A major, impulsive solar flare measuring X1.4 erupted at 15:47 UTC on October 9, from a departing region located on the west limb — most likely AR 3842 — the source of X9.0 solar flare on October 3, thus far the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25, and X2.1 and X1.0 on October 7.
The event was associated with a Type IV Radio Emission, typically associated with strong coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar radiation storms.
In addition, a 10cm Radio Burst lasting 3 minutes and with a peak flux of 2 300 sfu was registered from 15:54 to 15:47 UTC. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.
Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over South America at the time of the flare.
While the location of this region doesn’t favor Earth-directed CME, this event has the potential to further enhance the solar radiation storm currently in progress.
Despite the CME not being Earth-directed, solar energetic particle (SEP) events can travel along the Sun’s magnetic field lines and reach our planet anywhere from 20 minutes to many hours following the initiating solar event.
These particles, including protons, can arrive much faster than the CME itself and potentially worsen the existing S3 radiation storm. The wide angular spread of SEPs means that even solar flares occurring on the Sun’s west limb, such as this one, can have an impact on Earth’s space environment, increasing risks to satellites, communications, and high-altitude aviation.
This is the second X-class solar flare of the day after long-duration X1.8 at 01:56 UTC.
A halo CME was produced by the X1.8 flare event and is expected to hit Earth on October 10, sparking G4 – Severe or greater geomagnetic storming. In addition, this event produced an S3 – Strong solar radiation storm today.
Additionally, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been observed in recent SOHO LASCO C3 imagery, providing a unique opportunity for astronomers and enthusiasts to view this celestial object.
The visibility of the comet coincides with the solar activity, offering a rare conjunction of astronomical phenomena.
You can view and track ATLAS on our LASCO C3 movie player.
