X1.9 solar flare

Monday, 9 January 2023 19:34 UTC

X1.9 solar flare

A lot of sunspots on our Sun today which is a promising start for what should be an exciting 2023 when it comes to solar activity. Sunspot region 3181 and 3182 both have complex magnetic layouts with magnetic delta sunspots and both regions have the potential to produce M-class events. It is however sunspot region 3184 near the limb that steals the show today with the second strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 thus far.

Incoming sunspot region 3184 produced a rather impulsive X1.98 solar flare peaking at 18:50 UTC. The solar flare is strong yes but first imagery suggest it is not eruptive and likely no or very little ejecta left the Sun. This is for sure a region to keep an eye on in the days ahead as it rotates into a more earth-facing position but do not forget about regions 3181 and 3182 which also have the potential to produce an earth-directed eruption in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Thank you for reading this article! Did you have any trouble with the technical terms used in this article? Our help section is the place to be where you can find in-depth articles, a FAQ and a list with common abbreviations. Still puzzled? Just post on our forum where we will help you the best we can! Never want to miss out on a space weather event or one of our news articles again? Subscribe to our mailing list, follow us on Twitter and Facebook and download the SpaceWeatherLive app for Android and iOS!

Latest news

Support SpaceWeatherLive.com!

A lot of people come to SpaceWeatherLive to follow the Sun's activity or if there is aurora to be seen, but with more traffic comes higher server costs. Consider a donation if you enjoy SpaceWeatherLive so we can keep the website online!

SpaceWeatherLive Pro
Support SpaceWeatherLive with our merchandise
Check out our merchandise

Latest alerts

Get instant alerts!

Space weather facts

Last X-flare2024/12/08X2.2
Last M-flare2024/12/22M1.1
Last geomagnetic storm2024/12/17Kp5+ (G1)
Spotless days
Last spotless day2022/06/08
Monthly mean Sunspot Number
November 2024152.5 -13.9
December 2024103.3 -49.2
Last 30 days114 -43.9

This day in history*

Solar flares
12015M6.75
21998M3.34
32013M2.36
42013M1.97
52001M1.69
DstG
12002-67
22000-62G2
31989-60
42014-57
51982-53G1
*since 1994

Social networks