STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM PREDICTED

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The sun hurled another CME toward Earth today, and this one looks like it will be a direct hit. The M7.5-class explosion from sunspot 4274 has an unambiguous Earth-directed component. In total, three CMEs will graze or hit Earth in the days ahead: #1, #2, #3. As a result, strong G3-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Nov. 6-8. CME impact alerts: SMS Text.

SOLAR ACTIVITY IS HIGH: Suddenly, the sun is very active. Yesterday, Earth-orbiting satellites detected two powerful X-class solar flares. This interest-compressed movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows both:

The northern flare (X1.8) came from active sunspot 4274. The southern flare (X1.1) came from a sunspot hidden behind the sun's limb. It was probably more powerful than its nominal classification because the flare was partially eclipsed by the edge of the solar disk.

There's no reason to think this activity will subside. These sunspots have been flaring for weeks, producing multiple farside CMEs in late October. Now they are turning toward Earth. Stay tuned!