Behemoth sunspot 1302 unleashed another strong flare on Saturday morning--an X1.9-category blast at 0940 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
The movie also shows a shadowy shock wave racing away from the blast site. This is a sign that the blast produced a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME isn't heading directly toward Earth, but it might deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field 2 to 3 days hence. Stay tuned for further analysis.
UPDATE: Sunspot 1302 followed today's X2-flare with an M7-flare nearly as strong (movie). So far none of the blasts has been Earth-directed, but this could change as the sunspot turns toward our planet in the days ahead. The sunspot is growing and shows no immediate signs of quieting down.
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Really, now.
Compared to a Solar Maximum outbreak, NOT.
Here is current: [Link]
Here is last Solar Max outbreak (with SOHO Extreme UV composite):
[Link]
Some math for you:
Solar 2nd Max peak -Uncorrected umbra - 1392, whole spot - 11725
Today - 1930 (whole spot area)
Ok. So someone got all excited. I'll prep the latest SDO images for Extreme UV and visible sunspot, and let's see how this thing stacks up. More later.