GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH G3, A series of three CMEs is now heading for Earth. The first two, launched by M-class flares on August 7th, are relatively minor. The third, launched by yesterday's X-flare , is more potent. Striking Earth in succession on Aug. 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, the three CMEs could spark geomagnetic storms as strong as category G3 with mid-latitude auroras in the USA and Europe.

X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE AND HALO CME--UPDATED: Active sunspot AR3777 just produced its most powerful solar flare yet--an X1.3-class explosion on Aug. 8th 19:35 Universal Time. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash.

Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere and caused a shortwave radio blackout from North America to the Hawaiian islands. Mariners and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal below 30 MHz for as much as an hour after the flare.

Of greater interest is the coronal mass ejection or CME. Soon after the flare, SOHO coronagraphs detected a halo CME heading straight for Earth:

This CME is moving faster than 1,000 km/s or 2.2 million mph and it will likely arrive no later than Aug. 11th, adding its effect to that of two earlier CMEs already en route. Update: NOAA says "early on Aug. 12th.".

The impact could push geomagnetic storm levels to category G3 Strong with mid-latitude auroras in the USA and Europe.

stay tuned for more

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