Heads Up! X Flare On Its Way!

From Spaceweather.  Spaceweather doesn't have specific links, so if you visit after say, Saturday morning, just scroll down.

X-FLARE:  Giant sunspot AR1515 unleashed a strong X1.1-class solar flare on July 6th at 2308 UT. Because Earth is well-connected to the blast site by solar magnetic fields, a fusillade of protons accelerated by the explosion might soon reach our planet. Stay tuned for updates.

Couple the flare with another sunspot..

NEW SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb, and it appears to be a big one. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a first glimpse of the spot's dark cores during the early hours of July 6th:

I think 1515 still hasn't fully rotated towards earth, so July has the chance to become really interesting!



Updates forthcoming.

Solar storm headed toward Earth may disrupt power

The One/Two Punch begins to smack Earth about midnight tonight Central Standard Time..  CBS News.  Excerpts:

The largest solar storm in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights.



The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the federal government's Space Weather Prediction Center. They say the storm, which started with a massive solar flare, is growing as it speeds outward from the sun.


"It's hitting us right in the nose," said Joe Kunches, a scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He called it the sun's version of "Super Tuesday."
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The solar storm is likely to last through Friday morning, but the region that erupted can still send more blasts our way, Kunches said. He said another set of active sunspots is ready to aim at Earth right after this.



But for now, scientists are waiting to see what happens Thursday when the charged particles hit Earth at 4 million mph.
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But there is potential for widespread problems. Solar storms have three ways they can disrupt technology on Earth: with magnetic, radio and radiation emissions. This is an unusual situation when all three types of solar storm disruptions are likely to be strong, Kunches said.



That means "a whole host of things" could follow, he said.


The magnetic part of the storm has the potential to trip electrical power grids. Kunches said utility companies around the world have been alerted. The timing and speed of the storm determines whether it knocks off power grids, he said.
I think we'll all be cool as long as no one tells Nicholas Cage..