SFI = 171
A index = 8
K index = 2
SSN = 141
CHANCE OF FLARES: There are half-a-dozen large sunspots on the sun today. At least two of them (AR3057 and AR3058) pose a threat for strong flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of M-class flares and a 10% chance of X-flares on July 16th.
A ‘CANYON OF FIRE’ JUST OPENED ON THE SUN: A dark filament of magnetism whipsawed out of the sun’s atmosphere on July 15th, carving a gigantic canyon of fire. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the eruption:
The walls of the canyon are 25,000 km high and more than 10 times as long. They trace the channel where the filament was suspended by magnetic forces above the sun’s surface, before instabilities flung it skyward.
Soon after the eruption, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) saw a CME emerging from the sun’s northern hemisphere. Play the movie. NOAA analysts are modeling the CME to determine if any part of it might hit Earth.
