Image via WikipediaJanuary 24, 2012 - NASA - A powerful M8.7 class solar flare, the biggest since September, 2005, has hurled enormous amounts of energy toward Earth, reports NASA. "Solar activity is expected to be low during the period (24 - 26 January)," says NOAA, "with M-class activity likely from Regions 1401 and 1402." NOAA notes that the activity leading up to the M8.7 flare began several days ago. "The period began with active to minor storm conditions as the field was under the influence of the 19 January CME. By 23/0600Z, the field became mostly quiet to unsettled."
"The sun erupted late on January 22, 2012 with an M8.7 class flare," says NASA, "an earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), and a burst of fast moving, highly energetic protons known as a "solar energetic particle" event. The latter has caused the strongest solar radiation storm since September 2005 according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center." Continued below videos...
"NASA's Goddard Space Weather Center's models predict that the CME is moving at almost 1,400 miles per second, and could reach Earth's magnetosphere – the magnetic envelope that surrounds Earth -- as early as tomorrow, Jan 24 at 9 AM ET (plus or minus 7 hours). This has the potential to provide good auroral displays, possibly at lower latitudes than normal." - NASA
