X 1.4 Solar Flare July 12 2012

[Stargazer_Ken]

Here is an image I took of the flare about an hour after it peaked. It's a bit dark as I didn't want to over saturate the flare area.

Enjoy!
Ken

https://plus.google.com/photos/10644992 ... banner=pwa

[Ginger]

Beautiful flare image, Ken. Now let's hope we get some aurora this
weekend. It's been almost 10 years since we had aurora here.

Ginger

On 7/13/2012 3:40 PM, Stargazer_Ken wrote:

Here is an image I took of the flare about an hour after it peaked.
It's a bit dark as I didn't want to over saturate the flare area.

Enjoy! Ken

https://plus.google.com/photos/10644992 ... banner=pwa

[PapaJ]

Auroras Likely July 14-15


Strong auroras are likely this weekend at high latitudes and possible at middle latitudes.

The huge sunspot group AR 1520, currently visible with no optical aid except a solar filter, let loose an X-class flare on Thursday, July 12th. The blast hurled a coronal mass ejection directly toward Earth, and the material is expected to arrive anywhere between 3:30 and 17:00 UT on July 14th. (That's any time between late Friday night and midday Saturday in North America).




NASA / Zoltan Kenwell
When the material hits Earth's magnetic field, it's likely to cause strong auroras at northern latitudes, including all of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest. There's also a fair chance of auroras well south of there — conceivably as far south as Alabama.

Auroras are likely to continue for at least 24 hours after the solar particles arrive, so keep watching throughout the weekend. The combination of a favorable Moon phase and falling on a weekend makes this a particularly propitious opportunity.

See Spaceweather.com and the Geophysical Institute website for further information and ongoing updates.


Posted by Tony Flanders, July 13, 2012