10% chance of such an M-class eruption during the next 24 hours

Sunspot 1072 coughing up some flares..here's the latest

Yesterday, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) peered into the dark heart of sunspot 1072 and found it seething with activity.

The curvaceous arcs in this extreme ultraviolet (171 Å) image are magnetic flux tubes filled with million-degree plasma. Occasionally, a magnetic instability causes an explosion, a minor solar flare, which appears in the movie as a brief flash of light. None of these B-class flares was strong enough to effect Earth; they were merely photogenic.

According to NOAA forecasters, sunspot 1072 harbors energy for flares 100 times stronger than this, and there is a 10% chance of such an M-class eruption during the next 24 hours. Shortwave radio blackouts, sudden ionospheric disturbances, and some fantastic movies from SDO could be in the offing. Stay tuned.

spaceweather

I love having front-row seats for Solar flares — unlike those in the balcony out by Jupiter. I just hope when the "Big One" finally comes, it's around midnight my time.

— Doc Velocity

i don't really follow the whole 10% thing. nasa is talking about an unpredictable unprecedented event yet they've come up with 10%?

uh...what? i think they're just keeping htemselves busy. i wouldn't put too much stock into this.

Would be interested to see if this was headed towards earth or not, if not then no worries

Do you have a link for this

reply to post by Spazzy

An M class flare is hardly unprecedented. There have been several this year (you didn't notice, you say?). The prediction is based on current activity levels. An M class flare is nothing to get very concerned about. Especially with odds of 1 in 10 of one occurring.

M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions.

www.spaceweather.com...


[edit on 5/24/2010 by Phage]

reply to post by bluedrake


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