpha image (labeled in the prior image), with AR 13102 the largest. This image was recorded at 17:03:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A new region is rotating into view. It is likely old AR 13089 but it gets a new number when it returns for a second rotation – 13105. This image was recorded at 17:14:09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares from either AR 13102 or 13105, through at least 21 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity today reached high levels due to a pair of high M-class flares, both from departing AR 13089. The first happened overnight local time: an M7.9 flare that peaked at 9:49 UT, and an M6.2\/SN flare that peaked at 15:59 UT (one minute earlier for the optical flare). This event was captured just after peak during a mosaic sweep of the Sun just after it had been obscured by clouds for 45 continuous minutes (today featured considerably more clouds and humidity versus the previous days which were mainly cloud-free). We also observed the event as it declined to below M1 level.<\/p>\n

Currently there are four spotted regions with one exiting over the western solar limb, carried along by rotation. The newly emerged AR 13103 produced several subflares and C-class flares early in the day (UT). AR 13102 was the source of two optical subflares this morning, one at 9:38 UT (before sunrise) and one at 16:46 UT (was clouded out). AR 13098, besides the two M-class flares, produced four of C-class flares and optical subflares (through 20:00 UT today).<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13098 is on the edge of the Sun (just above and right of image center) in this image. The brighter facular spots belong to spotless regions AR 13096 and 13099.\u00a0 This image was recorded at 14:57:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The bright spot on the sun’s edge is an M6\/SN flare about one minute past peak. The filaments associated with this and the spotless regions are still visible. This image was recorded at 16:00:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13102 (lower left) and 13103 (upper right) as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:48:53 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in H-alpha. The larger 13102 is just below and left of image center; the smaller AR 13103 is visible upper right. This image was recorded at 16:19:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through 17 September, then drop to very low levels starting 18 September as AR 13098 rotates off the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 15, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun is quieter today than yesterday, with fewer flares. All of the flares were from AR 13098 (about to rotate out of view) and 13102 (remaining rather quiet); the largest flare today was a C6.4 from a source beyond the northwest limb of the Sun. A 10 degree long filament centered near S03W47 became active after 3:00 UTC today, lifting off the surface after 6:00 UTC. This produced a CME off the west limb. Overall, the four spotted active regions remain quiet, even though the background X-ray level remains elevated above C-level.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images in the top row are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′; those in the bottom row cover 13.3’x18.0′ of skies; all four are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13098 is set to rotate out of view, followed by what’s left of AR 13096. This red continuum image was recorded at 14:46:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha emission line light. AR 13096 has a small filament associated with it, another larger one separates it from 13098. This image was recorded at 15:15:41 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13100 (upper right) and 13102 (lower left) and another emerging region, likely to become AR 13103 (just above image center). This image was recorded at 14:48:52 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three small spotted regions are visible in this H-alpha image. The image was recorded at 15:06:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at low levels, with a chance for M-class flares from ARs 13098 and\/or AR 13102, through at least 17 September 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained on the low side today with the exception of a single M1\/SF event that occurred from AR 13098 at 10:19 UT. This same region produced most of today events, which were, besides this one event, all C-flares and subflares. Delays in starting observations due to mount and camera communications caused us to miss the C3.6 flare that peaked at 14:58 UT this morning. As of 20:51 UT today, only minor C-flares have occasionally happened. All of today’s solar events, except two subflares and a low level C-flare, came from AR 13098; the remaining events were from AR 13100 and 13102. AR 13098 was the target of one hour of monitoring this morning. A small C1.5 flare took place at 16:08 UT, this included a faint optical component south of the main spot group.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images in the top row are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′; those in the bottom row cover 13.3’x18.0′ of skies; all four are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13098, the source of most of the recent activity, is seen rotating toward the west limb in this red continuum image, taken at 15:01:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13098 in H-alpha shows a complex structure. A new region may be emerging at the location of the white dot (top center, near solar limb), which is a solar feature. This image was recorded at 15:54:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13102 (lower left) and 13100 (upper right) as imaged at 15:04:28 UT in red continuum. Some new flux may be emerging behind 13100 (just above and right of image center).<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13102 and 13100 in H-alpha. Both have been unremarkable. They have produced very few flares. This image was recorded at 15:28:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be low, with a chance for M-class flares, and a slight chance of X-class flares, from ARs 13098 and\/or AR 13102, through at least 16 September 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

Today was marked by a number of C-class flares, mostly from AR 13098, but a few did come from AR 13101 and 13102. During this morning’s session, we observed a multipeaked C-flare which started around 14:50 UT and concluded around 16:15 UT. Four peaks came with this event: a C8 at 15:00 UT, a 9.2 at 15:16 UT, a C9.4 at 15:35 UT, and a C6.9 at 15:50 UT. These manifest themselves optically by a series of localized subflares in various locations throughout the spot complex. NOAA SWPC recorded this event as a single C9.2\/SF event, peaking at 15:16 UT in the X-ray and 15:23 in the optical. Although the X-ray background remained well into the C-range, not much beyond random fluctuations and the occasional subflare occurred for the rest of the day (through 21:45 UT). A C-4.9 flare spike occurred at 17:28, but that was not observed by us, and no region has yet been assigned to it.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13098 as imaged at 14:31:28 UT. The spot below the main complex may be a separate AR that had accompanied 13098 across the Sun.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13098, with optical subflare (bright spot between lead and second spot). AR 13101 is visible as a bump on the Sun’s limb top center. This image was recorded at 15:12:41 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13100 (right) and 13102 (lower left) as imaged in red continuum. This image was recorded at 14:35:36 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:43:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be low, with a chance for M-class flares, and a slight chance of X-class flares, from ARs 13098 and\/or the returning AR 13088 (now called AR 13102), through at least 15 September 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 12, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is picking up a bit with the growth of AR 13098. This region had been the source of several C-class flare recently. There was a nearly 15 degree long filament that launched itself off the disk center at 19:29 UT on 10 September. Several more filaments remained anchored to the Sun as of this morning’s observation session.<\/p>\n

The session was over 2 hours due to a flare watch on AR 13098 (with newly emerged AR 13101 also active on the edge of the Sun in the same field as 13098). However, both regions were quiet during this session, w=except for two optical subflares from AR 13101 (imaged) at 15:46 and 15:47 UT. Prior to this session AR 13098 produced a couple of C-class flares today, while AR 13101 produced several more such events. The largest X-ray flares today so far (to 22:00 UT) were a C7.4\/SF from AR 13101 at 12:58 UT; and a C6.3\/1F from AR 13098 at 12:25 UT.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four solar regions are visible in this image: three spotted active regions and a plage (spotless) region, all labeled. This image was recorded at 15:00:48 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This H-alpha view is shifted to focus primarily on AR 13098 (centered) and 13101 (top right); AR 13094 is not visible here. This image was recorded at 15:56:51 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13100 (right) is growing in size and complexity. A tiny unnumbered spot group is visible just below and left of image center. Old AR 13088 is rotating onto the visible disk (lower left) and it still looks large. This image was recorded at 15:06:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha. AR 13088 may be the source of some more activity in the coming days. This image was recorded at 16:33:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be low, with a slight chance for M-class flaring from AR 13098 and\/or the returning AR 13088, through at least 14 September 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

With six visible sunspot groups and a seventh rotating into view over the ESE limb, solar activity remains very low. All the regions are stable or deteriorating. AR’s 13094, 13096, and 13097 each produced a minor C-class flare. We observed the flare from AR 13097 as it began and peaked at C1.1 before quickly decaying.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. The images in the top row are each cropped 13.3’x13.3′; those in the bottom row cover 13.3’x18.0′ of skies; all four are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13092, center, and 13097, lower left, as imaged at 15:19:36 UT. They appear rather small and simple as they rotate toward the western horizon. The latter may soon decay to plage.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13092 and 13097 along with several filaments that had been accompanying the regions. The brighter spots are the optical subflare component of a C1.1 flare that peaked two minutes ago. This image was recorded at 15:41:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 13092 (upper right), 13098 (just right of center) and 13096 (lower left, the darker spots in a compact group), as observed in red continuum at 15:18:06 UT. The small spot group below and left of 13096 may be another active region in the process of slowly forming.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>These same regions, along with their associated plages (bright areas) and a filament right in the middle. This image was recorded at 15:59:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be very low, with a ongoing chance for C-class flares, through at least 11 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

Quiet continues to be the word to sum up the Sun’s activity for today. There are six visible sunspot groups on the solar disk currently, the largest of which are AR 13094 and 13096. All of these are either stable or in decay, except for AR 13098, which emerged east of AR 13094 yesterday. AR 13098 produced a few optical subflares and a C1 event (AR 13094 produced a subflare itself). There had been about five or six C1 flares, with a C2 event\u00a0 towering above them all. This notable event peaked at 17:10 UT, and no information as to the source region is available as of this writing.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Except where indicated otherwise, each image is cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The labeled AR’s are portrayed in this 18.0’x13.3′ red continuum image, recorded at 14:54:36 UT,<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus turns to AR 13092 (large center spot) and 13097 (lower left of main spot), along with a few filaments. This image was recorded at 15:16:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A string of three sunspot groups appear in this image, recorded at 14:56:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but as seen in H-alpha, showing filaments and plages. This image was recorded at 17:56:57 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be very low, with a ongoing chance for C-class flares, through at least 10 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Earth facing side of the Sun is very quiet with seven spotted regions visible on its disk. None of these has produced any flaring activity within the last 24 hours or so (up to 1800 UT, 7 September). Two new regions are in the process of developing (an unnumbered region and AR 13097); the rest are stable or declining.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Except where indicated otherwise, each image is cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four of the seven visible spotted regions are shown in this single 13.3’x18.0′ red-continuum image. This image was recorded at 14:56:58\u00a0 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13092, 13097, and 13093 are visible, along with several filaments, in this image taken at 15:19:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13094 (upper right), 13096 (lower left) and an un-numbered region (near disk center) as imaged in this red continuum image, taken at 14:59:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as left image, but in H-alpha emission. Plage and filaments show nicely in this image, which was recorded at 15:29:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected be very low, with a continuing chance for C-class flares, through at least 9 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Earth facing side of the Sun is very quiet with only five small groups visible. The largest of these is AR 13092 and 13094. None are active, with AR 13089 (which had just rotated out of view) producing a c1.4 last evening, local time; and is the likely source of another C-class event, a C3.2 which peaked at 18:33 UT today. However, the far side of the Sun is a different story (click on the image to see the CME in action)…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A huge full halo CME erupted from the far side of the Sun yesterday, likely from AR 13088 that is crossing the far side of the Sun. This event sent this large cloud of charged particles straight toward Venus, which got hit by another major CME on 1 September. This active region is expected to return in 8 to 10 days. More information on today’s https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Except where indicated otherwise, each image is cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three small AR’s (labeled) are visible in this 13.3’x18.0′ red continuum image, taken at 14:57:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts to AR 13092 (large single spot) and 13093 (just below image center), which also has a few interesting filaments in the area. This image was recorded at 15:28:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13096 (left, near sun edge) and 13094 (right of image center) as observed at 15:09:36 UT in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as imaged at 15:34:16 UT in H-alpha emission line light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance of an M-class flare and\u00a0 a slight chance of an X class flare on 6 September; and then very low activity is expected, with a chance of C-flares, on 7-8 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 2, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues on the low side. There were many low-level C-class flares today from various regions. AR 13089 produced nearly all of them, but AR’s 13093 and 13094 contributed 1 and 3 events, respectively. There are currently four spotted active regions on the visible solar disk, the largest of which is AR 13089.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Each image is cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 is starting to rotate closer to the limb. This image was recorded at 17:21:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 displays a complex mixture of spots, plages and filaments. This image was recorded at 18:02:34 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A persistent patch of thin altocumulus clouds was present during much of the continuum imaging phase. AR 13092 (largest spot), 13093 (small spots, lower right) and 13094 (single spot near edge, upper left) all appear in this image, taken at 17:32:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR’s 13092 and 13093 are captured in this image, with the field of view shifted to capture the two large filaments and several smaller ones in the area. This image was recorded at 17:49:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance of an M-class flare and\u00a0 a slight chance of an X class flare, through at least 4 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 1, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues on the low side. AR 13089, the largest visible spotted region now on the solar disk, has been mostly quiet. Since yesterday, there have only been occasional C-class flares. There are six such events reported by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center today so far: one from AR 13089, two from AR 13086, and three from newly-rotated-into-view AR 13092.<\/p>\n

The small, lone spot in the northern hemisphere from yesterday received its own designation of AR 13091. It continues to slowly decay.<\/p>\n

The first column contains red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure. The second column contains H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Each image is cropped 13.3’x13.3′ and is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 is the large spot complex below center. AR 13086 displays two spots and faculae near the sun’s edge upper right. Between them is the spotless faculae that is AR 13087. This image was recorded at 18:09:31 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 dominates this image, with 13086 faintly visible near the solar limb in the upper right part of the image. This image was recorded at 18:34:31 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new spot group rotates into view. Below and right is another group with very tiny spots amidst brighter faculae. The former is AR 13092. This image was taken at 18:03:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13092 (single large spot near edge), and the new, unnumbered AR with a filament passing between them. This image was recorded at 18:56:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance of an M-class flare or two, through at least 3 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 31, 2022<\/h2>\n

Yesterday was cloudy with periods of rain – no observations. Today was cloudy for most of the day, but the mid-level clouds began to break up by mid-day, offering a clear window with which to view the Sun by early afternoon. In fact, there was about 30 minutes of cloud-free viewing that we took advantage of this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is back to low levels as the source of all the action the past week or so has rotated beyond the west limb so its activity is eclipsed by the sun’s main body. Only two spotted active regions are visible today: AR 13089 which appears large and complex but has been mostly quiet (just some small optical flares and some C-class events); and a new spot appearing near N14 on the solar meridian. The top image shows AR 13089 (left of center), along with the spotless regions AR 13087 (just above and right of image center) and 13086 (light spots upper right of image near limb). The bottom image depicts the new spotted region in the upper left corner and AR 13089 bottom center of image.<\/p>\n

Each image covers 18.0’x13.3′ of sky and has celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 dominates this red continuum image, but spotless AR 13086 is also visible near the solar edge, upper right part of image. Spotless AR 13087 is visible between the two just above and right of image center. This image was recorded at 18:50:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089, along with a new, unnumbered spotted region. The former is at bottom, center of the image; the latter is near the upper left corner. This H-alpha emission line image was recorded at 19:10:07 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low- to moderate with a chance for M-class flares through at least 2 September.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 29, 2022<\/h2>\n

Despite a cloudy, rainy day, solar observations were able to be collected during two short sessions when the cloudiness cleared enough to observe. The first, shorter session was only long enough to obtain red continuum images. The second, somewhat longer session two hours later, allowed H-alpha data to be collected along with the limb activity associated with departed AR 13088. The initial phases of an M4 flare were imaged just as the next set of storm clouds moved in, clouding up the sky for the rest of the day. There were 5 M-flares today, the largest of which was an M8.6 that peaked at 11:08 UT from AR 13088. In fact, AR 13088 was the source of all of the M-flares today. An M-flare was ramping up when the X-ray signal cut off at 16:25 UT and resumed at 17:05 UT. This was probably another M8 or so event.<\/p>\n

The top two images are H-alpha images of the west southwestern limb showing the activity. The first is mainly the remnants of the unseen X-ray event (features just off the limb), just before the M4.7 that peaked at 18:57 UT. The second was taken about three minutes prior to flare peak as the clouds began to obscure the Sun. The tiny spotted region (close pair of dark spots within a brighter spot, just below and left of each image center) is AR 13088. The lower two images show AR 13089 in red continuum (left) and H-alpha (right).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Limb flare activity was observed for several minutes. This image was recorded at 18:43:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The bright surge just above the arcade complex is the new M4.7 flare in its development stage. This image was recorded at 18:54:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 is slowly developing, as seen in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 17:04:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 as seen in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 18:48:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity was expected to remain moderate today with M-flares likely and a chance for X-flares. From tomorrow through at least 31 August, there’s a chance of M-flares from developing AR 13089 and a slight chance of X-flares from the same.<\/p>\n

August 26, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is high today with frequent C-flares continuing and three M-class flares (two of which peaked within 17 minutes of each other). The first M-flare came from AR 13088 and peaked at 10:55 UT. The second and third came from AR 13089, and this was part of a long-duration event. The X-ray flux finally dripped below M1 level at 15:25 UT. Since then the frequent C-flares continue.<\/p>\n

The left column of the table consists of red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column includes emission line center images (1.0 sec exposure) of each region shown. Each row in the table shows the same region(s) in continuum and H-alpha. The images are cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky except for the middle row, which covers 13.3’x15.0′. Celestial north is up and west is right in each image. Solar north is rotated 19.4 degrees right of celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13085 is rotating quietly toward the western solar limb. This image was recorded at 15:20:20 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13085 in the light of H-alpha emission. This image was recorded at 16:05:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13089 (lower left), 13087 (just left of center) and 13086 (right edge) as imaged in red continuum at 15:24:41 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three regions, in H-alpha. The plage around 13089 is rather bright compared to the other two. This image was recorded at 16:11:58 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13088 is rotating toward the western limb. This image was recorded at 15:23:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13088 in H-alpha shows bright plage, glowing from recent flares. Point-like glows periodically appeared and disappeared during this morning’s session. This image was recorded at 15:57:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance for M-class flares, and a very slight chance for X-class flares, through at least 28 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 25, 2022<\/h2>\n

Observations resumed today when a clear morning sky presented itself for the first time in a while. Due to various circumstances, observations were not made during the last two weeks. As long as the weather allows, solar observations will resume and continue.<\/p>\n

Since the last observing session two weeks ago, several additional active regions and some notable events have taken place. AR 13079 developed and grew after the last session, and was the source of c-class flares. AR 13076 blasted dark material into space on 14 August 2022, starting at 11:30 UT. This material raced away from the sun at 1.3 million mph. Another active region, AR 13078, grew dramatically and produced a series of M-class flares on 15 August (two M1’s and an M3); it produced an M5 flare at 7:58 UT on 16 August. More flares followed on 17 August, including an M2 flare at 13:45 UT from AR 13078. AR produces at least one M1 per day on 18 and 19 August before rotating out of view. As a result of its departure, the Sun quiets down by the 20th. Another uptick in activity the following day as C-flares occurred.<\/p>\n

AR 3085 develops and shows potential for growth on 22 August 2022; the growth continued on 23 August as the region produced frequent C-flares. Then a lull in the activity as the X-ray background drops and no C-class events or enhancements occur until early today, when the X-ray background continues an upward slope\u00a0 (which began around 8:00 UT on 24 August) as activity picks up once again. AR\u00a0 13088 emerged on the solar disk on 23 August and grew rapidly, to be one of the largest regions visible today on the solar disk. So far, as of 19:55 UT, there had been 16 C-class enhancements and an M1.8 flare from active regions 13085, 13088, and 13086. The M1.8 came from AR 13088. Unfortunately our observing session was limited to this morning.<\/p>\n

Six spotted active regions are currently visible on the solar disk, with three of them being larger and rather productive (as mentioned above). One of these is AR 13088, a rare vertical or “perpendicular” sunspot group. To read more of what this is, visit www.spaceweather.com<\/a> (if you visit this site after 25 August, be sure to enter August 25 in the “archives” boxes upper right of website). Most of these regions are shown in image form below. The left column of the table consists of red continuum images (0.1 second exposure) and the right column includes emission line center images (1.0 sec exposure) of each region shown. Each row in the table shows the same region(s) in continuum and H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 13085 and 13082 (now a non-spotted region) as imaged at 13:58:19 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as observed in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 14:41:54 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions are visible (labeled) in this image of the Sun’s southeast limb. This image was recorded at 14:03:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 14:47:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Growing AR 13088, a rare “vertical sunspot” is shown in this continuum image, taken at 13:56:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13088 as it appears in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 14:36:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a good chance for C-class flares, and a slight chance of M-class flares, through at least 27 August 2022.<\/p>\n

August 11, 2022<\/h2>\n

NOTE: Due to various circumstances, solar observations will be halted for the foreseeable future. This will be the last set of observations posted until observations resume.<\/p>\n

Solar activity increased slightly from very low to low due to three C1 flares. The first was a pair of C1’s which made for a long duration flare lasting 1h 2om. The two peaks (C1.1 and C1.2) occurred at 6:17 and 6:58 UT, both from AR 13077. An optical sub-flare was also observed from Australia, this event peaked at 6:17 UT. There are five spotted active regions that remain visible on the solar disk. Each is small and inactive. AR 13077 appears to be decaying, even as it produced the long duration C1 flare. AR 13077 appears to be growing a bit; it produced a C1.1 flare that peaked at 16:24UT (after our observing session ended this morning). We did notice a microflare in the image, which is posted below.<\/p>\n

The first column of images below are red continuum images taken at the indicated times. The second column of images are H-alpha images taken at the indicated times. The former are 0.1 second exposures, the latter 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky, with celestial north up and west right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13074 (left), 13077 (just right of center) and 13071 (right) as imaged at 14:04:25 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as shown left, but with an added filament. This image was recorded at 14:41:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13076 appears to be growing new spots to the north of the main spot. An old active region is visible as a facular patch lower left edge of the image. This image was recorded at 14:08:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13076 with a “microflare” (bright dot just below small spots). AR 13075, a plage region, is visible above and right of 13076. This image was recorded at 14:45:37 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new AR 13078, which rotated into view two days ago, is now moving into better view. Like the other visible spotted regions, this is a small, simple, unremarkable feature. This image was recorded at 14:07:25 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A number of filaments, great and small, are captured in this H-alpha image, which shows AR 13078 (lower left) and 13074 (upper right). This image was recorded at 14:44:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a chance for C-class flares through at least 13 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Five small spotted active regions are scattered across the solar disk this morning, all of them quiet and unremarkable. A sixth (AR 13075) has decayed to spotless plage\/faculae. Several B-level enhancements in the X-ray field today, the largest of which is a B9.8 that peaked at 15:24 UT. Newly numbered AR 13077 is stable or in slight decline; the remaining regions are stable and unremarkable.<\/p>\n

The first column of images below are red continuum images taken at the indicated times. The second column of images are H-alpha images taken at the indicated times. The former are 0.1 second exposures, the latter 1.0 second exposures. The top row images cover 18.0’x13.3′ on the sky and the bottom covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13074 (left), 13077 (center) and 13071 (right) as imaged at 14:07:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of three active regions, with two filaments faintly visible lower left quarter of image. This image was taken at 14:39:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13076 (13075 is a vague patch of faculae above and right of 13076) as imaged at 14:10:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha, with 13075 more prominently marked by faculae near image center. This image was taken at 14:37:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a chance for C-class flares through at least 12 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

Six small spotted active regions are scattered across the solar disk this morning, all of them quiet and unremarkable. No flare event has occurred since the C1.1 event a day and a half ago. One region, an unnumbered region between AR 13071 and 13074, appears to be growing slowly. It will likely be numbered 13077 and seems to match (in terms of position) a coronal dimming event reported in this morning’s Space Weather Prediction Center discussion<\/p>\n

The first column of images below are red continuum images taken at the indicated times. The second column of images are H-alpha images taken at the indicated times. The former are 0.1 second exposures, the latter 1.0 second exposures. The top row images cover 18.0’x13.3′ on the sky and the bottom covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky. Celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions across the middle of the solar disk, as imaged at 14:00:32 UT. These are (left to right) AR 13074, 13077, and 13071.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions as imaged in H-alpha. At least two long filaments are observed as well. This image was recorded at 15:13:39.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13075 (single spot) and 13076 (arrowed) as imaged at 14:03:18 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha as imaged at 15:14:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares through at least 11 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun is now very quiet, with only a half dozen small spots or little groups visible on the solar disk. Flares are not happening either: the largest in the last 72 hours or so was a C1.1 from AR 13072 at 22:35 UT on the 7th of August. All of the visible spotted active regions visible today are shown in the below images. In the red-continuum images, left column, each active region is labeled. The corresponding view in H-alpha is shown in the right column. Each image measures 13.3’x18.0′.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three AR’s in the process of rotating out of view, along with simple AR 13071. This image was recorded at 15:01:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with the most prominent being AR 13071, lower left. The two brighter spots at center and above\/right of center are calibration artefacts. This image was recorded at 15:25:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>More spotted active regions rotating into view (labeled). This image was recorded at 15:08:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:26:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares through at least 10 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 4, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low for over a week now. The two largest flaring events was a C9.1 that occurred at 23:10 UT on 31 July; and a C6.9 that occurred at 17:08 UT on 3 August; both occurring from AR 13068. This is the largest and most active region visible on the solar disk today and had been crossing the disk over the last week, after first appearing over the southeastern limb on 28 July and growing over the next week. Today it appears to have decayed some, but two new active regions appear to be emerging southeast of the region. Another region, AR 13071, remains inactive near the southeast limb. Other than these, the rest of the sun’s disk is spotless, with previous regions such as AR 13070 and 13069 decaying to plage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There was a long, arching prominence over the eastern limb of the Sun that had been visible for the last three days. Today, much of it appears to have lifted away, as seen in the above H-alpha image (east up, north right), taken at 16:00:26.<\/p>\n

Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right (except for the above prominence image), and each was taken at the indicated time. The red continuum images appear in the first column of the table, and the H-alpha line images are in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Several regions, old and new, are visible in this single image, taken at 15:32:34 UT. The larger of the two “new” regions could soon be designated AR 13072.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region of the Sun, as seen in H-alpha. The two new emerging regions are currently growing. This image was recorded at 16:15:27 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Lone sunspot AR 13071 near the southeastern limb of the Sun. This image was recorded at 15:35:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13071 is accompanied by plage (brighter spots left\/below the dark core). A filament is also visible below and to the right. This image was recorded at 16:18:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares and a slight chance for M-class flares (from AR 13068) through at least 6 August 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

July 21, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be quiet, with activity at the low level. The X-ray background has dropped into the B-range, but C-class flares are occurring fairly regularly again. The larges of these was a C5.6 from AR 13060 at 1:11UT. Other events came from Active Regions 3057 (the source for most of the events), 13056 and 13064.<\/p>\n

A nice CME event occurred early today, UT. The animation can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky (unless indicated otherwise) and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time. The red continuum images appear in the first column of the table, and the H-alpha line images are in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 (bottom) and 13057 (top) are about to rotate out of view. The spots belonging to the former are no longer visible. This image was recorded at 16:46:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 and 13057. The white streak (also shown immediately below) left of 13057 is a small flare from a spotless region. This H-alpha image was recorded at 17:14:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions (labeled) are visible in this 13.3’x18.0′ red continuum image, taken at 16:37:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in H-alpha line emission light. The white dash in the upper right corner is a small flare from a spotless region. This image was recorded at 17:04:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13062 continues to rotate into view, as depicted in this red continuum image taken at 16:48:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13062 as seen in H-alpha emission line light. It is partly surrounded by a filament. This image was recorded at 17:04:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares through at least 23 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 20, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be quiet, with activity at the low level. The X-ray background remains elevated at C1 levels, with only occasional low-level C-class activity. Departing AR 13056 produced a C2\/SF at 16:06 UT just after we closed this session. There are lots of sunspot groups but most of the groups contain small spots. One region rotated into view yesterday (AR 13062) and two regions emerged yesterday. In fact they are shown in yesterday’s highlighted images as they began to emerge into view. These are active regions 13063 and 13064.<\/p>\n

Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky (unless indicated otherwise) and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time. The red continuum images appear in the first column of the table, and the H-alpha line images are in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 (bottom) and 13057 (top) along with AR 13061 (not shown except for a bit of faculae [whitish spots] along the top center edge of the image) are about to rotate out of view. This image was recorded at 14:24:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 and 13057. AR 13056 currently has the most complex magnetic field of the visible spotted regions. This H-alpha image was recorded at 14:59:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Five spotted active regions (labeled) are visible in this 13.3’x18.0′ red continuum image, taken at 14:26:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in H-alpha line emission light. This image was recorded at 14:45:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13062 rotating into view, as depicted in this red continuum image taken at 14:27:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13062 as seen in H-alpha emission line light. This image was recorded at 14:49:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 22 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 19, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues its decline in activity; its spots continue to decay and grow smaller and simpler. Only a handful of low-level C-class enhancements today, the largest of which (so far, through 18:07 UT today) was a C2.3\/SF from AR 13061 (not shown below). AR 13056 and 13057 have produced occasional sub-flares. Overall, solar activity remains low as seen by the physical appearance of the spot groups and the level of the X-ray background.<\/p>\n

Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky (unless indicated otherwise) and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time. The red continuum images appear in the first column of the table, and the H-alpha line images are in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13057 (top) and 13056 (bottom) are seen in this red continuum image, taken at 15:49:10 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, with a mall filament making a triangle with them. This image was recorded at 16:20:34 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13059 and 13060 appear in the upper right of the image; AR 13058 is in the lower right. Two small, unnumbered pair of spots appear left of 13059\/13060. This image was recorded at 15:50:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13058, 13059, and 13060, along with the two un-numbered, are viewed in the light of H-alpha emission. This image also shows a handful of short and small filaments. This image was recorded at 16:18:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for M-class flares (and even a slight chance of X-flares) through at least 21 July 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 18, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity declined to low levels, with only occasional C-class activity. Six spotted active regions remain visible on the solar disk, and an additional two have rotated out of view. A seventh has rotated into view in the northern hemisphere but it remains small and unnumbered. Regions 13055, 13056 and 13057 were the sources of C-flares today, the largest of which was a c2.4\/SF from AR 13057 at 16:14 UT. Delay in opening because of a persistent deck of altocumulus clouds resulted in our missing this event (we were imaging in continuum mode at the time of the event).<\/p>\n

Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time. The red continuum images appear in the first column of the table, and the H-alpha line images are in the second column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13061 (upper right) and 14957 (left center) as imaged at 16:11:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13061 and 13057 as they appear in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:40:41 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 is following 13055 toward the limb, carried by solar rotation. The latter is visible as some whitish patches on the edge right of the spotted cluster. This image was recorded at 16:13:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at left. This image was recorded at 16:39:43 UT. More than half of the prominence that was on the limb in this region had disappeared or lifted off the surface.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR 13058\/13060 pair is visible right center; AR 13059 is near bottom center. The bright patch in the upper left corner is associated with a small pair of sunspots seen during this morning’s spot count. This image was recorded at 16:16:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same regions are shown in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:42:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 20 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate due to a two M1 flares that occurred at 6:28UT and 15:39 UT. These came from AR 13057 and 13055, respectively. Part of a C4\/1F flare, the “afterglow” specifically, was observed east of the spots of AR 13053 at 17:15 UT. The frequency of C-class enhancements and optical subflares have decreased today and many of the filaments that had been visible on the solar disk the last several days have disappeared. There is one on the southwest limb of the Sun that has become a large prominence. Parts of this feature are lifting off into interplanetary space.<\/p>\n

Each image is 18.0’x13.3′ on the sky (unless otherwise indicated) and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions are visible in this image. AR 13052 is actually a plage region just beyond the spotted region of 13053. This red continuum image was recorded at 16:48:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Active regions 13056 (left) and 13055 (right) are visible, along with a few filament fragments between them, in this H-alpha image, that was recorded at 17:27:46 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13057 (top), 13061 (upper right corner) and 13056 (lower right) are imaged in this red continuum image taken at 16:42:50 UT. Arrows point toward two spots which are not sunspots but image processing artefacts.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13055 is preparing to rotate out of view in this image. The large prominence is visible along the limb of the Sun. The donut-shaped spot off the limb right of the large sunspot is an image processing artefact. This 13.3’x13.3′ image was recorded at 17:30:51 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted active regions are identified in this red continuum image, which was taken at 16:49:44 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same spotted regions are visible in this H-alpha image which covers 14.7’x13.3′ on the Sun. This image was recorded at 17:19:57 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 18 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 15, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate due to a single M2 flare at 21:48 UT on 14 July. There continues to be regular C-class enhancements and optical subflares today from all of the regions except 13057 and the new region, likely to be designated 13059. None of these was observed in the short morning session with the exception of a small SF from 13058 (arrowed in the image below, near its peak). There are now six spotted regions visible on the solar disk, along with several filaments, one of which has largely disappeared (a comparison between its appearance yesterday and today is provided in the bottom row of the below image table). The other filaments remain about the same as they were yesterday, except one is rotating over the southwestern limb, becoming a long prominence.<\/p>\n

Each image is 18.0’x13.3′ on the sky and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13053 (top) and 13055 (bottom) approach the western limb of the Sun, as seen in this red continuum image taken at 13:50:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with several filaments also visible, as seen in this H-alpha image taken at 14:16:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted regions are visible, clockwise from upper left: ARs 13058, 13057, 13056, and (soon to be numbered) 13059. This image was recorded at 13:46:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same four spotted active regions as seen in H-alpha, with a filament visible lower center of the image. This image was recorded at 14:51:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A large, dark filament is seen between AR 13053 (right) and 13056 (outside the frame, left). This image was recorded at 15:04:07 UT on 14 July 2022.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This same filament, largely vanished, leaving a traceable channel behind. AR 13053 is the region toward the right edge of the image. This image was recorded at 14:27:18 UT on 15 July 2022.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 17 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was moderate today due to a single M1 flare at 4:31 UT. There were numerous C-class flares today as well, mainly from Regions 13053 and 13056. None of these was observed in the short morning session, but five regions and five filaments were imaged. The filaments remain about the same as they were yesterday.<\/p>\n

The first two rows are active regions, and the third row are some of the visible filaments. Each image is 18.0’x13.3′ on the sky and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right, and each was taken at the indicated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13053 (top) and 13055 (bottom) as observed in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:39:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as last images, in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 14:54:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13056 (bottom right), 13057 (top, center), and 13058 (not yet officially designated as such) in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:35:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions, in the light of H-alpha. A few pieces of filaments are also seen. This image was recorded at 14:53:12 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A large, dark filament is seen between AR 13053 (right) and 13056 (outside the frame, left). This image was recorded at 15:04:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13055 (above center) is surrounded by three large filaments. These have been present for several days. This image was recorded at 15:06:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 16 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar observations resume after a month-long break. These will continue only in the mornings and only with the purpose of capturing the day’s sunspots and other features through red continuum and H-alpha light. Today’s session involved imaging five sunspot groups or active regions, four of which are rather large (the largest, AR 13055, covers 800 millionths of the solar hemisphere). These four are show in image form below.<\/p>\n

There are also several large filaments visible on the solar disk, several of which have been around for days. Some of these are captured in the images below.<\/p>\n

Since an M2.5 flare on July 8 at 20:50 UT, the X-ray background as measured by GOES satellites has hovered around the C1 level, with frequent C-class flares and two more M-class flares. The activity has quieted down but with frequent low-level C-type events. Each of the four larger spotted active regions has produced at least one C-flare and\/or optical SF event today.<\/p>\n

The images below are shown with celestial and solar north up, celestial west right. They cover 13.3’x18.0′ on the sky. The first column display the red continuum images, taken at the indicated times, with 0.1 second exposures each. The second column contains the H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions (labeled) appear in this image, taken at 15:32:29 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three regions from previous image, in H-alpha. Several filaments are also visible in this image that was recorded at 15:51:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13057 as imaged at 15:25:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region as previous, with a large filament to its northeast (solar coordinates). This image was recorded at 15:47:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 15 July.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

June 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

There are now seven spotted regions visible on the solar disk. The most active of these were AR 13030 and 13032. These produced numerous C-class flares, but no M-class flares (since the long duration event early on 13 June). Newly numbered AR 13036 produced three small optical flares and a C1.3 flare event (this reached maximum at 16:02UT). The largest flare today was a C8.6 by AR 13031 at 14:20 UT. Little flaring activity was observed during our short 1h 20m session today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Five of the seven visible spotted active regions are captured in this 18.0’x13.3′ red continuum image. The regions are labeled. This image was recorded at 18:09:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four of the regions pictured in the previous image are shown in this H-alpha image. Only 13035 is not shown. This image was recorded at 18:49:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13031 (main mass of spots) has developed quite a bit since yesterday. The small pair of spots above and right appear to be a new AR in formation. This image was recorded at 18:05:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active region(s), but viewed in H-alpha. Both this emission line and the previous red-continuum image cover 13.3’x13,3′ of sky. This image was recorded at 18:31:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two spotted and one non-spotted region are shown in this red-continuum image. The spots marked “13031” may actually be a new emerging active region. This image was recorded at 18:12:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The focus of this image is AR 13036, right of center. This image was recorded at 18:28:22 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance for M-class flares, and a slight chance for X-class flares through at least 16 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

More spotted active regions rotated into view over the past weekend. One of them, AR 13030, is actually two regions: AR 13030 and 13032. The latter produced a long-duration M3\/1N that peaked at 4:07 UT today. Today’s spaceweather.com<\/a> has two beautiful animations of the flaring event and the coronal mass ejection that followed. There is also a nice review of the X-ray classification of solar flares at this website<\/a>. So far, the strongest solar flare observed by PVSO was an X5.6 class event during the summer of 2000 (not the “Bastille-day event” that is described on the website).<\/p>\n

Check out the CME from the M3 flare earlier today (from www.spaceweather.com and NASA\/SOHO; click on the image for the animation):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All the spotted regions are imaged in two pairs of images: the AR 13030 complex (including an un-numbered region near the edge of the Sun) depicted in the top pair; and the AR 12031 region, along with two unnumbered regions (one of which is also shown in the top row) visible on the edge of the Sun. Only a C1 flare was witnessed during today’s short session, coming from AR 13031.<\/p>\n

The first column are red continuum images of the two spotted regions currently visible on the Sun. The second column are the H-alpha line centered images of the same regions.\u00a0 The continuum images are 0.1 second exposures; the emission line images are 1.0 second exposures; and all are cropped 15.0’x13.3′ with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13030 (right most spot in complex 2\/3 way up the image), 13032 (the main grouping of spots), 13033 (small grouping left of the main group) and an un-numbered (lower left) as imaged at 15:12:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same group of active regions in H-alpha light, with a bright prominence visible left on AR 13033. This image was recorded at 16:29:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13031 (lower right, tiny spots), along with two un-numbered regions along the eastern limb (left) as imaged in red continuum light at 15:14:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged in H-alpha light. The region 13031 now appears as a small network of brighter plage. This image was recorded at 15:32:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with a chance for more M-class flares and a slight chance for X-flares through at least 15 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has picked up considerably. Since 23:15 UT, 9 June, there had been 5 C-class flares and 1 M1 flare. All of the C-flares and the M1 flare came from new AR 13030, which has rotated into view.<\/p>\n

On the opposite end of the Sun, AR 13029 decayed about as fast as it formed, having less than half the spots this morning as it did yesterday morning. The rest of the Sun has been quiet.<\/p>\n

The first column are red continuum images of the two spotted regions currently visible on the Sun. The second column are the H-alpha line centered images of the same regions. The continuum image of AR 13029 shows quite a bit of faculae south and southwest of the spotted region. The continuum images are 0.1 second exposures; the emission line images are 1.0 second exposures; and all are cropped 13.3’x13.3′ with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 (just above and left of image center) as imaged at 15:48:43 UT. The faculae below it could be the remnants of old, long decayed active regions.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 emission line image. The region is placed directly left of the image center. This image was recorded at 16:02:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13030 rotating into view. This image was recorded at 15:43:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13030 emission line image. This image was recorded at 16:00:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to remain low with C-class flare activity and a slight chance for M-flares through at least 12 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

Some new magnetic flux has emerged at the site of AR 13029, which became a spotless plage region a day earlier. This appears rather unusual in that the new spots were initially circular and the magnetic field was initially oriented north-south (the magnetic fields of sunspots are normally east-west, roughly). The first image was taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite at around 5:00 UT on 9 June. The second overlays the image with the magnetogram taken around the same time. Both images came from today’s edition of spaceweather.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

AR 13029 produced two C1 flares, one at 3:39 UT and one at 8:59 UT, both today (9 June). No further flares were observed from this region through at least 17:00 UT. By the time I observed this region, a leader and a trailing spot developed and became the dominant spots, while the active region itself lost it’s distinctive “C” shape.<\/p>\n

AR 13029 is currently the only spotted region visible on the Earth-facing solar disk. There are several faculae\/plage regions scattered across the sun. One such region is shown in the first image, a red continuum image of AR 13029 (left) along with a faculae field left over from some long gone active region (lower right). The right image centers on AR 13029 and shows its appearance in the light of H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 as imaged at 14:10:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 as imaged at 14:36:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 11 June 2022, with a slight chance of C-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be very low, with the sun appearing spotless visually this morning during the visual sunspot count. One region has rotated out of view, leaving two regions which lost their spots earlier today. The image below is of a bright facula\/plage region rotating into view along the eastern limb of the Sun. Each of the two images immediately below is 13.3’x13.3′ in size and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>East limb of the spotless sun showing some facula region (near edge). This red continuum image was recorded at 15:13:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>East limb of the Sun showing the corresponding plage region (not as distinct in this image). This image was recorded at 15:23:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 10 June 2022. There is a slight chance of C-class flares over the next three days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be very low. In fact, during this morning’s visual sunspot count, I found no spots on the Sun larger than about 2″ across, so the disk has gone spotless as far as we can see. The spots did not show on today’s images, either. The two image below are of the disk of the Sun adjacent to the east limb. The “x” marks the approximate location of AR 13029, which is not very distinct in either image. AR 13027, on the opposite side of the Sun, also has decayed from view. It is still viewable near the west southwestern limb but is very indistinct. The other regions we’ve been watching, AR 13023 and 13024 have rotated out of view. Each of the two images immediately below is 18.0’x13.3′ in size and oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n

It is normal for the sun to go blank, or almost so, during solar maximum. While the overall number of spots increases and maxes out, over shorter time scales, the number can go up and down significantly. Overall, though, the sunspot number is increasing faster than predicted. Check out this update from NOAA SWPC<\/a> on the progression of the current solar cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 (“x”) along with some old faculae in this red continuum image taken at 15:31:56 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region of the Sun, but as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:49:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 9 June 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be very low, as the small spots visible last week rotate out of view and one more rotates into view (there were two new groups, in the northern and southern hemisphere, but the northern hemisphere one decayed to spotless plage). The southern hemisphere group, now a single spot, produced a C1 flare at 12:00 UT on 5 June. Otherwise, all is quiet with a nearly featureless, spotless Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13027 (dark spot, bottom, just left of center) and AR 13023 (bright spot near limb, above and right of 13027) are imaged in this red continuum image, taken at 16:27:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions: AR 13027 is labeled and marked by a small bright plage. Image processing artifacts are arrowed. This image was recorded at 17:06:31 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13029 (single spot right of center) as imaged in red continuum light at 16:30:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region (arrowed) appears almost lost amidst the H-alpha textures. This image was recorded at 17:02:22 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low until at least 8 June, with a chance for C-flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 3, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity continues to be very low, with only a B8.1 flare at 2:48 UT and a B6.7 flare at 7:20 UT today, both from AR 13024. Completely quiet otherwise\u00a0 (through 16:30 UT), as the four visible spotted regions on the Sun remain inactive, either stable or slowly decaying. No more spotted groups have rotated over the eastern limb, but this could change in a day or two. Not too many filaments are visible on the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

The first image is a red continuum image of three of the four active regions; the second and third are H-alpha images of the regions. Each is cropped to 13.3’x13.3′, with celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13026 (upper right), 13023 (lower right), and 13027 (lower left) as imaged at 13:57:20 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13023 (just right of image center), 13024 (bottom left), and 13027 (left edge just above center. This image was recorded at 14:46:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13026 approaches the western solar limb and continues to decay. This image was recorded at 14:48:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low over the next three days, with a chance for C-flares and a slight chance for M-flares through at least 5 June.<\/p>\n

June 2, 2022<\/h2>\n

Very low solar activity was interrupted by a C1 flare that erupted from a region behind the eastern edge of the Sun. This event occurred today at 6:21 UT and was the only such event to happen all day (through at least 19:25 UT). The large filament in yesterday’s image of the three active regions launched itself into interplanetary space around 5:00 UT. This produced a coronal mass ejection that is likely to miss the Earth.<\/p>\n

Four small spotted regions are currently visible on the Sun, two of them stable, two of them in slight decay. AR 13027, the new region just noticed yesterday, has something unusual about it. The polarity is reversed from what it should be. More on this can be read from the www.spaceweather.com page<\/a>, the page from June 2 (if you look after June 2, enter June 2, 2022 in the archives).<\/p>\n

The images are presented in the usual manner for this website: the left column images are red continuum images, taken at the indicated time, 0.1 second exposures. The right column images are H-alpha emission line images, 1.0 second exposure. Each image is cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ and is shown so that celestial north is up, west is right. Solar north is currently tilted 15 degrees left of celestial north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 13023 (close pair of spots right of image center), 13024 (bottom, and 13027 (left) are carried along by the Sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 16:18:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions, minus the filament that launched last night. This image was recorded at 16:57:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13025 approaches the western limb and its trailing end looks like it is decaying already. This image was recorded at 16:12:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13025 in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:59:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares, and a slight chance of M-class flares, through at least 4 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

June 1, 2022<\/h2>\n

The extended stretch of low solar activity continues as the currently-visible spot groups are small and mostly inactive. Two new regions are growing on the solar disk: AR 13026, which has been the source of several B-class flares; and another region which I expect to be labeled 13027, east of the 13023\/13024 pair. AR 13023 and 13024 remain quiet, and AR 13025 has rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

There are three spot groups on the far side of the Sun, based on helioseismology. Check out the far side map image<\/a>, which shows three possible spot groups. The largest of these is at least 10 days from rotating into view, but could provide a source of activity should it hold out until then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13027 (left), 13023 (right), and 13024 (bottom center), imaged in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 14:44:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as previous image, but in the light of H-alpha emissions. This view allows several filaments to be seen. This image was recorded at 15:20:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Newly developed AR 13026 as seen in this red continuum image, taken at 14:48:33 UT. AR 13025 appears as a white spot on the edge of the Sun just above center.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at 15:42:47 UT in H-alpha emission light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares, through at least 3 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 31, 2022<\/h2>\n

The extended stretch of low solar activity continues as the currently-visible spot groups are small and mostly inactive. A new region had developed over the weekend, AR 13025, but is preparing to rotate out of view. AR 13023 and 13024 remain quiet, and two new spots\/spot groups have formed, one east of the AR 13023 \/ 13024 pair and one east of AR 13025. These two regions have not been numbered yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13023 (top) and 13024 (bottom), along with a new single spot (left edge of image), as viewed at 16:03:17 UT in red continuum.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in H-alpha, where a fairly large, dark filament is visible among the two larger spotted regions. This image was recorded at 16:35:11 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13025 (near sun’s edge, right) and a new active region (left, below center, are visible in this red continuum image, recorded at 16:09:40 UT.\u00a0 The brighter spots below and left of 13025 are the remnants of 13021.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:37:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a chance for C-class flares, through at least 2 June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 26, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is trending back to a quiet phase as large AR 13014 rotates out of view. Despite its complex “beta-delta” magnetic configuration, it has been quiet except for a C2.9 flare at 2:20 UT. AR 13017 has been producing all of the activity today, a series of C-class flares. The largest event so far was a C7.2 from AR 13017. Once these regions rotate out of view, the Sun is nearly blank, with only 3 spotted regions, each with only one or two spots, dotting the disk. So we did a short survey type session to image all of the visible features on the solar disk this morning. The images below display all the visible spotted regions in two images. Each of the images includes two or three regions (labeled in each of the continuum images, left column). All the images are cropped to 13.3′ square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Two spotted regions and a plage (facula in continuum) region are imaged and labeled. This image was recorded at 15:29:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in the light of H-alpha emission. This image was recorded at 16:45:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three numbered spotted regions are imaged in this red continuum image, recorded at 15:34:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions, plus three filaments, in this H-alpha image recorded at 16:48:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Aside from a slight chance of an M-class flare from AR 13014\/13017 complex before it rotates out of view, solar activity is expected to be low through at least 28 May 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 25, 2022<\/h2>\n

Despite some impressive regions on the solar disk, solar activity the last week has been low overall. Since the M3 of 20 May, there had been no M-flares until this afternoon, only lots of c-class activity. After a period of not-so-favorable weather, we resumed observations today and were surprised by the M1.3 flare we observed this afternoon. Although AR 13014 still looks impressive, it is about to rotate out of view, taking any activity with it. The other regions visible on the solar disk look quiet and un-remarkable.<\/p>\n

The M1.3 was imaged by the Solar Dynamics Observer and can be seen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13014 (triangular formation) and 13017 (three large spots below it) as imaged at 17:19:43 UT in red continuum. The image is 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, plus AR 13019 upper left corner (single spot bottom center is a processing artefact) in H-alpha. This 15.0’x13.3′ image was recorded at 17:59:06 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12016 is not distinct here, but it is marked by a filament in this 13.3′ square H-alpha image. This image was recorded at 18:00:40 UT, less than 16 minutes before the filament exploded.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The exploding filament produced an M1.3\/1N flare, seen here. The optical peak was at 18:17 UT; the X-ray peak was at 18:24 UT; and this 15.0’x13.3′ H-alpha image was recorded at 18:23:35 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Some new AR’s are visible on the eastern limb. The single spot at far right is AR 13022, with AR 13023 (top close pair of spots) and 13024 (single spot directly below) along the limb. AR 13023 produced a C5.1\/SF yesterday at 22:17 UT but was quiet today. This 13.3’x13.3′ red continuum image was recorded at\u00a0 17:24:46 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions are visible in this 13.3’x13.3′ H-alpha image. All three regions appear un-remarkable as none produced any flare activity through at least 21:00 UT, 25 May. This image was recorded at 18:44:47 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be mainly low, with some chance for M-class flares, through at least 27 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 19, 2022<\/h2>\n

There was a pause to the observing program to take care of various other needs with the ending of another semester. The pause will resume after today’s session as inclement weather is expected all next week and work in other areas pushes forward. The sun had been mildly active over the last week or so. The X-ray background has not dropped below C1.0 for over a week now; there are numerous C-flares and SF’s from various regions, and seven M-flares have occurred over the last week, with the strongest being in the overnight hours of North America. This was an M5.6 from AR 13017.<\/p>\n

There are 11 labeled regions on the sun’s disk, with 8 of them observed to have spots this morning. These regions are depicted in images below: the ones in the left column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; the ones to the right are H-alpha images, 1.0 seconds each, of the same areas on the Sun’s disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three solar regions are depicted in this 15.5’x13.3′ image. This image was recorded at 17:03:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but more centered on AR 13007, which nears the limb. This image was recorded at 17:27:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Another view of the three regions, in an unlabeled image format. This image was recorded at 17:04:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>This primarily shows AR 13010 (top center). This 13.3′ square image was recorded at 17:28:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three active regions are displayed in this area of the solar disk. AR 13014 is the dominant region. This image was recorded at 17:00:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but in H-alpha. This 15.0’x13.3′ image was recorded at 17:22:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three more regions are shown in this image, a 13.3’x13.3′ image taken in red continuum. This image was recorded at 17:08:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions but in H-alpha, as depicted in this 15.5’x13.3′ image. This image was recorded at 17:30:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with an ongoing chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares (mainly from AR 13014), through at least 21 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

After yesterday’s M1 flare, which elevated solar activity to moderate levels, activity has been low with only C-class flares from several active regions. The X-ray background has been above C1.0 continuously since 17:09 UT yesterday and continues to at least 22:11 UT today. Active Region 13007 continues to grow but has not produced anything more than C-class flares. AR 13006 has decayed some, but had experienced some growth, and hasn’t produced any flares today.<\/p>\n

Each of the below images have been cropped to 13.3’x15.3′. The first column contains red continuum images; the second includes H-alpha images. Most of today’s images were made through cirrostratus of varying thicknesses; the clouds were somewhat thicker during the continuum imaging phase so these exposures were 1.0 seconds, like the H-alpha images. The purpose of today’s brief session was to gather follow-up images of the solar features we had been following all week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 (lower right) and 13007 (upper left) continue to drift across the solar disk, carried by the Sun’s rotation. This image was recorded at 19:36:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions as displayed left, but in H-alpha emission. The image appears a bit muted due to high cloudiness. This image was recorded at 20:23:46 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13010 (near edge of Sun, left) is coming into better view, following AR 13007 (lower right) across the Sun. This image was recorded at 19:36:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same Active Regions as image to left, but in H-alpha emission. High clouds had thickened a bit more, muting the H-alpha textures and features. This image was taken at 20:03:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least 15 May. There is a chance for M-flares and a slight chance for X-flares during this period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 12, 2022<\/h2>\n

Today was quieter than yesterday in terms of solar activity, with fairly frequent C-class activity and only a single M-class event as of 22:40 UT, 12 May. AR 13006 and 13007 continue to be the main targets of monitoring today as the latter had the potential of an M-class or a slight potential of an X-class flare event. The M1.3 event did not have a defined source, but both 13006 and 13007, along with newly-visible region 13010 were the sources of most of the C-class activity.<\/p>\n

The first two images are red continuum images of the regions indicated at the times stated. Each image is a 0.1 second exposure and measures 13.3’x13.3′ on the sky. The third is a 15.0’x13.3′ H-alpha image, 1.0 second exposure. Celestial north is up, west is right in each of these images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 seems to be in decay mode. This image was recorded at 14:51:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 (lower right) continued to grow and harbor potential for a major flare, while new AR 13010 (along the sun’s edge above center) rotated into view and produced a few flares of its own. This image was recorded at 14:54:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 (upper left) and 13006 (lower right) as imaged in H-alpha emission line light. This image was recorded at 15:45:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 14 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 11, 2022<\/h2>\n

Numerous small flares happened today between AR 13006 and AR 13007, mostly with AR 13307. They included lots of “SF’s” (small, faint optical flares), C-class events and M-class events. There were three M-class events: an M1.6 from 13007 at 16:49 (just after we closed down due to high clouds thickening), an M2.6 at 18:58 UT\u00a0 (about 30 minutes after we re-opened after skies cleared) and an M2.2 at 19:31 UT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 in H-alpha light. This 13.3’x13.3′ image was recorded at 15:25:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 (left) and 13006 (right) imaged in red continuum light. This 18.0’x13.3′ image was recorded at 18:40:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 (left), with part of AR 13006 (lower right) about 0.1 Angstroms blue-ward of H-alpha centerline. The black “fluff” above the left end of 13007 is real, as a flare was in progress at the time of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

C-class flares are expected, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 13 May.<\/p>\n

May 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

AR 13004 has rotated out of view, leaving two spotted active regions. AR 13006 developed a tight delta configuration in its central region (an interesting read about this can be obtained here<\/a>, ensure it is the May 10 “issue” of this page). AR 13007 shows some development in its trailing regions also. Solar activity remained low through the early hours of this morning until an x1.5\/1B flare erupts out of AR 13006, peaking in intensity at 13:55 UT (before we started observations, with mostly cloudy skies in place at that time). Prior to that, the X-ray flux abruptly rose to C3.7 level and plateaued for nearly a half-hour before the X-flare occurred. After the X-flare subsided, the X-ray background rose back to M1 level then slowly decayed, taking until 18:48 (some five hours later) to reach and drop below C1.0 level. Since then, not much in the way of significant activity.<\/p>\n

Technical issues delayed the start of this morning’s observations, and a camera issue resulted in an unused STT-8300 camera being switched in for the one in use for the last year-and-a-half. This camera had some issues midday which resulted in a three hour gap in observations, but the system is operational as of this writing. The images below show the two spotted regions: the first two are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each, of AR 13006 (top) and 13007 (center, with some of 13006 visible lower right). The bottom is an H-alpha image of both regions in one frame, a 1.0 second exposure. Except for the first image, which spans 13.3’x13.3′, each image covers 15.0’x13.3′; celestial north is up, west is right in each image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 stretches almost from the left edge of the image to the right. This image was recorded at 14:43:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13007 (left, center) with the trailing half of AR 13006 (lower right corner) as imaged at 14:44:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Both AR 13006 (lower right) and 13007 (upper left) are visible in this image. The former still glows with the aftermath of the X1.5 flare 67 minutes earlier. This image was recorded at 15:02:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with s chance of M-class flares through at least 12 May 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun has been at low activity levels since 14:16 UT May 5, the last M-class flare that has occurred to date. Since them only C-class flares have been occurring from three active regions (AR 13004, 13006 and 13007). So today we moved into quiet sun mode with only a short session in the morning hours. During this session, the Sun remained quiet with no flares. Today only three low level C- and one B-class event occurred. The spotted active regions of today are depicted in images below.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3′ squared, with celestial north up, west right. The first column are red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposures. The second column are H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Departing AR 13004 is visible on the limb of the sun in this red-continuum image. This image was recorded at 15:16:57 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, as imaged in H-alpha, along with a few area filaments. This image was recorded at<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Active region 13007 (upper left) and 13006 (lower right) do not look particularly remarkable. This image was recorded at 15:14:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:45:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance for an M-class flare or two, through at least 11 May.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

Since the pair of M-class flares yesterday during the predawn local time, solar activity has remained low until the present (22:00 UT). There were numerous low-level C-class flares, the greatest of which was a C4.8\/SF at 16:22 UT, We observed this event with AR 13004, which was the prime target for monitoring today and yesterday.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3′ squared, with celestial north up, west right. The first column are red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposures. The second column are H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13004 (near image center) and 13001 (below 13004), as imaged at 15:02:44 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha, with several filaments in the area. This image was recorded at 15:40:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 in red continuum light. It appears to be dispersing a bit but was still contributing a few C-flares this past day. This image was recorded at 15:05:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 in H-alpha light, showing the filament that has been leading it across the Sun the last few days. This image was recorded at 15:23:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is likely to be moderate with a chance of an X-class flare through at least 8 May. There’s indications of another active spot group just behind the SE limb of the Sun. This group is expected to rotate into view this weekend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 5, 2022<\/h2>\n

The day started with 2 M-class flares less than an hour apart. AR 13004 produced an M2.2\/SN at 13:16UT; AR 13006 produced an M2.7\/SF that peaked at 14:10 UT (during both it was cloudy at PV Solar Observatory). Many C-class flares have come from mostly AR 13004 (22 of them from AR 13004 from 1:36 to 19:09 UT). Skies surprisingly cleared enough to get a full session in, for about an hour we imaged and looked for flare activity from the busy active region. Weather was expected to be cloudy ahead of storms later today.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3′ squared, with celestial north up, west right. The first column are red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposures. The second column are H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposures. The crater-like ghost images in the red continuum images are processing artefacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13004 (upper left), 13001 (lower left) and 12999 (lower right), as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:55:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13004 dominates this image of three spotted regions. A few filaments sit amongst the spot groups. This image was recorded at 16:10:43 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13006 as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:56:51 UT,<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region as imaged at 16:08:50 UT. Also captured a filament west of (right) the region.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels through at least 7 May, due to likely M-class flares , from AR 13006, along with AR 13004.<\/p>\n

May 4, 2022<\/h2>\n

Six Flares Observed in One Day<\/h3>\n

In a 24 hour period, AR 13004 produced more than 18 solar flares (15+ C-class and 3 M-class, which includes an M5 at 8:59 UT<\/a>.) and a half dozen were captured in today’s observing session. AR 13006 (second image from right) was also a source for flaring activity. Each of the below images are 5’x5′ crops, centered on the source active region, taken within minutes of the flare’s optical or X-ray peak output. The M and C prefixes signify the X-ray strength of the flare, the number that follows further refines the strength. Sometimes one may see “SF” or “1N” next to the X-ray class. This indicates the optical importance of the optical component of a flare (the S, 1, 2, 3 specify the size; the F, N, B denotes the surface brightness in three parameters: “Faint”, “Normal”, and “Bright”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>M1.1\/1N\/1F flare as observed at 16:33 UT, 2 minutes after max.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>C3.0\/SF as imaged at 18:31 UT, about 2 minutes after peak output.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>C8.6\/SF as observed at 19:05 UT, near its peak.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>M1.5\/1F flare observed at 19:49 UT, one minute after peak.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A 1F optical flare observed at 20:33 UT, three minutes after max.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The two AR’s are expected to remain active through at least the 7th of May.<\/p>\n

Daily Solar Observations Highlight<\/h3>\n

Solar activity reached high levels after an X1.1\/SF yesterday. There was also an M5 flare that happened after the conclusion of yesterday’s session. Both of these originated from a region just behind the southeast limb. Some of this region has become visible this morning, but it may be a different region with the actual source region yet to rotate into view. The new region, as of yet unnumbered. does not appear too impressive.<\/p>\n

However, AR 13004 is growing and looking more impressive as it crosses the center of the solar disk It produced an M5.7\/1B flare at 8:59 UT. It also produced 9 C-flares (C1.0 to C8.6), one B-flare (a B8.9) and another M-flare (M1.1\/1N\/1F at 16:31), which we were able to observe in part. AR 13004 is one of four spotted regions visible on the solar disk. The first pair of images below show three of the four. AR 13004 dominates at upper left, with AR 13001 directly below it, and AR 12999 toward the right edge, near the Sun’s edge.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3′ squared, with celestial north up, west right. The first column are red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposures. The second column are H-alpha images, each 1.0 second exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Three spotted AR’s with AR 13004 the largest. This image was recorded at 14:55:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 13004 and two smaller regions, along with a filament, as seen in this image, recorded at 15:34:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Un-numbered region (likely soon to be AR 13006) as imaged in red continuum light at 14:56:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, as imaged in H-alpha. Two filaments are arrowed. This image was recorded at 15:40:11 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The forecast calls for the likelihood of M-class flares through at least 6 May, from the southeastern quadrant of the Sun, along with AR 13004.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 3, 2022<\/h2>\n

There was a series of flares of increasing magnitude overnight as an active region is about to rotate over the southeastern limb of the Sun. Meanwhile, AR 13004 is developing and was responsible for several flares today, including an X1.1 that happened at 13:25 UT today. An extreme UV image of this event can be seen here<\/a>. The same unseen region was responsible for an M1.3 at 8:001 UT. Since the X1.1 flare, through at least 22:00 UT, solar activity has remained low, with only a C1.5 event from an unspecified location.<\/p>\n

During the imaging session the southeastern limb did not appear to be too active, so the focus was on the active region 13004. The below images show three of the spotted active regions. Each image is 14.3’x13.3′ and is set so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13004 (upper left), 13001 (lower left) and 12999 (lower right) as imaged in red continuum. This image was recorded at 15:14:49 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with a filament or two added. This image was recorded at 15:36:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least May 5, though it could be moderate to high given the active region rotating into view over the SE limb. This was AR 12992 during its last visible passage across the visible disk of the Sun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 2, 2022<\/h2>\n

Skies were variably cloudy all day, Since Friday, AR 12994 became even more active. It produced five M-class flares and an X1.1 on 30 April. It continued putting out C-class flares on 1 May and is the source for at least one low-level C flare this morning. The Solar Dynamics Observatory observed the X-flare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Four spotted regions are visible on the Sun today, down from eight last week. All of these are small and quiet, but AR 13003 seems to be resurging as new growth is seen where a day earlier all that existed there was plage. (NOTE: What was thought to be AR 13003 was designated 13004, an apparently new active region.) We did a short session today to image all the spots and features in red continuum and H-alpha. Outside the session, there had been some C-class events, including a C3.2 that peaked at 19:20 UT, but with no assigned region as of this writing.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ to include the relevant details. The first column below contains red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column includes H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each. The time each was taken is indicated as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12999 is the single spot below and left of center. The remnants of 12997, including three tiny spots, can be seen in the upper right corner of the image. This image was taken at 16:16:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12999 and 12997 as seen in H-alpha. Both regions are quiet and unremarkable. This image was recorded at 16:35:59 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 13001 (lower left), 13004 (just above and right of image center) and hints of a new, un-designated region (upper left), as captured in this image recorded at 16:23:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as observed in H-alpha at 16:34:50 UT. Note the filaments scattered about. This image was recorded at 16:34:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least May 4.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 29, 2022<\/h2>\n

Skies were variably cloudy all day, with fewer clouds overall during the afternoon hours. We decided to follow the AR complex for the entire day after an overnight (Houston time) M1 flare from spotless region 12996 (which can be viewed in a still image here<\/a>) at 7:30 UT.<\/p>\n

There are seven spotted regions visible on the Sun today: one is very difficult to see as it rotates out of view, and one is unnumbered. The one rotating out of view is actually a pair: AR 12993 and 12994. AR 12994 produced an M1.2\/SF at 18:10 UT (X-ray peak), with the optical component peaking four minutes earlier. A complete sequence was not possible, nor was an extra set of flats needed to properly calibrate available due the the abundant cloud cover. The three images below are cropped to 10.5’x6.7′ and oriented so that celestial west is up, north is left in each image.<\/p>\n

As this page goes to post, it seems that AR 12994 is at it again. There is an X-ray event underway and GONG images show some activity on the limb near where the below flare took place. This new event is not as powerful, registering a C3 and peaking at 22:56UT, 29 April. It shows the long decay as the previous M1 flare showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12994 and related limb activity as imaged at 18:04:51 UT. Celestial west is up and north left in each of these three images.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This image was recorded near the optical peak of the flare, at 18:06:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A little over six minutes later, at 18:12:56 UT, the flare reaches high above the solar surface, resembling a terrestrial tornado.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ to include the relevant details. The first column below contains red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column includes H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each. The time each was taken is indicated as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12995 is the dominant spot in the image, with AR 12997 visible as a pair of spots near the left edge. This image was recorded at 15:04:34 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as seen in H-alpha light. The regions 12993 and 12994 are right on the edge of the visible disk so they cannot be seen. This image was recorded at 15:39:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four spotted regions are seen in this image. Three of them have numbers, a fourth does not (it is located close to the left edge of the image). This red continuum image was recorded at 15:10:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as the previous image, but in H-alpha emission light. This image was recorded at 15:41:33 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be mainly low, with a slight chance of M-class flares through at least May 1.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 28, 2022<\/h2>\n

More clouds were present to hinder observations. After a cloudy start, the skies ranged from partly to mostly cloudy and only a short two-hour session was held in the late morning. This was to provide follow-up images of regions and features and look for the occasional C-flare that has been happening regularly from many of the eight visible active regions seen on the Sun today.<\/p>\n

The spotless region AR 12996 produced a C6.7 flare event that peaked at 3:06 UT. AR 12994 was the source of three other flares (C1, C2, and C1) that all peaked before 12:15 UT today. It just released another flare, a C3.7 which peaked at 18:12 UT today after the daily session closed. No significant events were observed during our session from 15:30 to 17:00 UT.<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ to include the relevant details. The first column below contains red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column includes H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each. The time each was taken is indicated as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex is exiting, with the large spot being AR 12995. One can see part of AR 12997 along the left edge of the frame. This image was recorded at 15:23:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The AR complex in H-alpha. This has been quiet for the most part but is producing C-flares fairly regularly. This image was recorded at 16:51:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Four AR’s are visible in this image: 12999 at lower right, 13001 at\u00a0 lower left, 13000 making a triangle with the first two, and a new un-numbered one between the top spot and the solar edge. This image was recorded at 15:26:41 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha. These regions have been quiet and stable for the most part. This image was recorded at 16:36:44 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

NOAA continues to forecast a slight chance of M-class flares from the active region complex through 29 April. Overall, solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 30 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 27, 2022<\/h2>\n

It has been a beautifully sunny day all day today, with excellent seeing (steadiness) and transparency (clarity of air). Our active regions continue their steady march across the Sun’s disk, with the complex of four regions dropping by one as AR 12996 decays to plage. Even in its plage state, the region produced a long duration C7.6 flare that started around 14:20 UT and peaked at 14:54 UT. The event took two hours to decay back to pre-flare x-ray levels. The flare started and peaked before we started observing today, but we were able to catch some of the decay of this flare (second image, bright spots, below). Prior to this there had been five lesser events, ranging from C1.2 to C3.3 and coming from regions 12994, 12996, and 13001. Nothing significant has occurred since the long duration C7 event (as of 21:00 UT).<\/p>\n

Each image below is cropped to 13.3’x16.3′ to include the relevant details. The first column below contains red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The second column includes H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each. The time each was taken is indicated as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of AR’s 12995 (center), 12994 and 12993 as imaged at 15:22:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with decaying C7 flare (bright spots upper left of image center). This image was recorded at 15:44:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>All of the new active regions are small, simple, and quiet. AR 12997 is in the upper right corner; 12999 is below center, AR 13000 is near the solar edge above and left of center, and AR 13001 is below 13000. This image was taken at 15:24:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Four new active regions, as imaged in H-alpha. Note the wavy thin filament between the two lower spots which are (right) AR 12999 and (left) AR 13001. AR 13000 sits above 13001 and 12997 is in the upper right corner of this image, which was recorded at 15:56:30 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

NOAA continues to forecast a chance of M-class flares from the active region complex through 29 April.<\/p>\n

April 26, 2022<\/h2>\n

Breaks in the clouds for a short time allowed for a short session to image the regions we’ve been following over the last week or so. The active region complex that have been the focus of much observations last week is starting to rotate toward the western limb of the Sun. It continues to generate flares at fairly high frequency: between 8:00 and 17:00 UT today, there had been seven low-level C-class events. Outside of this sequence, the Sun had been mainly quiet. The last significant events have been two M-class events one right after the other, yesterday overnight North American time. Since then it’s been a pattern of short, frequent C-class flares, punctuated by longer-duration events. NOAA forecasted a 40% chance of M-class flares and a 10% chance of X-class flares today but at of 22:27 UT, 26 April, none of these has materialized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The active region complex as imaged in red continuum light. AR’s 12993 and 12994 are nearing the limb, with 12995 (single spot left of center) and 12996 (pair of spots upper left) following behind. This image was recorded at 16:34:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same complex of active regions in the light of H-alpha. Diffuse diagonal streaks are due to clouds sneaking into the flat field images. Note the semi-circular filament in the upper right corner of the image. This image was recorded at 17:10:49 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12999 (near image center) is being followed by two un-numbered spots near the edge of the Sun. This red continuum image was recorded at 16:39:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as previous in H-alpha, but AR 12997 (pair of dots upper right) is also included. This image was recorded at 16:56:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

NOAA continues to forecast a chance of M-class flares from the active region complex; there is a slight chance of C-class flares from the same complex through at least 28 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 25, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels this morning thanks to a pair of M-class flares from AR 12993. The Sun had been quiet over the weekend but has just begun to ramp up the activity level lately. Today’s observing was an attempt (or several attempts) to capture some followup images of the large complex of active regions under a mostly cloudy sky with some breaks. The opportunities were brief, but we were able to capture some imaged. Unfortunately these weren’t the best but we did capture the C3 flare from 12993 (visible as two faint arcs below the middle sunspot). The first two images below are of AR’s 12993, 12994, and 12995. The first of these was in red continuum, the second in H-alpha. The third is an image taken in red continuum of AR 12999 (it was not possible, due to weather, to get an H-alpha image of this region).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 12995 (left), 12994(center, lower right) and 12993 (right, above leader spot of 12994) in this red continuum image taken at 16:02:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, but in H-alpha, taken at 16:12:13 UT. A C3 flare, less than a minute from the optical peak, appears as two faint arcs below the center spot.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The largest of the non-complex active regions, AR 12999. This new region was imaged in red continuum at 16:07:39 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate thru at least 27 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 22, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains in the moderate range as periodic C-class flares continue, with two M-class events since yesterday’s short session. AR 12993 was the source of both M-flares: an M1.1 at 5:14 UT and an M3.4\/2B flare at 13:25 UT. Since these events, all has been quiet during today’s watch, except for a C3.6 at 13:45 UT and a C2.0 (observed as a “SF”) at 15:08.<\/p>\n

The first set of images are of the “AR Complex”, four regions that include AR’s 12993, 12994, 12995, and 12996. These images are cropped to 13.3’x15.0′ to include the entire region. The second set of 13.3’x13.3′ images are of AR 12991, whose spots have decayed two days ago, but more have re-emerged. It is essentially a quiet region. The first column are red continuum images, the second are H-alpha line center images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex of four active regions, as imaged at 14:15:49 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The AR complex as imaged in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 14:55:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12991 (two dots just below center) as imaged in red continuum at 14:18:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 14:46:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels with M-class flares expected and a chance for an X-flare through at least 24 April 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 21, 2022<\/h2>\n

High solar activity continues. AR 12933 produced an M9.6\/1N flare<\/a>, whose X-ray peak happened at 1:59 UT and the optical peak was at 2:24 UT. This region produced 5 SF’s (small flares) beside the large one. AR 12994 produced a C5.4\/1F flare at 12:55 UT. Since then the Sun has been quiet with the X-ray background around the C1.5 to C2.0 level with a very slow decline.<\/p>\n

Solar imaging was much briefer than anticipated due to much cloudier conditions than anticipated (even by most weather forecasting entities). We only obtained a few continuum images, along with calibration images. Solid overcast remained for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

This image was recorded at 17:31:29 UT (four minutes after the peak of a C3.1 flare), and it shows four active regions. The 12993\/12994 pair is in the lower right of the image. The larger single spot, left-center, is AR 12995. The smaller spot almost directly above it is AR 12996.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels through at least 23 April, with M-class flares expected and a chance for an X-class flare from AR’s 12993 and 12994<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 20, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to be rather active today with 14 C-class flares, 3 M-class flares and an X2.2 flare. The X-flare was from AR 12992, which was just over the solar horizon, having rotated out of view yesterday. Regions 12992, 12993, and 12994 produced these flares, with an M7.2 at 1:36 UT from AR 12992, an M 1.2 from AR 12994 at 1:14 UT, and an M1.9 at 12:53 UT from AR 12993. Skies unexpectedly became partly cloudy by mid-day, enabling observations of these active regions. Clouds were variable, so coverage was variable, occurring mainly between 17:00 and 20:15 UT. We observed a C7.7\/SF at 17:57 UT from AR 12993 and a C8.9\/SF at 18:40 UT. The only other region outside of the complex of regions shown below is AR 12991, in the southern solar hemisphere, which continues to decay.<\/p>\n

The first image below is a 0.1-second exposure in red-continuum light taken at the indicated time. It shows AR 12993, 12994, 12995 (the single spot far left) and yet another region (smaller single spot above 12995 right on the edge). These same regions are depicted in the two H-alpha images below center and right, each 1.0 second exposure taken at the times indicated. The second H-alpha shows the C8.9 flare near the X-ray peak intensity. Each image is 13.3’x13.3′ with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The AR complex as seen in red light. This image was taken at 17:01:47 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The AR complex in a relative quiescent state as imaged at 17:33:15 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>A C9 flare is visible in this image of the AR complex, recorded at 18:40:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels through at least April 22 with M-flares expected and a chance for X-flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 19, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun has declined in activity over the last day or so. Since 24 hours ago (21:00 on 18 April) only one M-class flare occurred, from AR 12993 at 4:50 UT. The X-ray background has been above C1.0 level since 1:30 UT today, after a brief dip into “B” territory following four full days of being continuously at or above C1.0 level. Today there have been five C-class events and one M1.0 event. The C-events came from AR 12993 or 12992; the M1.0 event, which peaked at 4:50 UT, was from AR 12993. There had been three further C-class events, a C3.3 at 14:06 UT, a C3.3 at 17:00 UT and a C4.4 at 18:42 UT. Further to these was an M3.7 from departing AR 12992 at 20:49UT and an M1.6\/SN from AR 12994 at 21:13 UT.<\/p>\n

The complex of large spots in the northeastern part of the Sun’s disk, dominate the Sun’s appearance. Other regions have either become quieter and simpler, or have rotated out of view. AR’s 12993, 12994 and 12995 make up the complex in the northeastern part of the solar disk. the images below are of these regions, with a 0.1 second red continuum exposure in the first frame and a 1.0 second H-alpha exposure in the second frame. Observing lasted into the later part of the morning, when clouds moved in and rendered the sky overcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The complex of three large active regions slowly rotate into better view, but have remained mostly quiet. This red-continuum image was recorded at 14:01:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Active Regions, labeled in previous image, as viewed in H-alpha. This complex, since Sunday’s X1 flare, had been producing mainly C-class flares with occasional M-class. This image was recorded at 14:50:38 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar Activity is expected to reach high levels from now until the 21st of April. M-flares are expected with a chance for X-flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 18, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has increased over the last weekend and remains moderate today. Some larger active regions have rotated into view: they first became visible Saturday (16 April) as two large spots on the edge; the third spot appeared a day later. The entire complex has come into better view and had produced an X1 flare<\/a> that peaked at 3:35 UT on 17 April.<\/p>\n

Several M- and C-class flares have occurred since but most were from AR 12992, which recently formed and is now rotating out of view. Indistinguishable now from 12992 is 12987, which produced an M1.9\/SF today at 17:24 UT (the flare in its decay phase is shown below). There is the potential for more activity in the days ahead as the AR 12993\/12994 complex rotates more into view and possibly another large spot complex rotates right behind this one.<\/p>\n

The first column’s images are red-continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each, taken at the time indicated. The second column’s images are H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each, taken at the times indicated. Each image is cropped to 13.3′ square and is oriented so that Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12990 and plage region 12989 in this red continuum image taken at 14:45:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at 15:34:01 UT in H-alpha light.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12987 is just visible in this red-continuum image taken at 14:48:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12987 appears on the edge of the Sun, with the brightest part indicating the optical component of an M1 flare. This image was recorded at 17:28:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12993 (top right spot and string of smaller spots below) and 12994 (the two large bottom spots) in red continuum at 14:43:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions at 17:58:14 UT in H-alpha. Later, a C7.3\/SF was observed north of the large spot of AR 12987.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar Activity is expected to remain high with a good chance for another X-flare and with M-flares expected, through at least 20 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been low to very low for the last week, with the Sun becoming spotless on one of the days. However, there had been at least one C-class flare each day (except the 13th), the largest of which was a C4.9 at 2:40 UT on 10 April. A notable event was when\u00a0 a “dead sunspot” region, plage region 12987 produced a C1.5 flare on 11 April at 5:30 UT. This event hurled debris into space toward Earth (the video of this explosion, taken with the SDO satellite, can be seen here<\/a>). The CME has impacted the Earth’s magnetic field and as of this writing (18:25UT), a moderately strong G2 geomagnetic storm is happening now.<\/p>\n

A long duration C1 X-ray event occurred today, lasting nearly 4 hours and peaking at 13:22 UT. This was from one or more of some sunspots beyond the eastern limb that are poised to return in a few days. This may include old AR 12975, the source of an X-flare last month, which could reappear in the next 2-3 days or so. There has been much activity happening on the farside of the Sun, including this CME<\/a> which is set to impact Mercury. This was from a large sunspot complex which is expected to rotate over the Sun’s eastern limb in less than a week.<\/p>\n

The first column’s images are red-continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each, taken at the time indicated. The second column’s images are H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each, taken at the times indicated. Each image is cropped to 13.3′ square and is oriented so that Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Two active regions and a facular region are visible in this red continuum image taken at 14:40:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as depicted in H-alpha line center light. This image was recorded at 15:39:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This spot, visible since yesterday, is slowing rotating into view, as seen in this red continuum image, recorded at 14:49:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Un-numbered spot near S24 E70, as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:41<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low through at least April 16, with an increasing chance of C-flares as these three days progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

There has been a bit of an uptick in activity today, with low-lever C-class flares happening fairly regularly since 11:21 UT today. AR 12983 decayed to plage a few days ago, but new spots have re-emerged and has been the source of a C1.0 flare at 11:21 UT and another C1.0 flare at 17:29 UT (this event is shown below). AR 12978 and 12981 were the source of aC2.4\/SF (actually 2 SF’s) between 14:55 and 15:14 UT. Otherwise, solar activity has been low, with only four small active regions visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

AR 12978 and 12981 have continued to decay together and are about to rotate out of view.<\/p>\n

The first column’s images are red-continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each, taken at the time indicated. The second column’s images are H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each, taken at the times indicated. Each image is cropped to 13.3′ square and is oriented so that Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 and 12981 are about to rotate out of view as seen in this red continuum image recorded at 15:25:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 and 12981 as seen in this H-alpha image. There is a short filament left of 12978. This image was recorded at 15:56:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12983 has grown some more spots. This red-continuum image depicts them, as observed at 15:24:37 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12983 in H-alpha. The bright patches are the optical component of the decay phase of a C1.0 flare. This image was recorded at 17:33:07 UT, four minutes after flare maximum.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The only other spotted region visible on the Solar Disk is AR 12985 which remains mostly stable. This image was recorded at 15:27:01 UT. Note the patches of faculae left (east) of the spot group.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12985 as seen in H-alpha. The faculae regions seen in continuum do not display much plage (lighter spots) in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:04:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to get to very low levels through at least 10 April, with a slight chance of another C-flare or two today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low\u00a0 with the occasional C-class flare. AR 12985 produced one such event, a C1.2\/SF at 1:31 UT on 7 April, but otherwise everything has been quiet. Only 12985 and the pair 12978\/81 remain as visible spots on the solar disk. The latter is about to rotate out of view in a few days and are in the process of decaying.<\/p>\n

The filament that was observed yesterday launched itself from the Sun at 6:11 UT on 7 April. It is not clear yet whether this is headed toward Earth or not.<\/p>\n

The first column’s images are red-continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each, taken at the time indicated. The second column’s images are H-alpha line center images, 1.0 second exposure each, taken at the times indicated. Each image is cropped to 13.3′ square and is oriented so that Celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 and 12981 approach the edge of the Sun. This image was recorded at 15:28:19 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:55:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12985 (right), along with patches of old faculae (whitish patches near sun’s edge), which may have been former active regions. This image was taken at 15:31:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, but as seen in the light of H-alpha. The active region 12985 appears to the right; the other spotless regions are mostly indistinguishable. This image was recorded at 15:57:03 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

SWPC still forecasts a slight chance of an M-class flare through 9 April, though the Sun is most likely to remain quiet during this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 6, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to become more and more quiet. Active Regions 12978 and 12981 are generating an occasional C1\/SF, but have been quiet otherwise. Several long dark filaments are also visible, a few of which are imaged below.<\/p>\n

The first two images are AR 12978; the first is red continuum and the second is H-alpha. The accompanying region, AR 12981 has decayed to only a few tiny spots. The third image shows several prominent filaments. The one near the upper left corner of the image seems a bit active and could erupt at some time in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 and the remnants of 12981 as seen in this red-continuum image. This 13.3’x13.3′ image was recorded at 16:27:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 displays some plage and filaments in H-alpha. This 12.5’x12.5′ image was recorded at 16:27:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Several active filaments are visible on the solar disk. These prominent features have been making flat-fielding a challenge. This 13.3’x16.6’H-alpha image was taken at 17:31:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare through April 8.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 5, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun has quieted down considerably since last week. Active regions 12975 and 12976 have rotated out of view, leaving AR 12978 the largest region visible. Today it has decreased in size and has become quiet. Only two other small regions are visible on the visible disk. There are signs that more large active regions may be just over the eastern limb, ready to rotate into view in the next day or two.<\/p>\n

Several long dark filaments are also visible, a few of which are imaged below. Two have affected the flat field images and have left their marks as bright streaks near the bottom of the second and third images.<\/p>\n

The first two images are AR 12978, with 12981 below it, forming a triangle with the leading and trailing spots of the former. The third image depicts AR 12985 as a single dark spot devoid of place above image center. Note the dark filament in the bottom right part of the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 (the large dark spot and the one about 9:30 from it) along with 12981 (below, forming a triangle with 12978’s spots) as imaged in red continuum light at 18:00:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, with also some plage and several dark filaments. The bright strands at lower left and lower center are “ghost” filaments that were imprinted as processing artefacts. This image was recorded at 18:39:43 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12985 (above image center), along with a dark filament (lower right) as imaged in H-alpha at 18:39:43 UT. “Ghost filaments” appear in this image also, due to processing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance for an M-class flare through April 7.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 1, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has quieted down considerably since yesterday, with the greatest event in the last 24 hours (prior to 20:35 UT) being a C5. Of note is that the X-ray background has been continuously above C1.0 level since 10:15 UT, 30 March. Since yesterday’s M9 flare, there have been many minor C-class flares, entirely from AR’s 12978 and 12981. They seem to be trending less and less in intensity, but have been occurring from multiple times per hour to once every hour or two. The two larger active region pairs have dominated the solar disk. There is an unnumbered spot, a single spot near N24E58, and another trailing the 12978\/81 pair.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The pair AR 12975\/12076 are approaching the western limb of the sun and will begin to rotate out of view in a few days. This red continuum image was recorded at 14:33:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>So far AR 12975 has not unleased any significant flares today. It has not even been credited for any of the many C-flares occurring today.\u00a0 This H-alpha image was recorded at 14:58:44 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 (the large spot and the small group of spots immediately left), 12981 (the cluster below the trailing spots of 12978) and a single un-numbered spot (upper left) appear in this red continuum image taken at 14:31:11 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12978\u00a0 and 12981 have produced the most activity today. Note the dark surge immediately right of the large leader spot of 12978. The filament below and right has been there several days. This image was recorded at 14:52:28 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate through at least 3 April. There is a chance of X-class flares during this time, and AR’s 12975, 12978, and 12981 have the potential to produce M-class or greater events.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 31, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high today due to an M9.6 flare from AR 12975. This region had produced a couple of C-class flares before the large flare. It had been mostly quiet since. AR 12978, the other large active region, has produced several C-class flares. A newly-emerging region, AR 12981, located below 12978, produced some C-flare activity as well. But the highlight for the day was the M9.6 \/ 1B flare from AR 12975, shown below. Also, check out an animation of this event in extreme UV at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12976 (top center), 12975 (right of center) and 12980 (single spot bottom right part of image) as observed at 14:27:21 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as observed at 14:49:54 UT in H-alpha. AR 12980 is off the bottom edge of the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 in red continuum light. The ring of spots below and left of the large leader spot is a newly-emerged active region, AR 12981. This image was recorded at 14:34:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12978, AR 12981, and two filaments appear in this H-alpha image, obtained at 14:51:46 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We observed today’s M9.6 flare in its entirety. The event peaked optically at 18:37 UT and is shown in the below image.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low overall, with a chance of M-class flares and a slight chance of X-class flares through at least 2 April.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 30, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity was high today due to an X1.3 flare from AR 12975. This region had produced 11 C-class and 6 M-class flares on 28 March 2022 alone. These produced at least two coronal mass ejections (CME’s), the second of which is expected to overtake the first. The first was generated by the M4 flare at 11:29 UT (28 Mar.) and the second by the M1-flare at 19:24 UT (also 28 Mar.). Check out the CME’s here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some of the smaller active regions have decayed to plage regions; at least late this morning, no spots were observed at AR 12974, 12977, and 12979. There may be two small AR’s following AR 12978 onto the visible solar disk.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12975 (cluster of spots just below-right of image center) and 12976 (two large spots upper left) as imaged in red continuum at 16:51:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12975 and 12976 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:14:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 16:55:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12978 in H-alpha light. Note the filament that remains to the lower right (as seen in the image). This image was recorded at 17:18:34 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We observed today’s X1.3 flare in its entirety. The event began at 17:21UT, peaked at 17:37UT, and ended at 17:46 UT. The images below shows the event near the X-ray peak as observed by two instruments, the PVSO telescope (left) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite (right).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>X1.3 in H-alpha light<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory extreme ultraviolet image of the flare.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The event produced a full-halo CME, as can be seen in these newly released SOHO images<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be low, with a chance of M-class flares through at least 1 April.<\/p>\n

March 28, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun has become much more active in the last 24 hours or so as new magnetic flux in the form of many small spots clustered in the trailing end of AR 12975. This region produced an M4 flare which peaked at 11:29 UT; in fact the X-ray flux moved into the C-range at 11:00 UT and remained their continuously through this posting (21:35 UT).<\/p>\n

A large new active region (AR 12978) rotated into view and has produced a number of C-class flare events yesterday and earlier today, but since the M4 event, AR 12975 has been the source of a number of events, including another M1 at 17:32 and another at 20:59 UT. Observations started late this morning and will continue through 22:30 UT today to document this very active region.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 18.0’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Many active regions (numbered) are visible in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 17:08:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as previous image, but in the light of the H-alpha emission line. An M1 flare (bright spots) is peaking around image time. This image was recorded at 17:40:44 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new large active region, 12978, rotates into view. Another, smaller region, 12979 (lower right) emerges. This image was recorded at 17:05:58 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as observed in H-alpha. Note the filament below and right of 12978. This image was recorded at 17:28:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We observed six solar flares in one afternoon. Each of the below images was cropped to 10.5’x8.4′ centered on each flare and were taken in H-alpha line center. The first image was taken with the filter 0.9 Angstroms blueward of H-alpha line center and shows a component of this flare that was moving straight toward the Earth. The flare peak times are those of the X-ray flare peak; the optical flare peak is normally several minutes different than the X-ray peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>17:12:43 UT, a C9.8 flare that peaked at 17:13 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>17:42:41 UT, an M1.0 flare which peaked at 17:41 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>18:49:04 UT, a C6.3 flare that peaked at 18:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>19:23:59 UT, an M1.0 flare that peaked at 19:23 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>20:59:09 UT, an M1.1 flare which peaked at 20:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>22:45:28 UT, a C5.6 flare that peaked at 22:46UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 30 March 2022, with a chance for M-class flares each day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 25, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity became moderate due to an M1.4\/1F flare that peaked at 5:26 UT. This came from Active Region 2974. Several B-class events have taken place today, but none have been attributed to an active region, except for a B5.5 that peaked at 15:53 UT and was accompanied by brightening in AR 12974. AR 12975 actually is two regions: 12975 and 12976; both were quiet all day today. These three regions are the only spotted regions currently visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 (small spots, right) does not look like much but it was responsible for an M1 flare. This image was recorded at 15:14:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 looks more impressive in H-alpha, with a bright plage in its trailing regions. This image was obtained at 15:48:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>This is actually two active regions, AR 12975 (lower right) and 12976 (upper left) right next to each other in this red continuum image acquired at 15:16:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha. Aside from some C-flares yesterday, these regions have been quiet today. This image was recorded at 15:43:24 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 27 March 2022, with a chance for C-class flares each day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 24, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low, due a few C-class flares: AR’s 12974 and 12975 each produced several C-flares yesterday; today 12975 generated a C8.1 flare at 1:45 UT and 12974 produced a C1.9\/SF at 21:15 UT. These are the only spotted regions currently visible on the solar disk. AR 12975 may actually be two active regions right next to each other, but this should become clearer tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 as imaged in red-continuum light at 15:26:07 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:50:51 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12975 as seen in red continuum light. There are probably two AR’s here. This image was recorded at 15:27:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region(s) in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 15:47:12 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 26 March 2022, with a chance for C-class flares each day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 23, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains low, due to a series of C-class flares: AR 12972 produced a C1 flare yesterday then decayed to a single small spot as of this morning; AR 12974 produced a C1 and C4 flare yesterday, then a C2.5 and C3 flare today. The new active region, or the one still unseen behind it, produced a C7 flare event yesterday-the source of this was at or just beyond the northeast limb of the Sun.<\/p>\n

The images in the top row are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; the one in the second row in the table below is an H-alpha line image, a 1.0 second exposure. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 14:52:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Un-numbered AR, rotating into view as seen in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 14:54:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\u00a0Both regions appear in this single H-alpha image. AR 12974 is the lower of the two regions. There may be another, even larger sunspot group over the solar horizon, behind the active region near the top of the image. This image was recorded at15:22:23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 25 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 22, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun is nearly a blank disk today as observations have resumed. Only three small spotted groups are visible on the sun today, all in the solar northern hemisphere. These are depicted in images below.<\/p>\n

AR 12974 was the source of seven B- and C-class X-ray events between 0:00 UT and 20:25 UT. AR 12972 produced a C1.1 at 1:32 UT, and 12968 was the source of a B4.6 event an hour later. So solar activity is at low levels today.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each; those in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images, 1.0 second exposures. Each image covers 13.3’x13.3′ of sky with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 12972 (left pair of spots) and an un-numbered spotted region near departing 12970 (lower right) as imaged at 17:46:41 UT.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 17:56:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 12974, rotating into view. as seen in this red continuum image recorded at 17:43:23 UT.<\/td>\n\u00a0\"\"<\/a>AR 12974 in H-alpha, as imaged at 18:03:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 24 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 15, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels again today, thanks to an M1.4\/SN flare from active region 12965. In fact, through 21:00 UT this region was responsible for 4 C-class, 1 M-class and 1 B-class event, along with an optical “SF” event with no X-ray counterpart. Hence we decided to monitor this region for the entire day today (will total over 8 hours of coverage) for additional flares. So far, the C1.0 and the B4.5 were the only events documented thus far. The region was mostly quiet during this period (through 21:00 UT, with two more hours to go).<\/p>\n

The other visible regions on the Sun were unremarkable. AR 12960 is in the process of rotating out of view today, and AR 12968 decayed to plage while 12970 appeared as a small cluster of a half-dozen tiny spots.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each. The images in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images. These are 1.0 second exposures. The images of AR 12960 cover 13.3’x13.3′; and those of 12965 (with 12967 visible left edge) are 18.0’x13.3′ in size; celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12960 is getting more difficult to see on the edge of the Sun in this image taken at 15:01:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12960 as imaged in H-alpha. Note the prominence just below and left of the region. This image was recorded at 15:43:16 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12965\u00a0 (right) and 12967 (left) as imaged at 14:58:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at 15:29:25 UT. This was when the C1.0\/SF was starting; the flare is visible as two small bright spots adjacent to the largest spot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a slight chance of M-class flare activity, through at least 17 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels today. Active region 12965 appears as a long stretch of spots and was the source of an impulsive M2 flare at 8:40 UT today. The other visible regions on the Sun were unremarkable. AR 12960 appears as a rather large single spot, nearing the edge of the Sun. The complex of active regions that led this across the disk have all rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each. The images in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images. These are 1.0 second exposures. The images of four active regions cover 13.3’x13.3′ with celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12960 is about to be carried out of view. This red continuum image was recorded at 15:31:36 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12960 as seen in H-alpha light. This images was recorded at 16:13:36 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The long sprawl of AR 12965 is seen in this red continuum image taken at 15:28:34 UT. The single spot along the left edge is AR 12968 and the fuzzy spot below and right of it is a processing artifact.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as seen in H-alpha. During the watch, AR 12965 produced a C1.0\/sf event. This image was recorded at 15:53:04 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a slight chance of M-class flare activity, through at least 16 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. The spot groups remain visible on the solar disk, with AR 12965 looking more impressive as it rotates into view. The complex of five active and plage regions, followed by AR 12960, continues to rotate toward the western solar limb. A pair of flare ribbons appeared and lingered for a long time in the vicinity of AR 12962; these began around 18:25 and peaked (so far) at 20:33 UT at C2.8 level.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each. The images in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images. These are 1.0 second exposures. The images of four active regions cover 18.0’x13.3′ with celestial north up, east left. The images of AR 12965 in the bottom row are cropped to 13.3’x13.3′, celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12960 (dominants spot) and others appear in this image recorded at 16:10:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions are imaged in this H-alpha image at 16:42:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12965 in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 16:12:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12965 as imaged in H-alpha at 16:47:56 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a slight chance of M-class flare activity, through at least 12 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at low levels. There are six spot groups visible on the solar disk today, but most of these are unremarkable, meaning not much activity from them. Observations resumed today through breaks in the clouds.<\/p>\n

The images in the first column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each. The images in the second column in the table below are H-alpha line images. These are 1.0 second exposures. The images of four active regions cover 18.0’x13.3′ with celestial north up, east left. The images of AR 12965 in the bottom row are cropped to 13.3’x13.3′, celestial north up, east left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four AR’s are seen in this image; each is labeled. This image was recorded at 16:05:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:11:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new region is rotating into view, AR 12965. This image was recorded at 15:50:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region as in prior image, but in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 17:17:25 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a slight chance of M-class flare activity, through at least 11 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 3, 2022<\/h2>\n

Today was a much quieter day on the Sun, with hardly a “peep” since yesterday’s large, unexpected M2 flare event The last C-class event was a c1.0 at 23:20 UT on 2 March. Today, only five B-class events from AR’s 12959 and 12960 (the former is newly formed near 12957; the latter just rotated into view) occurred. So solar activity has been very low today.<\/p>\n

The spotted regions are depicted in images below, each taken at the indicated time. AR 12958 (bottom right) has become essentially spotless, showing only some plage in the H-alpha image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12954 and 12955 are nearing the edge of the Sun, getting ready to rotate out of view. This 13.3’x13.3′ red continuum image was recorded at 16:42:32 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR’s 12960, 12959, 12957 and 12961 (left to right) as depicted in this 18.0’x13.3′ image taken at 16:43:44 UT. The pair of spots on the left edge is 12960 and each spot (or tight bundle of spots) is an active region.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same AR’s as shown immediately left, as seen in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:33:36 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nleft.<\/em> AR 12954 and 12955 as they near the western edge of the Sun. This 13.3’x13.3′ H-alpha image was recorded at 17:14:56 UT.<\/p>\n

right.<\/em> This 18.0’x13.3′ image depicts AR 12958 (white spots left of center), which is now essentially spotless. The image was recorded at 17:16:19 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 5 March 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 2, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity reached moderate levels today thanks to an M2\/1B flare that came from an unexpected source: AR 12958. This event peaked at 17:39 UT (optical peak at 17:35 UT). This region was responsible for a C1.0 flare at 11:43 UT. AR 12957 had grown significantly since yesterday (compare images between yesterday and today) and was the source of seven flares between 1:30 UT and 9:42 UT today. These were small flares, B- and C-class in the X-ray component and “SF” in the optical component.<\/p>\n

Today’s spotted active regions are shown below, with red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) in the left hand column; and H-alpha line center images (each 1.0 second exposure) are in the right hand column. The images are cropped to 13.3′ square, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 12954 (right spot) and 12955 (left spot) as imaged at 15:19:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same spotted regions in H-alpha, as imaged at 15:40:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12957 (the large pair of spots) along with a newly emerging region (the small pair of spots immediately right) as imaged at 15:17:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha, with the view shifted to include a filament (left edge, center). This image was recorded at 16:03:58 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12958 does not look like much, but it was the source of an M2 flare. This image was recorded at 15:25:41 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12958 as imaged in H-alpha. Note the filament along the right edge of the image, near center. This image was recorded at 16:18:54 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 4 March, with the slight chance of isolated C-class activity.<\/p>\n

March 1, 2022<\/h2>\n

Today’s session was meant to provide a daily documentation of the regions and features of the Sun in red continuum and H-alpha light. AR 12957 and 12958 were monitored continuously for 30 minutes in the event of unexpected activity (there was none). There have since the session been three low amplitude, long duration B-class events: no reports are yet available as to the source, but it seems likely they are from AR 12957. Two earlier events came from this region: a B2.9\/SF peaking at 2:30 UT and a B6.7\/SF peaking at 13:08 UT. We monitored for such events from 16:42 to 17:15 and did not observe any. The subsequent events peaked at 18:02, 19:55 and 20:59 UT. NOAA SWPC’s outlook calls for a slight chance of C-class flares through at least March 3.<\/p>\n

The table below depicts the current spotted active regions, with red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) in the left hand column; and H-alpha line center images (each 1.0 second exposure) are in the right hand column. The images are cropped to 13.3′ square, with celestial north up, west right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12954, 12955, and 12956 (lower right to upper left) as imaged in red continuum at 15:58:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12954, 12955, and 12956 in H-alpha emission line light. This image was recorded at 16:21:32 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12958 (top) and 12957 (bottom) in red-continuum light as imaged at 15:59:33 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12958 and 12957 as imaged in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:23:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity has been very low and is expected to remain very low through at least 3 March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 28, 2022<\/h2>\n

After a ten-day hiatus due to travel and bad weather, observations have resumed once again. The eagerly-anticipated return of AR 12936 ( = AR 12954) ended up being a dud as it, along with a second, twin spot, rotated into view last week, entirely unremarkable. These were the only two regions visible on the Sun for several days before some additional, small active regions began to develop and rotate into view a couple days ago. The Sun’s disk now sports five spotted regions, with more possibly to come.<\/p>\n

Today’s session was short, meant to provide a daily documentation of the regions and features of the Sun in red continuum and H-alpha light. The table below depicts the current spotted active regions, with red continuum images (each 0.1 second exposure) in the left hand column; and H-alpha line center images (each 1.0 second exposure) are in the right hand column. The images in the first two rows are full-sized 18.0’x13.3′ images with celestial north up, west right. The last row of images are cropped to 13.3′ square. The images with multiple active regions are labeled in the first column.<\/p>\n

A c5\/SF erupted from the spotless plage region left and below (as seen in the bottom images) of the spotted region AR 12957. Other than this, all has been quiet the entire day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Four solar regions, 3 spotted and one plage (all labeled) are depicted in this red continuum image taken at 17:07:59 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha as imaged at 17:37:11 UT. Note how the two single-spotted active regions dominate the image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Two small active regions are depicted in this red-continuum image that was recorded at 17:10:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as imaged at 17:39:12 UT in the light of H-alpha emission.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12957 rotates into view as seen in this red image recorded at 17:10:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, looks more dynamic in this H-alpha image recorded at 17:31:44 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 2 March with a slight chance of C-class flare events.<\/p>\n

February 18, 2022<\/h2>\n

The decline in activity and spot number continues. AR 12948 is the largest visible active region on the Sun, with the other six regions either invisible or little more than one or two spots. Most of the regions are in states of decay, AR 12948 is stable. AR 12950 produced a C1 flare yesterday at 20:51 UT, and two B-class flares today prior to this afternoon’s observing session. Each image below is cropped to 13.3′ square and is oriented so celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12948 was the main focus of this image, but two other active regions appear near the right edge of the image. All three are labeled. This red-continuum image was recorded at 20:21:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions, but frame shifted slightly to include AR 12946 (upper right). This H-alpha line-center image was recorded at 20:57:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels through at least 19 February. There is a chance for C-class flares during this time. Old AR 12936 could be about to return on 20 February, which brings a slight chance of M-class flares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 17, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun now contains a half dozen small spot groups on its visible disk. The largest of these is AR 12948, which also has the most complex X-ray configuration of any of the visible spots. Yet it remains inactive as far as solar flares are concerned. Minor flares came from three of the active regions: a C2 from AR 12941 (which is just beyond the western limb), several B-class flares from AR 12946, and a C1 flare from AR 12950. Assorted filaments and prominences are also visible on the solar disk.<\/p>\n

It appears that AR 12936, now on the far side of the Sun, has grown to become a very large sunspot complex. It is expected to rotate into view in four days or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12948 (just below-right of center) is currently the largest active region visible on the solar disk. Another spot (left near edge of sun) has rotated into view. Another spot (AR 12951) is seen along the right edge of the image, below center. This red continuum image (18.0’x13.3′ in size) was recorded at 17:10:23 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The focus shifts westward for this H-alpha image that shows AR 12948 (below and left of image center) and 12946 (right, center, with a bright V-shaped plage bisected by a dark filament). AR 12951 is nearly indistinguishable near the bottom of the image, just right of center (it makes a right angle with 12946 and 12948). This 18.0’x13.3′ image was recorded at 18:03:13 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least the 19th of February, with a decreasing chance of M-class flares through the 18 and decreasing C-class flare frequency throughout the period. This all could change with the return of AR 12936 on the 21st or 22nd.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 16, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is back to low levels after yesterday’s M1 flare from departing region 12941. Today, this region is largely invisible as it rotates out of view, leaving a smattering of small active regions scattered across the face of the Sun. There are five numbered regions and one un-numbered region visible on the Sun’s disk. Three more regions, AR 12941, 12945, and 12947, have all rotated out of view.<\/p>\n

There is much activity on the farside of the Sun.\u00a0 Late on the 15th, a huge coronal mass ejection<\/a> erupted from the side of the sun facing away from us. It was likely from a large solar flare from a large sunspot group. The STEREO-A satellite (which can see partway around the sun, revealing things we cannot see directly from Earth) shows a long stream of plasma<\/a> over 400,000 km long rising from the active region. This was the second such energetic event from the solar farside since September 2017. The active region responsible for this will rotate into view in 4 to 5 days and we will be watching, weather permitting.<\/p>\n

Mostly cloudy conditions limited todays observations. We did have some relatively clear skies for long enough to get follow up images of the active regions currently visible as well as other solar features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12943 is on the decline again, as seen in this red continuum image, recorded at 16:14:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12943 in H-alpha light as observed at 17:00:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Three small active regions (labeled) are visible in this H-alpha image, recorded at 16:33:29 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12950 as imaged in H-alpha light. Like the rest, this is a small spotted region. This image was recorded at 16:37:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least 18 February. AR 12941 may produce another detectible M-class flare through the 17th before it rotates too far over the solar horizon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 15, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains at moderate levels as another M-class flare<\/a>, an M1.3 that peaked at 18:15 UT, from AR 12941 that is getting close to the west limb of the Sun. This flare has a similar X-ray profile as yesterday’s flare but the pre-flare plateau was much longer and the second peak (the first leveled at C9) a bit more pronounced over that of yesterday’s M-flare. All the visible spot groups are small. AR 12943 was spotless for a short while, but new spots emerged yesterday and grew today. It produced a C5 and several B-class flares prior to this morning’s observing session. AR 12947 has become difficult to discern as it gets closer to the western limb of the Sun. AR’s 12946 and 12948 remain un-remarkable as they rotate toward the disk center. And appearing just over the northeast limb (not shown below) is a new unnumbered spot.<\/p>\n

The images at left are red-continuum images, 0.1 second exposure each. The images in the right column are H-alpha line-centered images, 1.0 second exposure each. The images are each cropped to 13.3′ square on the sky and are oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 and 12947 (elongated bright spots below the large spots of the former) as imaged at 15:21:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 and 12947 as imaged at 15:42:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12943 as imaged at 15:19:52 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12943 looks more dramatic in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 15:42:52 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR’s 12946 (upper right) and 12948 (lower left) as imaged at 15:28:03 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same AR’s as imaged at 15:46:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 17 February, with a chance of another M-class flare from 12941 before it rotates out of view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

The Sun maintains a low to moderate level of activity. In fact, two days ago, the Sun experienced a flurry of activity as AR’s 12939, 12940, 12941, and 12944 all produced solar flares ranging from C6 to M1. A filament also exploded in the Sun’s southern hemisphere. All of this action sent multiple CMEs into space. Some of this activity continued into the next day and today, there had been a C5 and an M1 event, both from AR 12941. Today’s session focused primarily on AR 12941 and documented the M1.0\/SF that occurred. Monitoring of this region, which is accompanied by AR 12947 just to its south, began and 17:02 UT and continued through 18:20 UT.<\/p>\n

The X-ray component of the event began at 17:02 UT, peaked at 17.31 UT (there was a first peak at C9.7 at 17:24 UT), then lasted until 17:51 UT (although the X-ray flux did not return to pre-flare levels until 19:45 UT). There was an optical counterpart observed, which began at 17:20 UT, reached maximum (“SF” status) at 17:32 UT, and ended by 17:36 UT.<\/p>\n

There were four other spotted active regions visible. Plage region 12943 appears to be resurging as spots were noted at or near its position. A number of prominences and filaments were also noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 (string of dark, large spots) along with AR 12947 (below trailing end of former) as imaged in red continuum at 16:23:30 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same AR’s in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:46:42 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12946 (upper right large spot) and 12948 (lower left, pair) as imaged in red continuum at 16:32:31 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions in H-alpha as imaged at 16:57:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Three images from the sequence of the M1.0 flare are shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Start of optical flare, at 17:20:27 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Near X-ray flare maximum, at 17:31:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Near end of optical flare, at 17:36:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance of M-class flares from AR 12941, through February 16.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 11, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low as the visible spotted regions continue to decay or rotate out of view. Although everything appears quiet at quick glance, there had been some low level events today. AR 12939 was responsible for a B9.7\/SF and B7.6 flare event at 1:28 and 6:57 UT, respectively. AR 12941, as of this writing (19:36 UT) only produced one B7.6\/SF event, peaking at 00:12 UT yesterday evening local time. AR 12940 produced a C1.1 event at 12:50 UT and a C2.5 event at 17:42 UT (just after the 17:15 UT conclusion of today’s short session). An unnumbered spotless region south of AR 12945 produced a C1.2 flare at 10:20 UT.<\/p>\n

The visible active regions are shown below. Each image, cropped to 13.3’x13.3′, is oriented so that celestial north is up, west is right. The left column includes red continuum images, each 0.1 second exposure. The right column features H-alpha line center images, each 1.0 second exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12945 (left center), 12939 (slight lower right near edge) and 12944 (further down near edge) as imaged at 15:51:54 UT in red continuum light.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same three active regions in H-alpha light. 12945 formed yesterday and several small spots emerged this morning but it otherwise inactive. This image was recorded at 16:16:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 (three prominent spots above and left of center) along with 12940 (partly rotated out of view, light spots lower right near edge) as imaged in red continuum at 15:53:08 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same active regions in H-alpha light. AR 12940 has produced 2 c-class flares and a surge was seen at its location on the edge before the 2nd C-flare. This image was recorded at 16:19:14 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Visible as a simple white spot right on the edge yesterday, a new AR has rotated into view, as seen in this red continuum image. This image was recorded at 15:58:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same region, designated AR 12946, as seen in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 16:24:08<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low with more C-class flares likely, through at least February 13. There remains a slight chance of an M-class flare during this period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low with the occasional C-class flare from one of four significant active regions visible on the Sun’s disk these days. AR 12941 continues to be the most prominent region visible, and the most magnetically complex, but it is also in a decay phase and today it looked less impressive than it did yesterday. Another region formed south of AR 12939, this is AR 12944, shown below. To the east of both, it appears another active region is forming: it may be designated AR 12945 if its growth continues.<\/p>\n

Each of the images below is cropped to 15.4’x13.0′ to accommodate two or more active regions. The images in the left column are red-continuum; those in the right column are H-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 12941 (upper left) and 12940 (lower left) as seen in this continuum image, taken at 15:29:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as seen in this H-alpha image. The plage field between the spots of AR 12941 has faded dramatically since yesterday. This image was recorded at 17:06:45 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 12939, 12944 (labeled) as seen in this continuum image. The arrow points to another probable active region in the process of birth. This image was recorded at 15:51:00 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 17:05:55 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a slight chance of an M-class flare, through at least February 12.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 9, 2022<\/h2>\n

A bit more activity today as a number of B- and C-class events took place between 4:38 UT and 19:39 UT. We caught two of the events: a C5.7\/SF that peaked at 17:36 and a longer-duration C3.1\/SF that peaked at 19:39 UT. The former was\u00a0 another unexpected event from AR 12939; the latter was from AR 12941. AR 12941 has developed significantly over the last couple of days, as indicated by this animation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The three larger regions continue to be present on the solar disk, with two of them getting ready to rotate out of view. The third has shown some signs of growth and development. A fourth region, AR 12943, has decayed to a single spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12940 (top) and 12939 (bottom) as seen in this red-continuum image, recorded at 16:53:01 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12939, as imaged at 17:35:49 UT, near the peak of the C5.6 flare, which is visible as the white patches in this H-alpha image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 16:50:14 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 in H-alpha light. This image was recorded at 17:11:48 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> AR 12941 at 19:38:28 UT, near the peak of the C3 flare.<\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to be very low through at least 11 February, with more C-class flares likely, and a slight chance of an M-class flare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 8, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remained low today with not too much changing with the visible active regions. The large prominence we’ve been watching for the last several days did launch itself into interplanetary space just after local midnight, CST, last night ( =\u00a0 6:00 UT). This morning, only some remnants were left, which disappeared completely by 17:00 UT. A minor flare kernel was observed in AR 12939 near the end of the event; this was a C1.2 flare that peaked at 16:38, observations made at 16:45 UT.<\/p>\n

The region AR 12936, which rotated out of view a few days ago, continues to produce measurable flare activity. A number of B- and C-class events were observed yesterday, into today, and these were thought to have come from just over the west limb, where 12936 is located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12939 with 12942 (arrowed) as observed in this red continuum image. The image was recorded at 14:55:02 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12939 and 12942 in H-alpha light. This image was acquired at 15:39:19 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12940 in red continuum light, as imaged at 15:56:12 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12941, as imaged in red continuum light at 15:04:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 (upper left) and 12940 (lower right) as imaged in this H-alpha image at 15:56:12 UT. This image is 18.0’x13.3′.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The leftovers of the large prominence on the eastern limb (small feature near center of limb) in this 6.7’x13.3′ image, oriented with north right, east up. This image was recorded at 15:44:46 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with C-class flares likely (and a slight chance for an M-class flare) through at least 10 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 7, 2022<\/h2>\n

A generally quiet Sun presents itself today, with all of the visible active regions rather small and mostly stable. AR 12939, appearing a little more than a simple spot with attendants immediately south of it, was the source of four flares (2 B9, 2 C1) between 0:00 and 12:00 UT today. AR 12939 was the source of a long-duration C3\/SF flare that peaked at 13:41 UT on 6 February. This flare caused a 10-degree long filament, suspended over the region, to lift off and produced two CME’, which are expected to impact the Earth late 9 Feb to early 10 Feb.<\/p>\n

AR 12940 and 12941 both produced occasional low-C-class flares. The large prominence on the southeast limb remains, and as of 22:06 UT (7 Feb) remains anchored to the sun. A new, small active region developed since the last observation session. AR 12942 is already nearing the edge of the Sun and will rotate out of view in two days.<\/p>\n

The image that features the prominence is rotated so that celestial east is up, north is right; it is cropped to 13.3′ x 6.7′. The remainder of the images were cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ and oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left. The images in the left column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposures; the images in the right column are 1.0 second H-alpha exposures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>SE Limb Prominence at 16:28:20 UT<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12939\u00a0 (left) and 12942 (right) as seen in this red continuum image, taken at 15:50:38 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12939 and 12942, as seen in this H-alpha line centered image, recorded at 16:21:05 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12940, observed in red continuum, at 15:52:06 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12940, observed in H-alpha line center, as recorded at 16:19:01 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 15:53:40 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 as observed in H-alpha at 16:17:25 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with C-class flares likely (and a slight chance for an M-class flare) through at least 9 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

February 5, 2022<\/h2>\n

Observations resume today with the large active region 12836 rotating out of view. This region grew significantly, quadrupling in size over a 48 hour period after the January 27 observing session and became more complex by 29 January (check out the sunspot growth animation<\/a> from spaceweather.com). By then it had the potential to produce major flares but it was largely quiet for the remainder of its journey across the solar disk. It had been producing C-class solar flares every 4 to 5 hours along with a long duration M1 flare (23:49 UT, 29 Jan 2022) which generated a coronal mass ejection<\/a>. The large active region quickly resumed a bi-polar configuration, displaying a large leader spot and a large trailing spot. The CME arrived late on February 1 but failed to produce any significant geomagnetic storm.<\/p>\n

This region is in the process of rotating out of view, but a few more regions have sprung up. These are pictured below. One feature of note is a large prominence off the southeast limb of the Sun. It has the potential of lifting off the Sun at any time. The image that features the prominence is rotated so that celestial east is up, north is right; it is cropped to 13.3′ x 6.7′. The remainder of the images were cropped to 13.3’x13.3′ and oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left. The images in the left column are red continuum images, 0.1 second exposures; the images in the right column are 1.0 second H-alpha exposures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Prominence, as imaged at 17:19:06 UT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12941 rotating into better view. This image was recorded at 16:01:51 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12939 with associated filament. This image was recorded at 17:11:53 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12940 imaged in red light, as observed at 16:04:16 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12940 in H-alpha, as imaged at 17:55:40 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through 7 February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 27, 2022<\/h2>\n

Weather and other factors have limited observations this month. Solar activity is picking up a bit, with an M1 flare occurring at 23:45 UT on 25 January. Since then, a C7 event occurred at 7:30:00 UT on 26 January, then only minor C-class flares after that. The most recent of these events was at 12:20:00 UT today, a C1.4 event from AR 12836.<\/p>\n

All the images below are cropped to 13.3′ square and oriented so that celestial north is up, east is left. The left column contains red continuum images, each a 0.1 second exposure at the indicated time. The right column contains H-alpha images, each 1.0 second at the indicated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12935 as imaged at 16:01:39 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12935 as observed at 16:31:21 UT. Note the bright spot and dark surges.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>ARs 12934 (the large dark spot) and 12937 (the smaller spots) as imaged at 16:07:18 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions as shown left, but in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 16:37:22 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12936 (right, with lots of spots) and 12938 (left, the white spots near the edge) as imaged at 15:59:52 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Same regions, as imaged at 16:29:49 UT. Notice the bright plage among the spots of 12936.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low through at least 29 January. There is a slight chance for an M-class flare, most likely from 12936.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 21, 2022<\/h2>\n

The sunspot group AR 12929 had been active over the past week since observations were last taken at our Observatory. It generated an M1.5 class solar flare at 17:44 UT on 18 January. The same active regions erupted again at 6:01 UT on 20 January, producing a strong M5.5-class solar flare. Since then the sunspot group had just rotated out of view. It had been quiet since. The other spot groups that have peppered the sun’s face have either rotated out of view or dissipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12933 as seen in continuum red light. This image was recorded at 17:21:42 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12933 as observed in H-alpha, as imaged at 18:19:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12934 as imaged in red continuum light. This image was recorded at 17:51:24 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12934 in H-alpha light. This image was obtained at 17:51:41 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar Activity is expected to remain very low through at least 23 January 2022. There is a slight chance of a C-Class activity early on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 14, 2022<\/h2>\n

Overnight (local time, central U.S.) the Sun unleashed an M-1 class flare with enough potency to ionize the top of Earth’s atmosphere on the dayside of the planet. This event caused a shortwave radio blackout over Australia, where the ionization was strongest. The region that produced this flare lies just over the northeast limb of the Sun, so the flare was likely closer to an X-class event due to the Sun eclipsing most of the event.<\/p>\n

Three new spot groups\/active regions have emerged on the Earth-facing disk of the Sun. Two of these, near the disk center, were observed yesterday in their early stages of formation. These are AR 12929 (the southern one) and 12930 (the northern one). In addition, another AR, appearing little more than a white spot in H-alpha yesterday, has become\u00a0 a full-blown active region today. These are shown in the images below.<\/p>\n

With the long weekend and the start of Spring 2022 semester, this may be the last imaging session for several days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>The trio of active regions are starting to rotate out of view. The pair near the edge is AR 12924, the single spot left of the pair is AR 12925, and about 11 o’clock from there is AR 12928, decaying and barely there. This image was recorded at 15:47:22 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The same trio of active regions, with AR 12928 becoming indistinct in H-alpha. The other regions have been stable and quiet. This image was recorded at 16:13:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>The three “new” active regions are seen in red continuum: AR 12930 is the small spot pair just upper left of image center; AR 12929 is the pair of darker spots below it; and AR 12931 is near the right edge of the image. This image was recorded at 15:51:28 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>The trio of new active regions as seen in H-alpha, with the dipolar magnetic nature especially visible in AR’s 12929 and 12931. This image was taken at 16:15:26 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Old AR 12926 is nearing the edge of the sun in this H-alpha image. The new AR 12931 is seen just left of image center. This image was recorded at 16:17:05 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12827 is visible in this image as a single spot near the right edge of this H-alpha image. Also included are four filaments of various shapes and sizes. This image was recorded at 16:49:49 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low, with a likely chance of C-class flare activity, through at least January 16. Around then or shortly afterward, activity could increase as the region just out of view over the northeast limb rotates into view.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 13, 2022<\/h2>\n

After two cloudy days, the skies clear again to allow the observations of a speckled Sun. There are many sunspots visible, mostly quiet groups, with two more emerging. Activity is low, with three C-class flares occurring from a region just over the northeastern limb of the Sun. Of the visible regions, only AR 12924 has shown any activity, with a B7.4 flare at 17:17 UT.<\/p>\n

More activity could be literally around the solar corner: with the unseen region producing measurable X-ray flares, it also produced at least two coronal mass ejections. The region responsible for this activity should be rotating into view in the next several days or so.<\/p>\n

In addition to the images presented below (left column includes red continuum images, right column are H-alpha images), a status check chart of the current sunspot cycle is presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12926 and field faculae as imaged in this red continuum image taken at 16:27:50 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A status check on the current Solar Cycle #25. This was displayed on the webpage of spaceweather.com on 12 January 2022 and shows that the current sunspot number is increasing ahead of schedule. The image source is the NOAA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a>Three active regions (labeled) are visible in this red continuum image, taken at 16:16:54 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Three active regions as seen in H-alpha. This image was recorded at 17:59:49\u00a0 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>Departing AR 12926 (right, near the edge of the Sun) is visible in this image. Another brighter spot (left edge just below center) is visible but does not have any spots yet. Image time 16:29:35 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12926 shows up well in H-alpha. More subtle is the potential new active region, near the left edge of the image, below center. This image was recorded at 16:54:21 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>A new Active Region, as of yet unnumbered (likely to be AR 12929) is seen left of center, with faculae to the left of it in this image. Another region appear to be emerging below this region (just below the edge of this image). Image acquired at 16:23:57 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Potential AR 12929 as seen in H-alpha imagery. This image was recorded at 16:44:02 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain low, with a chance of more C-class flare activity through at least January 15.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

January 10, 2022<\/h2>\n

Solar observations resumed today. The Sun currently displays four active regions, all of which are quiet and either stable or in slow decay.<\/p>\n

Venus passed inferior conjunction on Saturday, January 8, and is still 5.9 degrees from the Sun as it transitions into the morning sky. The first image below is Venus, taken with the camera, through the neutral density filter and red energy rejection filter. The crescent was 62.6″ across and 0.5% illuminated when this image was taken. The dome blocked part of the aperture to prevent stray sunlight from entering the system.<\/p>\n

Seeing (atmospheric steadiness) varied through today’s short session, being rather poor during the continuum image acquisition, but improving some during the H-alpha acquisition. The red continuum image below shows two active regions: AR 12924 includes the two spots right of center; and AR 12925 is the single spot left of center. The continuum image covers 18.0’x13.3′ of the sky and was made with a 0.1 second exposure at the time indicated. The remaining four images are H-alpha, 13.3’x13.3′ in size and 1.0 second exposure. Prominences were visible in many locations including along the northeast limb (last picture).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>Venus less than 6 degrees north of the Sun as imaged at 18:51:26 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Red continuum of AR 12924 (pair of spots, right half of image) and 12925 (single spot, left), as imaged at 19:00:18 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>H-alpha image of AR 12924 only, as imaged at 19:28:41 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>AR 12925 (left of center) with most of 12924, as imaged at 19:30:12 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a>AR 12927 rotating into view. This image was recorded at 19:31:25 UT.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Many prominences appear on the eastern and northeastern limb of the Sun today. This image was recorded at 19:43:09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Solar activity is expected to remain very low through at least January 12. There is a chance for C-flares-and a slight chance of M-flares (mainly from AR 12925) during this period.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solar Images from 2022 Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2023 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved. Observations are happening daily, except for Saturday, Sunday, and holiday periods; and are governed by duty schedule, weather, and solar activity. When the Sun has very low activity (spotless), observations will be <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4897","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 16:37:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":4278,"date":"2021-07-21T15:53:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T20:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/?page_id=4278"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:41:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T19:41:29","slug":"solar-observations-2020","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pvamu.edu\/pvso\/solar-observations-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Observations – 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solar Images from 2020<\/h1>\n

Note: All images on this website \u00a9 2018-2021 by Brian Cudnik and Prairie View A&M Physics. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

The images presented on this website are archived below. This lengthening page was broken into two components by year, with the more current observations published separately.<\/p>\n

One can monitor the Sun via several websites that provide real-time images of the Sun. The website, https:\/\/www.solarmonitor.org\/<\/a>, has such images in six different channels. The numbers are the NOAA designations for active regions (with the “1” at the start of the designation removed for convenience). Another website with up-t0-date information on solar activity and other goings-on in the skies is www.spaceweather.com<\/a>. Additional information about the Sun’s current activity can be obtained from https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/<\/a>, and real-time full-disk H-alpha images from observatories around the world can be viewed at http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical observing run may last from one to four hours, depending on seeing considerations, weather, and other work responsibilities, but will include active region monitoring of available active regions and the collection of frames for high-resolution solar mosaics in H-alpha. Each session includes at least one mosaic, which is a series of images made of all parts of the Sun’s disk that can later be stitched together to form a whole-disk image. At the very least, this ensures that all visible features such as prominences, filaments, and active regions (sunspot groups) are all captured in image form at least once per session. Usually observations are carried out in the late morning hours, but an additional session may occur in the mid-afternoon hours and it will include its own mosaic. If a sunspot group is expected to be active, then it becomes a main focus for observation for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

The solar images are recorded through a Meade 16-inch f\/8 Cassegrain telescope equipped with a 0.3 \u00c5 Hydrogen-alpha filter and an SBIG STT-8300 CCD camera. The aperture of the scope is stopped to 4-7\/8 inch by an energy-rejection filter, which renders the system an f\/26. A neutral density filter is added to bring the sunlight intensity down by 90%. Each image is automatically dark-subtracted as it is saved and each exposure is 0.1 second long. Flat field images are taken at periodic intervals throughout the observing session and are obtained by training the telescope to focus near the center of the Sun’s disk. Five images are then taken while dithering the frame 1′ to 5′ N,S,E, and W. The idea is to try to get images that are slightly blurred (either due to seeing or scope motion) and off set from each other. A set of 30 bias images (0-second exposures with the dome closed and scope parked) are taken at the end of each observing session.<\/p>\n

Select images are processed for further study and display. A program called MaxIM DL is used to do basic calibration (bias-subtraction and flat field correction), and the levels are adjusted for optimum display contrast. Choice images are then selected for online display. All of the images are archived in their raw FITS format, sorted by date, and backed up twice. At a later time we can mass process these and make them available for scientific use. Inquiries can be made of Brian Cudnik, at bmcudnik@pvamu.edu, or Premkumar Saganti, at pbsaganti@pvamu.edu.]<\/p>\n

Solar images and observations made in 2021 can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 17, 2020<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to decline in activity level. The last C-class X-ray event occurred on the 14th of December, as the x-ray background decreases from B to A level. The last B-level event occurred at 13:30 UT on the 16th. Since then the X-ray background has settled into the very low activity level. Active Region 12792 has decayed to remnant plage, having lost its spots yesterday. Active Region 12793 continues to maintain itself but it is also in the process of decline. No new regions have appeared and the sunspot number has decreased from 26 (yesterday) to 12 (today). The sunspot number is equal to the number of spots plus ten times the number of spot groups. Several prominence and filament features are visible on the limb and disk of the Sun. One such example is show in the first image that depicts a faint prominence group on the southwestern solar limb. This image is cropped to cover 7′ x 9.5′ of sky and stretched to emphasize the prominences.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> H-alpha image taken at 17:08:32 UT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12793 (spot and attendant white areas) imaged in red continuum light, at 16:35:35 UT. Image is 14.5’x9.5′ in angular size.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Same region imaged in the line center of H-alpha at 17:00 UT. It covers the same angular area as the previous.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

H-alpha line center image showing both active regions covered today and in recent days (annotated). The image was recorded at 17:34:37 UT.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 16, 2020<\/h2>\n

The Sun is once again very quiet as the recent activity has essentially quieted down. Focus was on the pair of small active regions as they continue to march across the solar disk, carried along by the Sun’s rotation. The first group, AR 12792, is mostly dissipated with only some plage and a tiny spot left. The AR 12793 had grown some but now shows signs of decline as well. No other spotted regions are visible on the Sun’s disk, but some prominences are seen along the limb (edge) of the Sun in several places. Images were all made in H-alpha line center light under mainly clear skies and good seeing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The above image shows the only active regions currently visible on the Sun’s disk, AR 12792, just right and below center; and AR 12793, center-left with the larger dark spot. This image was captured at 21:04:29 UT and spans 14.5′ x 9.6′. The three prominence images below are each 9.5′ squared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prominence on the northeast limb as imaged at 21:19:03 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Another prominence on the northwest limb, as imaged at 21:14:19 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Still\u00a0 more prominence activity on the southwest limb, at 21:25:11 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 14, 2020<\/h2>\n

Solar activity has been mainly low for the last 10 days, with AR 12790 mostly quietly rotating across the Sun’s visible disk. It was the source of a C7 flare that peaked at 16:32UT on December 7. The region rotated out of view on 12 December, while the next small region rotated into view on the Sun’s southeast limb. This region remains small and is designated AR 12792. It did sport a C4 flare at 14:37 UT on 14 December. The main focus was AR 12792, which is shown in the below off-band and on-band images, taken about 40 minutes apart. Also, toward the left edge of each 9.5′ x 9.5′ image is another small spot group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12792 (right of center) as imaged at 21:42:21 UT in this continuum view.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12792 (lower right of center) and possibly AR 12793 (left) as imaged in this H-alpha view at 22:20:46UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 4, 2020<\/h2>\n

The Sun continues to quiet down some but there has been a regular occurrence of B-class and (occasionally) C-class flare events, with AR’s 12786 and 12790 being the sources. These were monitored for a short time today, with one of the flares being imaged during part of its evolution. The complex of active regions 12785 and 12786, with plage region 12788, are now becoming harder to observe as the Sun begins to carry them out of view due to rotation. The region 12790 is moving into better view, but all three spotted regions are in slow decay, being of Zurich class H and magnetic type alpha. Nonetheless, some low-level activity does persist with these regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 as seen in this off-band continuum image, which was recorded at 15:45:48 UT. Note that another active region seems to be appearing on the left edge of the image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 as seen in this on-band H-alpha centerline image, recorded at 16:16:08 UT. This region has decayed to an alpha magnetic type.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 in H-alpha after 83 minutes has passed. Not much activity was seen in this region today. This image was obtained at 17:39:04 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The complex of active and plage regions is now starting to rotate out of view. This continuum view shows AR 12785 on the very edge, and 12786 not far behind. Image was taken at 16:47:36 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12786 and 12785 as seen in the light of H-alpha line center at 16:17:31 UT. The region 12785 is almost invisible in this view. Both have simple alpha magnetic types.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12786 with a B4.8-class flare in progress. The flare, seen as bright spots in the image, peaked in intensity at 17:17 UT. The image was taken at 17:18:53UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 3, 2020<\/h2>\n

Things have quieted further on the Sun as the current parade of active regions in the Sun’s southern hemisphere continues. We are following three spotted active regions and three former active regions, designated as H-alpha plages without spots. The two active regions NOAA 12785 and 12786 are mostly benign groups with Zurich classes of Hsx and Hkx, respectively. Each has alpha magnetic type. This indicates that they are in a state of decay and simplification and should continue to decline as they rotate off the visible disk of the Sun. Along with this pair of active regions is plage region 2788. The region 12786 covers an area of 370 millionths, down from 1000 a week ago. Active region 12790 is a bit more complex, with a beta magnetic type and Zurich class Cao. This region, and region 2786 have been producing very occasional C-class and B-class flares. None were observed today.<\/p>\n

The series of images below show each of the active regions of interest. The top row shows AR 12790 at three points during the 4 hour observing run today. The bottom row depicts AR 12786 throughout the day. The first of each is an offband\/white light proxy of each region; the second and third were obtained in the light of H-alpha line center. North is up, east left in each 14.5’x9.6′ image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 as seen in this off-band continuum image, which was recorded at 16:52:00 UT<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 as seen in this on-band H-alpha centerline image, recorded at 17:17:12 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790 in H-alpha after more than three hours. This image was obtained at 20:24:20 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12786 (left, larger) and 12785 (right, smaller) as seen in red continuum at 16:54:29 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12786 and 12785 as seen in the light of H-alpha line center at 17:22:36 UT<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12786 and 12785, some three hours later. Image taken in H-alpha line center at 20:33:50 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As we continue to refine the observing program at the Solar Observatory, we have decided to select the active region with the most complex magnetic type and follow that region for most of the observing time. This records changes on minutes- to hours- time scales. For other regions present on the Sun at the same time, we will follow them about once per hour to follow their evolution. The images above show how each region changed over a 3.5 hour period. Note subtle changes in the presence\/absence of small filaments and other features, such as bright plage features and such. Small irregularities that are not sun-like are artefacts of the image processing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

December 1, 2020<\/h2>\n

Since the last session ten days ago, the Sun experienced a significant uptick in activity. The small regions imaged immediately below have since rotated out of view (AR 12783) or decayed (AR 12784) but a parade of new active regions has rotated onto the solar disk and is in the process of being carried across the visible disk by the Sun’s rotation. The region NOAA 12786 became the largest active region in several years, spanning 1000th of a solar hemisphere (most that we have observed thus far have areas in the 10’s to 100’s of solar hemispheres) on 26 November. It has shrunk to 590 with 17 individual spots (the spot number has been steady around 18 the last several days). The seeing conditions were too poor to open up on 30 November but improved greatly for today’s session.<\/p>\n

Flaring activity has been limited to occasional C-class events, but a major flare was detected by Earth-orbiting satellites via the X-ray environment. The Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this extreme ultraviolet video<\/a> of this M4.4 flare, which happened just over the edge of the Sun. Two days later, a humble-looking spot rotated into view, AR 12790, which is imaged below. This seemed to be the source of the flare, which was likely much bigger (in the X-category) were it not for the Sun blocking much of its energy. AR 12790 has not bee very active since it became visible to Earth-bound observers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The complex of Active Regions 12785, 12786, and 12788 (once spotted but no longer) as imaged at 17:12:44 UT in continuum light.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The active region complex in the light of H-alpha line center. This image was recorded at 18:09:29 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New AR 12790 as seen in “white light”, imaged at 17:14:20 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12790, a filament (just right of enter) and a prominence (edge, directly below filament), recorded at 17:52:44 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

November 29 was a day when the Sun truly looked like it was in active mode. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction center website has an update and summary of the active sun of late November. Information and images can be found at https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/news\/solar-cycle-25-activity-update-nov-dec-2020<\/a>. This website also has a lot of information about space weather, geared toward the public, and is a valuable resource for solar observatories to use to plan their operations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 21, 2020<\/h2>\n

Another short observing session, with regular cloud interference (partly cloudy conditions) with main focus being the existing active regions and larger prominences. A new active region, to be labeled 12784, has appeared in the Sun’s northern hemisphere. The GOES X-ray flux plot shows some activity over the last two days. However, there are no obvious signs of such activity during our short session. Except for the prominence images, the frames cover 9.6×14.5 arcminutes of the sky; the prominence frames are smaller and “zoomed in” to reveal more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12783, in continuum\/white light. Image taken at 19:18:28 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12783 in H-alpha light. Image taken at 20:26:22 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New AR (likely to be 12784) imaged in white light \/ continuum at 19:18:28 UT<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12784 in H-alpha light, image taken at 19:46:22 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prominence on northwest limb of Sun, as imaged at 20:34:28 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some activity spotted on the SE limb, could be the next AR about to rotate into view as portrayed in this 20:37:57 UT image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 19, 2020<\/h2>\n

Solar activity levels remain low with the occasional minor flare. An X-ray class B1 flare peaked at 17:06 UT while we were observing and may have been captured, in part, as it erupted from the trailing end of AR 12783. We continue with daily morning observing sessions, a sort of daily “check up” of the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12783 is visible as a single primary spot and two trailing spots, along with a network of faculae (bright spots) in this red continuum image obtained at 15:55:18 UT. We saw these three during the daily visual sunspot count at 16:07 (spot number = 13)<\/td>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

AR 12783 as seen in the light of H-alpha line center, obtained at 16:59:15 UT. There is a filament situated vertically visible just right of image center, along with the bright plage which may be precursor to the above mentioned B1 minor flare.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prominences are\u00a0 seen along the northeast limb of the Sun. This was the same region where a loop prominence was recorded yesterday. Little change is seen in the 45 minutes that elapsed from the first set of image of this feature to the current image, which was recorded at 17:13:00 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Another large active region, more precisely a UV hot spot, has been detected on the farside of the Sun by NASA’s STEREO-A satellite and should be carried into Earth’s view sometime early next week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 18, 2020<\/h2>\n

Solar activity levels based on the GOES X-ray flux data continue to decline, with no flares noted based on the plot since yesterday’s observing session. Only one active region with a single spot, AR 12783, continues to rotate into better view. The one spot is led and followed by a network of faculare (white light white spots) \/ plages (H-alpha bright areas). Plage remains where the AR 12782 is located and continues to be carried along by the Sun’s rotation, now approaching the SW (Celestial) limb. Several interesting prominences and filaments are also visible.<\/p>\n

We continue our string of imaging sessions with another late morning session documenting the Sun as a whole through our mosaic images as well as brief watches of regions of interest on the Sun. Seeing was good and skies remain clear for this session, which started in “white light” mode (red continuum). We again imaged the one quiet spotted region (AR 12783) and the spotless remnants of another (AR 12782) in white light before heating up the H-alpha filter to line center. As done earlier, we took a series of images in order to cover the entire Sun, then followed AR 12783 for a little over 20 minutes. An interesting loop prominence was found, and this was followed for 30 minutes. Even during this time, changes were seen within this prominence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12783 is visible as a single primary spot and a network of faculae (bright spots) in this red continuum image obtained at 16:46:40 UT. Only one spot was seen here and during the visual white light sunspot count at 15:16 UT (spot number = 11)<\/td>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

AR 12783 as seen in the light of H-alpha line center, obtained at 17:52:56 UT. Not seen along the limb in the bottom right corner is a quiescent (quiet) prominence that has been there since at least yesterday.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

A loop prominence formed from pre-existing prominences sometime during the morning. This image was stretched to optimize the prominence visibility. Image of celestial northeast limb was recorded at 18:20:09 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We will continue with routine observations for one session (lasting 1 to 2 hours) per day for the remainder of this week as we follow the AR 12783 across the Sun. We do not anticipate much activity from this region so only 1 to 2 hour sessions are planned for each day. After this week, the weather is expected to deteriorate again and work moves to remote locations, putting an end to this current string of observations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 17, 2020<\/h2>\n

We continue our string of imaging sessions with another late morning session documenting the Sun as a whole through our mosaic images as well as brief watches of regions of interest on the Sun. Seeing was good and skies remain clear for this session, which started in “white light” mode (red continuum). We imaged the two visible regions (AR 12782 remnants and newly emerged AR 12783) in white light before heating up the H-alpha filter to line center. We monitored this region and a few other areas of interest during this session, throughout which the Sun remained very quiet with the X-ray “continuum” (an indicator of real-time activity as measured by the GOES 16 satellite) or background level dropped into the A-range (the lowest range on the scale of X-ray Flare Class). Yesterday this level was just above B0 with several small C-class flares occurring. No flares today as the new region has a stable magnetic field configuration. The dark spot visible in the images below is about the size of Earth. The region is not likely to produce strong solar flares within the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A new Active Region is rotating into view. (Soon to be) AR 12783 is visible as a single primary spot and a network of faculae (bright spots) in this red continuum image obtained at 16:49:39 UT.<\/td>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

AR 12783 as seen in the light of H-alpha line center, obtained at 17:55:11 UT. Not seen along the limb in the bottom right corner is a quiescent (quiet) prominence that has been there since at least yesterday.<\/td>\n

 \"\"<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

The prominence mentioned at left in this stretched and zoomed in version of the image immediately left. The image is 9.9′ x 6.3′ on the sky and is a re-stretched version of the 17:55:11 UT image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We will continue with routine observations for one session (lasting 1 to 2 hours) per day for the remainder of this week as we follow the new AR across the Sun. After this week, the weather is expected to deteriorate again and work moves to remote locations, putting an end to this current string of observations. There may be another active region on the heels of this newest one that may become observable in the next day or two. Otherwise the Sun remains in quiet mode, much as it has been for the last four calendar years through Solar Minimum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 16, 2020<\/h2>\n

After a week of remote work, and unfavorable weather, observations resume today for a short session imaging a very quiet Sun. The active region followed 9 days ago continued to cross the face of the Sun, carried along by the Sun’s rotation, and only hosted small flares for a day or so after the 7 November observations. The region then decayed, leaving the leader spot, which rotated out of view two days ago. In the meantime, another region rotated into view 11 November, but decayed, becoming spotless by 15 November. The Sun has been quiet for the most part since AR 12781 decayed last week, and newer AR 12782 offered little additional activity. STEREO satellite imagery indicate there may be not one but two large active regions just over the southeast edge of the Sun. More information, and the latest images from these satellites can be seen at stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The remnants of AR 12782 appear as a change in texture in the sun’s H-alpha surface, mixed with faint plage. This image was obtained at 17:09:58 UT.<\/td>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The southeast limb of the Sun may reveal another active region in the coming days. So far all is quiet but some limb activity was documented during today’s short observing session. Time of image = 17:12:27 UT<\/td>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

During the daily mosaic imaging sequence, more of the southeast limb was captured, showing a prominence (bottom center) and some activity associated with a new active region (left, middle of image). Time of image = 17:15:17 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the above images were obtained with the SBIG STT 1603 ME camera with H-alpha tuned to line center. The images are oriented so that celestial north is up and celestial west is right. The images span 9.6 arc minutes tall by 14.5 arcminutes wide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 7, 2020<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a> 21:15 UT<\/p>\n

Observations were carried out during a special Saturday session. The large active region 12781 continues its display as the Sun’s rotation carries it closer to the center of its disk. The full disk image above was taken afocally through a Takahashi 5.1-inch refractor, equipped with a safety solar wedge. The image is mirror-reversed with north up but west left. Close-ups of this spot group were obtained with the main telescope in the East Dome. They were colorized to represent the filter\/bandpass they were imaged in . The first image at left was taken in red continuum, colorized to match the view through a typical white-light filtered telescope. It was taken near the end of the observing session and shows that the group is still complex. Same group taken in H-alpha (below right) shows some plage associated with the region. For a region its size, it has been rather quiet, producing mainly c-flares and “Ellerman Bombs”, a magnetic explosion that is one millionth as powerful as a typical solar flare. Even so, a single Ellerman event is more than a hundred thousand times more powerful than an atomic bomb, and spans the size of a U.S. state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12781 in white light (red continuum) as observed at 21:55:20 UT. Celestial north up and celestial east left (same cardinal directions for the other four images from today). This is colorized to mimic the view through a typical white-light filtered scope.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12781 in H-alpha, band center, as observed at 20:23:12. This view is colorized to approximate the H-alpha color seen visually. The region had been mildly active producing occasional C-class (small) flares, but lots of Ellerman bombs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12780 appears as a pair of small, dark spots near disk center. The region is near center and can be found within the lighter band of material. Image was obtained at 20:16:37 UT<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the most prominent prominence visible on the Sun today. This image was imaged at 20:53:15 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The smaller active region 12780 remains visible as a pair of dark spots in white light imagery. It is seen just above, left, in H-alpha. The image was colorized to approximate the visual hue of h-alpha. Finally a prominence was captured in image off the northwestern limb of the Sun. It has been there for a couple of days now, and is an example of a quiescent prominence, one that essentially stays put and does not launch into space.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November 5, 2020<\/h2>\n

For much of the Fall 2020 semester, solar activity had been low to very low. The controller of the clamshell dome had burnt out and a replacement was installed today, enabling us to once again control the dome. Four days ago, this large spot group began to appear on the solar horizon and, as the days passed, rotated into view bringing it into better focus for Earth-based observations. This is the largest sunspot group\/active region of the current solar cycle and it has the potential for more activity in the coming days as it becomes more favorably placed for observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12781 in white light (red continuum) as observed at 16:32:36 UT. Full view of 9.6′ x 14.5′ with celestial north up and celestial east left (same cardinal directions for the other three images from today)<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12781 in H-alpha, band center, as observed at 16:55:49. The view presented is 11′ wide by 9′ tall.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12780 is a small spot group that re-emerged two days after decaying. When it displayed spots, they were few in number and small. Image taken in H-alpha at 17:45:42 UT<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12781, in H-alpha, as imaged at 18:05:45. Some subtle changes in the active region have been observed over the last hour and a half, including the decay phase of a minor B8 flare event. The largest flare so far from this region was a C7 which peaked at 00:22 UT on 5 November.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The smaller active region 12780 became visible a few days ago, disappeared, then reappeared today as a small primary spot and several even smaller spots. It appears to be decaying again.<\/p>\n

======================================================================================<\/p>\n

August 13, 2020<\/h2>\n

Solar activity remains very low as one active region prepares to depart and another makes its entrance. The images below show some of the features observed this morning on the Sun. The first is a view of some prominence activity on the northwest (celestial) limb of the Sun. This was once the northern filament that had been followed earlier, but it has been carried along by the Sun’s rotation and now appears on the edge as a bright object against a dark background. Active Region 12770 continues to dwindle, appearing little more than a group of bright plages. These are depicted in the second image. I was not able to see visually a spot at its location this morning during the daily visual sunspot count. This observation was made under good seeing and at 60x magnification. The active region 12771 has also decayed since yesterday, appearing as one spot today instead of three (top horizontal arrow, third image). In the same view, some prominences are seen off the southeastern limb (vertical arrow). The other regions are indistinct at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NW limb prominence as imaged at 15:53:55 UT, 13 August 2020.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12770 (just below center) as seen at 16:09:54 UT. Like the rest of today’s images, this is displayed with north up, west right.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Two features are captured in this image obtained at 16:15:49 UT: AR 12771 top center and the SE limb prominence (bottom center)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Sun is not the only object in the skies during middays these days. The Moon just past third quarter and is easily seen high in the west at observation time. Part of it is recorded below. Also, Venus is nearly overhead, a day after dichotomy (50% illumination) and is actually easily seen with the naked eye in the blue sky. Problem is that the blue sky overwhelms the small white dot of Venus, so it takes a line of site, a telescope pointed at it, to line up with and locate the planet in the daylight sky. Sometimes the Moon serves that purpose, which it will do on August 15, appearing about 3.5 degrees north of Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern part of waning crescent Moon imaged at 16:24 UT, 13 August 2020. Celestial north is up, east is left in this and the Venus image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Venus imaged at 16:37 UT, 13 August 2020.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 12, 2020<\/h2>\n

Solar activity is slowly increasing even as one decaying active region begins to depart the Earth-facing part of the solar disk, carried along by the sun’s own 25-day rotation. Little is left of AR 12770 as can be seen in the first image, with the locations of the two active regions, along with what’s left of a northern filament, shown. X-ray activity was very low today, with little variation. After the daily mosaic of images was collected, focus turned on the visible active regions and filaments, depicted in the images below. The new regions on the southeast limb may be heralding a renewed period of elevated solar activity. Based on their magnetic polarity pattern and high latitude, these are Cycle 25 sunspots, meaning they are members of a new solar cycle that began late last year.<\/p>\n

Celestial north is up, east is left in each of the below images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This annotated image was obtained at 17:00:31 UT on 12 August 2020 and shows the remnants of two departing active region and one departing filament.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New Active Region 12771 (top arrow) has emerged less than a day ago, and is being followed by two more regions rotating into view as they emerge. Compare with the Solar Dynamics Observatory image below. PVO image obtained at 16:28:45 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This prominence on the northeast limb (arrowed) appears to be fading. Image captured at 16:02:00 UT on 12 August 2020. As the Sun rotates, this will begin to be seen in front of the solar disk and it will appear dark–a filament.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This image, taken at 17:11:03UT, depicts some activity observed on the southeast limb of the sun. This was monitored for a few minutes as surges and arcs formed and dissipated. This could signal the appearance of a new Active Region about to rotate into view.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> This is a Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the emerging activity on the Sun’s southeast edge. The orange rectangles are sections of a white-light image that show the bright and dark areas associated with each region. The background image s a magnetic map showing positive polarities in yellow and negative polarities in green. The image comes courtesy of NASA and spaceweather.com.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 11, 2020<\/h2>\n

Skies were transparent and haze-free but the cumulus clouds proved more of a nuisance during this longer observing period, spanning 3 hours. The sky was variably cloudy, from mostly clear at times to mostly cloudy at others. The main focus continued to be the decaying active region NOAA 12770 as it begins to rotate away from our view and shrink in size. The two other active regions’ remnants are rotating out of view: 12768 is on the solar edge and cannot be easily observed, and 12769 is seen as a few remnant plages. Most of the earlier filaments have dispersed and there are a few prominences along the limb.<\/p>\n

After collecting images for a full-disk mosaic, attention turned to AR 12770 which was producing a B2-class sub-flare. It had been flaring with relatively small flares (except for a larger C1 over the past weekend) and a pair of 7-minute optical events within a much longer, 45-minute X-ray event occurred. The former was largely missed due to being on a prominence, then being hindered by clouds; however, the second optical event was captured in its entirety. The images below show the region before the event (15:22 UT), the region in continuum red light (16:26 UT), and the region one minute after the 16:59 UT flare peak. The flare shows up as the bright spots in the image. The last image, obtained at 16:39 UT, shows a prominence on the northeastern limb. This was processed a bit with wavelet processing to bring out details on both the prominence and the Sun’s disk. The double-edged appearance is due to the presence of the chromosphere layer, which is made visible by the H-alpha system.<\/p>\n

Each of the images span 14.4′ wide by 9.6′ tall and are oriented so that celestial north is up, celestial west is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12769 (image center) and 12770 (lower left) as imaged in H-alpha at 15:22:38.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Same regions, but in red continuum: AR 12770 is seen as a dark spot, AR 12769 is evidenced by some bright patches or faculae just above image center. Time of image = 16:26:14.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Same region of Sun showing AR 12770 with flare (bright spots in image). The image was made in H-alpha at 17:00:50 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Solar prominence as imaged at 16:39:52.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 7, 2020<\/h2>\n

Weather remained mainly clear and hazy during the observing window, with fair-weather clouds increasing throughout the 2.5 hour interval (merely changing the sky from mostly clear to partly cloudy). The parade of active regions and remnants continue across the Sun, with only one of the regions retaining its spots. AR 12770 was monitored during this time. It consists of one large leader spot and three small attendants trailing the leader. Although no flares have been seen or have been produced from this region, there were other types of activity being monitored to include the appearance of dark streaks in H-alpha. One such streak was observed to appear ahead of the spot and change somewhat before disappearing some 20 minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:47:29<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:52:43<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:56:23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:59:06<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

17:08:32<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

17:15:02<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the above images are 9.4’x7.5′ in size.<\/p>\n

The overall change during the observing interval is seen below. The first and last images depict AR 12770 along with any subtle changes associated with this region. The middle image is a red continuum image, a proxy for white-light imaging of the active region. The first image contains part of the remnants of AR 12769. There were no prominences (except for one on the southwest limb) and two main filaments (northern and southern, with the southern one disappearing completely by 22:36 UT. visible on the H-alpha solar disk this morning. Real-time full-disk H-alpha images are posted continuously at the National Solar Observatory GONG Network Website http:\/\/halpha.nso.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770 (spot toward left) and the remnants of NOAA 12769 (upper right, white areas) as imaged at 16:23:52 in H-alpha. North is up, east left in this image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, white-light \/ red continuum image, taken at 17:32:01. North is up, east is left in this full sized, 14.4’x9.6′ image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, H-alpha image at 18:11:05. North up, east left in this image.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 5, 2020<\/h2>\n

Weather remained mainly clear and hazy during the observing window. Solar activity remains low, and we continue to monitor the active regions, filaments and prominences visible on the Sun’s disk. One change made in the process was to rotate the camera 90 degrees so that the wide dimension of the CCD chip is along the E-W line. At certain positions of the telescope this makes the camera a bit less stable but it increases the quality of observations as active regions tend to become elongate east-west as do filaments. The primary region is NOAA 12770 which is beginning to decay a bit. It is lined up with two other Solar Cycle 25 regions, which have lost their dark spots and are only seen as bright plage. The filaments in the northern and southern hemisphere remain visible, and the prominence on the NE limb has vanished. The below depict the active region 12770 in red continuum, H-alpha (at 6563.5 \u00c5), and the remnants of AR 12760 in H-alpha (at 6563.0 \u00c5). Each image is 14.4′ wide by 9.6′ tall except for the third, which is 10.9′ x 9.6′. Seeing was fairly good during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, red continuum, as imaged at 17:05:18 UT. North is up, east left in this image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, H-alpha line center + 0.7 \u00c5, as imaged at 17:48:01. North is up, east is left in this image.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12769 (bright spot just below left of center), H-alpha line center + 0.2 \u00c5, as imaged at 18:04:02. North up, east left in this image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

August 4, 2020<\/h2>\n

The main focus of today’s observing session was to monitor the behavior of AR NOAA 12770. This region is shown in three (slightly) different wavelengths in the first three images: The first image in H-alpha band center, the second off band (a proxy for white light imagery) and the third in the red wing at +0.5 Angstroms. The fourth image is stretched to reveal a nice prominence display on the northeast limb. The fifth shows a filament faintly visible stretching across the solar disk. The sixth image is a full-disk image from Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) to show context for today’s images.<\/p>\n

Overall, solar activity remains very low and any active regions that appear remain small and short-lived. As seen in the BBSO image at far right, there are three bright areas that represent three distinct regions. The long white strand just right of top center is the plage that was AR 12768. I saw one tiny spot this morning around 15:00 UT during daily visual sunspot counts, but otherwise all that is left of this region is a long string of bright plage. The other areas closer to the left edge are AR’s 12769 and 12770. The former’s spot was not visible during this morning’s spot count, but the former showed a bit of a bipolar spot structure, the largest seen in quite a while. The spot that was followed last week, AR 1267, has rotated out of Earth-based view.<\/p>\n

We are seeing an increase in filament and prominence activity as is seen in the BBSO image and the prominence image, 3rd from right. As the Sun becomes more active, we will begin to see these features with more frequency and occasionally these features become eruptive, producing explosive solar flares. The filaments and prominences visible today are known as quiescent features, which have little probability of significant activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770 as imaged at 16:51 UT. Image taken near H-alpha line center.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, imaged at 17:53 UT, in “white light” mode, entirely off band.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA 12770, as observed at 18:35 UT, 0.5 \u00c5 red-ward of line center. Note the small dark active region filament\u00a0 left of the spots.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The east-northeast limb as imaged at 17:42 UT, stretched to emphasize the prominence visible there.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A filament was imaged at 17:20 UT. The black dashes were added to aid in finding this feature.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Full-disk H-alpha image recorded by BBSO at 15:16 UT. This is a context image to show where the various features are located.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each of the above images is displayed so that north is up, east is left, and they cover a rectangular region that is 14.4′ tall by 9.6′ wide, except for the prominence image, which covers an area 5.4′ x 5.7′. The Big Bear image shows the entire Sun, which has an angular diameter of 1891.9″ or 31.53′. Exposure times for the PVSO images are 0.1-second.<\/p>\n

July 31, 2020<\/h2>\n

Since last week the active region 12767 quietly rotated across the disk of the Sun and is nearing the western edge, where it will rotate out of view in a few days. Another active region has rotated into view in the northern solar hemisphere and it is quietly making its way across the Sun’s disk. It consists of a handful of tiny spots (I counted three at 13:12UT with a 114 mm f\/8 reflector at 60x) and a long train of faculae (bright spots associated with sunspot groups\/active regions). There also appears to be an additional active region right on the edge of the Sun as seen in today’s images from various places.<\/p>\n

The below images highlight the more interesting features on the sun. The first is AR 12767, the second is a look at the quiet disk center of the sun. The third image is the region of AR 12768 and it also shows a bright streak on the edge of the Sun which may indicate the next active region. Finally a nice looping prominence is faintly visible on the southeastern limb, captured here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12767 as it appeared 17:34:45 UT. The image covers 7.7′ x 13.2′ on the sky.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The quiet solar disk near disk center is seen in this image, taken at 17:44:15 UT. North is up, west right in this full 9.6′ x 14.4′ image<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AR 12768 is located on the right side just above image center. Left of the region is a bright segment on the edge of the Sun, just above center. Image acquired at 17:56:15.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prominence on SE limb (east is up, north right in this image taken at 17:55:30 UT). The image is cropped to 10.6′ x 4.6′ dimension.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Celestial north is up and celestial west is right in each image unless otherwise indicated.<\/p>\n

July 24, 2020<\/h2>\n

With the return of solar activity comes a return to observations, at least to a limited extent. One quiet active region is AR 12767 which is at a high southern latitude and is considered a Solar Cycle 25 (the new solar cycle) spot since it appeared at high latitudes (as new cycle spots usually do) and has a reversed magnetic polarity compared with the Cycle 24 sunspot groups. This particular spot appeared on the limb two days ago and is rotating into view but staying quiet, appearing as a single large spot with accompanying plages (white areas) and filaments. While carrying out the routine observations, I found a second active region in the process of emergence, near the solar equator and close to the celestial east limb. The budding region is characterized by bright plages and is currently unnumbered. Looking at the magnetic field map, it appears this particular region is an old Cycle 24 spot, with a low latitude and polarity that matches the older spots.<\/p>\n

The first solar image below was taken at Big Bear Solar Observatory<\/a> in California at 17:16 UT, in H-alpha. This was at the same time as the local observing session which, though hindered some by convective cumulus clouds, was successful. Observations ran from 17:03 UT (12:03 pm CDT)\u00a0 through 18:37 UT. The main focus was the two active regions, plus one set of mosaic images were acquired. The quiet northern edge of the Sun, taken in image at 17:21:36 UT, shows the prominent lack of activity. The image is roughly 10′ x 10′ square. The image to the right shows the two active regions: AR 12767 is the single dark spot lower right and the new unnumbered region is along the left edge, just above center. This image is presented with celestial north up and celestial east left, and covers a region 9′ wide x 14′ tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

BBSO Full Disk H-alpha image shown for context, image taken at 17:16 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PVOc image showing a blank northern hemisphere; image taken at 17:21 UT.<\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PVOc image depicting the two active regions. Image was obtained at 18:08 UT.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

One of the primary purposes of the observing program is to monitor these regions for activity. The plot from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, is a 6-hour log of the X-ray flux level in geo-synchronous orbit. Spikes in the plot indicate explosive events on the Sun, known as solar flares. The peak near the center of the plot occurred at 17:32 UT, right in the middle of today’s observing session. The source region is likely the newly emerging active region, but unfortunately the Sun was hidden behind clouds for our location for the duration of this event, plus we were imaging other parts of the Sun at the time. In the future, when regions become more active, we will focus more intently on the more complex regions to record flaring events, great and small, from start to finish. These plots, updated in real time at the website, will help in the future as we monitor these regions for activity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The planet Venus is now a prominent morning “star”\u00a0 one month and 21 days past inferior conjunction. Only a quick image, uncalibrated and not as well focused as it can be, was possible due to increasing clouds at the time of the image, 18:35 UT. The planet has waxed into a thick crescent and has shrunk in apparent size.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

June 18, 2020<\/h2>\n

With the sun presenting a blank face again today, attention was focused on the three prominence displays around the limb of the Sun. The largest of these is a hedgerow prominence on the southwestern limb of the Sun (first two images) that continues to be active. Opposite this, on the northern limb appears to be some new activity (second two images). Finally the eastern limb still shows the spiky prominences that were present yesterday (lower left image). These were taken during an observing session today that involved obtaining a series of images to make up a mosaic of the Sun’s disk. For context, one of today’s full-disk images from Big Bear Solar Observatory<\/a> is provided. For all images, north is up and east is left and each were taken in the light of hydrogen-alpha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:43:39 UT<\/em><\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:43:39 UT<\/em><\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:40:02 UT<\/em><\/td>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:40:02 UT<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

16:37:12 UT (left image); and 15:53:01 UT (right, full disk image)<\/em><\/p>\n

No filaments and very little place activity were noted on the solar disk today.<\/p>\n

June 17, 2020<\/h2>\n

The Sun is once again quiet and spotless but some prominence activity has been noted on the east southeast, north northeast and southwest edges of the Sun. After the mid-day mosaic images were captured these were followed for about an hour and each appear quiescent (that is, lacking significant activity and not changing much over the short term). The largest of the displays is on the southwest limb of the Sun and is detailed below. Each of the sample images below was obtained this afternoon and were made in H-alpha on centerline. Seeing was good during this imaging run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>East limb of Sun at 17:35:38 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Detail of prominence activity on east limb of Sun at 17:35:38.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Southwest limb of Sun at 17:21:51.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Detail of prominence activity on southwest limb of Sun at 17:21:51.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

These prominences will be monitored further tomorrow during the daily observation session.<\/p>\n

June 16, 2020<\/h2>\n

With AR 12765 rotated out of view, the Sun is once again featureless. Typical quiet-sun appearance is shown in the sample images of the southern edge (left-most) and the east-northeast edge (center image). A check for prominences around the limb yield nothing. So the Sun continues in solar minimum mode. The recent active region that just exited the Sun’s disk as seen from the Earth is a Cycle 25 sunspot group. This is evident in (1) the magnetic polarity pattern and (2) the high solar latitude the spot appeared at. This was not the first such spot group, there had been several earlier this year. Each of the sun images below were made with a 0.09 second exposure through a Meade 16-inch stopped down in aperture by the energy rejection filter; the images were made in hydrogen alpha centerline emission (6562.8 Angstroms).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"\"<\/a>South-southeast part of the solar disk, imaged at 16:38 UT<\/td>\n		\"\"<\/a> East-northeast part of the Sun’s disk, imaged at 16:31 UT<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Crescent Venus imaged at 17:08 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Venus (right-most) was high overhead during this morning’s observing session. It is 13 days past inferior conjunction and is re-appearing<\/p>\n

June 15, 2020<\/h2>\n

Regular observations have resumed in the East Dome of the Observatory, with the issue regarding the south half of the Astrohaven dome resolved for now. Since the Sun passes nearly overhead these days, the south flap of the dome is not needed.<\/p>\n

Solar activity remains very low but there are signs of renewed activity. A new active region, whose magnetic polarity indicates it to be a Solar Cycle 25 spot, just crossed the solar disk and is departing over the southwest edge of the Sun. It was well developed and fairly active when it first appeared some ten days ago, but it quickly became a single, quiet spot. The rest of the sun is virtually featureless.<\/p>\n

The below observations were made with the Meade 16-inch, Daystar H-alpha filter and SBIG STT 1603 camera. Images were dark-subtracted upon acquisition, then later bias- and flat-field corrected within MaxIM DL. The images are oriented so that celestial north is up and celestial west is right. The images are 14-arc-minutes tall x 9 arc-minutes wide. Exposures of each were 0.09 seconds and the prevailing atmospheric seeing was fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
North limb of Sun, taken at 18:44 UT<\/td>\nNear center of Solar disk, taken at 18:45 UT<\/td>\nRemnants of AR 12765 (indicated by arrow), taken at 20:17 UT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

=============================================================<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have resumed solar observations at the Prairie View Observatory. The equipment used includes a Meade 16-inch Cassegrain telescope, equipped with a Daystar 0.3-Angstrom H-alpha solar filter and energy rejection filter. The detector is an SBIG STT 1603 camera with a neutral density filter in front to lower the incoming light intensity by 90%. An energy rejection filter is placed over the aperture of the telescope to significantly reduce the light and heat that enters the tube.<\/p>\n

Up to this point, solar observations have been limited due to equipment issues and the very low activity of the Sun. On 8 January 2020, a small sunspot group (NOAA 12756) developed on the northwestern limb of the Sun and provided an opportunity to test out our modified system. Solar activity has and will continue to be very low for the foreseeable future but the next solar cycle, Solar Cycle 25, has begun and should result in a return of sunspot groups and an increase of activity later this year.<\/p>\n

Some useful websites that track solar activity and space weather include:<\/p>\n