Our Sun lights up this week with two big flare players that have the X-factor. Regions 3088 and 3089 have been firing big solar flares over the past few days causing R1-R2 level radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside. In addition, region 3088 has been launching partly Earth-directed solar storms. These storms are expected to graze Earth to the west in back-to-back fashion, late on August 28. However, we are feeling the effect of earlier mini-solar storms now, in fact we bumped up to active conditions once already and could even get sporadic aurora shows that intensify up to when the larger storms hit. Aurora photographers could get a show clear down to mid-latitudes around August 29. Amateur radio operators should expect noise on the bands and radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside and GPS users should stay vigilant for reception issues near dawn and dusk and anywhere near aurora over the next few days at least. Learn the details of the coming solar storms, when and where to see aurora, see why the big-flare players are making life difficult for amateur radio and GPS users, and find out what else our Sun has in store this week. 

This week our Sun calms down a bit, but still gives us mixed bag of active regions, coronal holes and solar eye candy. We have multiple active regions on the Earth-facing disk, including a big-flare player. Luckily, this region has been underperforming. The good news is that solar flux is finally back into the triple digits, which means decent radio propagation again on Earth’s dayside and along with the reasonably low risk for radio blackouts, amateur radio operators as well as GPS users should enjoy better than average signal reception (and transmission). Although we arent expecting any strong storming with the coronal hole rotating into the Earth-strike zone now, we are keeping our eyes are on the East limb of the Sun where new regions are poised to rotate into view and a massive prominence towers over the horizon. This prominence is barely hanging on as it rotates closer to the Earth-Strike zone. If it manages to hang on over the next day or so, it could erupt as a partially Earth-directed solar storm. However, as of this writing, it looks like the structure is in the process of erupting now. Learn the details of the coming fast solar wind, find out more about the big-flare player, and watch the huge prominence as it clings to life over the Sun’s East limb.

This week our Sun turns up the volume and the beauty as it launches not one but two Earth-directed solar storms. The first of these cartwheels off the Sun during launch in a graceful ballet, one that will make its magnetic field orientation hard to predict when it arrives at Earth. NASA predictions show the first storm will arrive early on July 19 with the second one arriving mid-morning on the 20th (UTC time). This means we will get a 1,2-punch that could bring aurora down to mid-latitudes for several days! Aurora photographers be sure to should keep your batteries charged and cameras at the ready. Amateur radio operators have a mixed bag this week as we have many big-flare players in Earth view. This means solar flux is staying well into the triple digits and radio propagation on Earth’s dayside s good, but radio blackouts are on the menu. GPS users should also stay vigilant as the high solar flux and radio blackouts make GPS reception a bit dicey, especially near dawn and dusk. Also, once the solar storms hit, GPS users should stay away from aurora on Earth’s nightside. Learn the details of the coming solar storms, see the gorgeous filament eruption, and find out which big-flare regions regions are the bad actors this week! Want early access to these forecasts, tutorials on Space Weather, & more? Visit: https://patreon.com/SpaceweatherWoman

This week our Sun switches gears and brings big flare players back into Earth view. Several of these regions have X-flare potential, but thus far have only been firing M-class flares. Solar flux also rises well into the 150s, even into the 160s at times. This means radio propagation is back into the good range on Earth’s dayside, although the noise floor is also rising right along with the solar flux. Expect the bands to be noisy this week, not only because of the flare activity, but also because we have been dealing with a waning radiation storm over the past few days. In addition, we have some potential for solar storming due to a glancing solar storm passage and possibly some fast solar wind hitting Earth over the next few days. GPS users should stay vigilant pretty much everywhere on the globe until all this activity dies down, while aurora photographers at high latitudes could get a nice show over much of the week. Learn how much solar storming to expect this week, see the details on the new big-flare players, and find out what else our Sun has in store.

Just as we are calming down from one solar storm, our Sun sends us another! Although this solar storm is wispy and slow, it is rather large and could give us some decent aurora possibilities this week. NASA predictions indicate it should hit Earth around mid-day on July 1. Aurora photographers at high-latitudes should get some decent views through the weekend. Mid-latitudes might be a bit more sporadic (if at all) due to the slowness and wispy nature of this solar storm. Solar flux has taken a hit this week, dropping back into the mid-90s for the first time in a few weeks. Amateur radio operators will likely notice radio propagation worsening a bit. Sadly, these conditions will continue easily over the July 4th holiday (in the USA) and possibly continue through next week as well before things improve. One nice thing is that GPS reception conditions are improving, even at low latitudes due to the lower solar flux and low risk for radio blackouts. However, GPS users should stay vigilant once the solar storm hits, especially near dawn and dusk and anywhere near aurora. Learn the details of the coming solar storm and see what else our Sun has in store!

This week our Sun displays some explosive growth as we switch from a nearly spotless Sun last week to having at least eight active regions on the Earth-facing disk. Several of these are big-flare players with region 3031 being the one to watch at the moment. In addition, back on the 13th region 3030 launched an impressive solar storm that grazed Earth to the East, but the impact was minor and short-lived. Now we are coming down from the effects of that solar storm and dealing with some unsettled wind in the wake of the storm. Aurora photographers at high latitudes should continue to get some light aurora views through the weekend, but photographers at mid-latitudes will likely need to wait for the next storm to launch. GPS users should remain vigilant near dawn and dusk as radio blackouts will continue to be an issue over this next week, but amateur radio operators will appreciate the boosted solar flux that will keep dayside radio propagation in the green all week. Learn the details of the big flare players, the solar storm near miss, and see what else the Sun has in store this week. Want early access to these forecasts, tutorials on Space Weather, & more? Visit: https://patreon.com/SpaceweatherWoman

Our Sun has been busy, but Earth has remained outside the crosshairs for most of the activity. There are quite a few active regions on the Earth-facing disk, including a X-flare player, but with the exception of a few radio blackouts, these regions have not caused us any lasting effects. In fact, no solar storms have been directly launched towards Earth over the past couple of weeks, which has left aurora photographers feeling a bit left out of the fun. Luckily, some fast solar wind from several coronal holes is making the rounds and allowing some brief aurora shows at high latitudes. We also have several filaments crossing the Earth-strike zone this week. One that was on the hairy edge of the strike zone just launched but it looks like it will go southeast of Earth. The other, we are watching very closely. Solar flux is also remaining well into the triple digits, hovering in the 160s and 170s and these conditions will continue easily for the next week or two. This means amateur radio propagation is booming on the dayside of Earth, but it also means GPS users should remain vigilant near dawn and dusk, especially at low latitudes where reception can be impacted the worst. Learn the details of the big-flare players, watch the filament launch, and see what else our Sun has in store this week.

Our Sun continues to keep us busy with two X-flare players on the Earth-facing Sun along with several filaments poised to erupt as they cross the Earth-Strike Zone. We already have one Earth-directed solar storm on its way to Earth that should give us a glancing blow by early May 9. This solar storm is expected to be pretty weak so the chance for aurora views may be limited to high latitudes, but with all the activity, we could easily see more chances for aurora over the next two weeks. Part of this is due to a new region that will be rotating more into Earth view of the next few days. This region is a solar storm producer and may be a big flare player as well. We will know more in the coming days. Amateur radio operators and GPS users should stay vigilant for radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside, where radio signals can be impacted. GPS users should be especially careful near dawn and dusk, where GPS reception is often troublesome anyway. Learn the details of the coming solar storm, watch the X-flare players, regions 3004 and 3006 in action, and see what else our Sun has in store! Want early access to these forecasts, tutorials on Space Weather, & more? Visit: https://patreon.com/SpaceweatherWoman

This week our Sun dims down a bit when it comes to sunspots, but not solar activity! We have an Earth-directed solar storm on its way. It will be followed by some fast solar wind that will serve to enhance the impact of this solar storm. Aurora photographers should get a good chance for aurora views even down to mid-latitudes over the next few days. Amateur radio operators and GPS users might experience some disruptions, especially on Earth’s nightside when the solar storm hits, but on Earth’s dayside radio propagation and GPS reception should be top notch. No radio blackouts are expected over the next couple of days, but we will have new regions rotating into Earth view near week’s end, and these might put big solar flares back on the menu! Learn the details of the coming solar storm, including views of the gorgeous filament launch from the Sun, and see why amateur radio operators and GPS users can rejoice on Earth’s dayside but should remain vigilant on Earth’s nightside this week!

After no less than 12 M-class flares,1 X-class flare, 3 Radiations storms, and 2 Earth-directed Solar storms, region 2975 finally rotates behind the West limb of the Sun. If only that meant solar activity would slow down. Nope! Believe it or not, big flares are still on the menu, at least for the next few days and we have yet another Earth-directed solar storm on the way! This means that even without region 2975, conditions remain much as they did last week! Learn the details of the coming solar storm, find out when and where aurora will be visible, see why amateur radio propagation remains good, GPS users still need to be vigilant when it comes to reception, and catch up on aurora highlights from all the recent solar storming! Want early access to these forecasts, tutorials on Space Weather, & more? Visit: https://patreon.com/SpaceweatherWoman