M-class activity from sunspot region 2290, coronal holes

Tuesday, 3 March 2015 13:31 UTC

It's a shame that sunspot region 2290 only became active yesterday as it was already located near the west limb at the time of the eruptions. This means that the numerous coronal mass ejections that were launched by these solar flares are all directed away from Earth.

Coronal hole effects

The past few days we have been under the influence of a coronal hole high speed solar wind stream from a southern hemisphere polar coronal hole. Minor G1 geomagnetic storming was observed and many high latitude sky watchers managed to capture stunning aurora pictures:

Image: Aurora Australis as seen from Tasmania, Australia by Blackpaw-Photography.

Image: Aurora Borealis captured by Zack-Splaine-Photography from Alberta, Canada.

Another coronal hole is now facing Earth and an enhanced solar wind stream could arrive in about three days from now. More high latitude auroral displays are likely in the days ahead so keep your eyes on the sky!

Image: Our star in the 211 Angstrom wavelength as seen by SDO showing two prominent coronal holes.