Sunspot region 3663, X1 solar flare
Saturday, 4 May 2024 07:24 UTC
Sunspot region 3663 has developed into a complex sunspot region over the past few days with a Beta-Gamma-Delta magnetic layout. This complex magnetic layout already produced countless of M-class solar flares and one X1.6 solar flare which is going to be the focus of this article.
The X1.6 solar flare peaked yesterday at 2:22 UTC and was rather impulsive. The solar flare nonetheless launched a coronal mass ejection into space. While not the most spectacular coronal mass ejection ever observed by mankind, part of the plasma cloud is expected to arrive as a glancing blow late tomorrow, 5 May. The bulk of the coronal mass ejection is heading well north of our planet but a glancing blow should not be ruled out. Storm conditions up the minor G1 geomagnetic storm level will be possible late on 5 May and Monday, 6 May.
A coronal mass ejection launched by an impulsive X1.6 solar flare that occurred yesterday is expected to arrive as a glancing blow late tomorrow, 5 May. The bulk of the coronal mass ejection is heading well north of our planet but a glancing blow should not be ruled out. Storm… pic.twitter.com/QcAadbPx5d
— SpaceWeatherLive (@_SpaceWeather_) May 4, 2024
M9.1 solar flare
Another significant solar flare took place not too long ago. An M9.1 solar flare peaked today at 6:19 UTC. However, it is still too early to tell if the eruption launched a coronal mass ejection and if there is a chance for it to arrive at our planet.
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Space weather facts
| Last X-flare | 2026/04/24 | X2.5 |
| Last M-flare | 2026/05/22 | M2.3 |
| Last geomagnetic storm | 2026/05/16 | Kp6- (G2) |
| Spotless days | |
|---|---|
| Last 365 days | 3 days |
| 2026 | 3 days (2%) |
| Last spotless day | 2026/02/24 |
| Monthly mean Sunspot Number | |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | 79.3 -6.6 |
| May 2026 | 94.2 +14.9 |
| Last 30 days | 97.1 +4.3 |