M-class flare likely heading for earth febr 15/16th?

I came upon this website, it requires an account but there was mention of an M-class flare headed for earth.

I am not sure about any credibility but the least I can do is put it out there..

www.earthchangesmedia.com...

Sunspot region 1157 has released a moderate M6-class flare which sits in the Sun's northern hemisphere heading toward the eastern limb. There is a more than likely chance Earth will experience a moderate geomagnetic storm within the next 48 to 72 hours.

Havent seen this posted with a search..

That doesn't seem to be much to worry about. If it were an X class flare, then yeah I would be somewhat more concerned.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


please go into futher detail, i am guessing that you mean the human race will be safe but will there be any consequences of an m class flare and what exactly is an x class flare.

Good job keeping an eye on things, but...

While the sun is active, with 5 sunspots facing us right now, no M class flares have been fired off towards Earth. We do have a 20% chance of a M-class flare over the next 48 hours.

Also, M-Class flares are not that bad. According to SpaceWeather:

"Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth."

X-class are the ones to be watching for. Here is a good thread to keep an eye on things as well, most of the time:
www.abovetopsecret.com...


Additional Links:
spaceweather.com...

www.solarcycle24.com...

reply to post by lewman
Check the post directly below yours. The next poster answered your questions pretty well.

Just slap on some more Coppertone, youll survive.

On doing a very quick search I went to www.spaceweather.com...

All I could find was this:

BEHEMOTH SUNSPOT 1158: Sunspot 1158 is growing rapidly and crackling with C-class solar flares. The active region is now more than 100,000 km wide with at least a dozen Earth-sized dark cores scattered beneath its unstable magnetic canopy. Earth-directed eruptions are likely in the hours ahead.

I found this on Sunspot 1147:

DODGING PLASMA BULLETS: The remains of old sunspot complex 1147-1149 are rotating over the eastern limb today. Although the region is in an advanced state of decay, it's not dead yet. During the late hours of Feb. 11th, a plasma bullet came rocketing out of the region's unstable core:

The eruption was not geoeffective. Earth's magnetic field will remain undisturbed as the 'bullet' sails wide-left of our planet over the weekend.

I could not see anything about Sunspot 1157.

Ok, I'll eat my own words a little bit, SDO is now stating that an M class did erupt, strongest of the cycle so far as well.

But again, nothing to worry about. M-class is not the same as a powerful X class. And in regards to an X-class, it takes a large one with a direct hit to do anything.

"A M6.6 solar flare has just occurred today, peaking at 17:38 UT. This is the largest solar flare so fare from this solar cycle based on X-ray irradiance magnitude"
sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov...

FYI, EST is UTC minus five hours.

Spaceweather.com was slow in reporting today, but they have caught up to the rest of us.

There is a CME that was launched.

"Preliminary coronagraph data from STEREO-A and SOHO agree that the explosion produced a fast but not particularly bright coronal mass ejection (CME). The cloud will likely hit Earth's magnetic field on or about Feb. 15th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

The source of this activity, sunspot 1158 is growing rapidly (48 hour movie). The active region is now more than 100,000 km wide with at least a dozen Earth-sized dark cores scattered beneath its unstable magnetic canopy. More Earth-directed eruptions are likely in the hours ahead."

It should be interesting

reply to post by faceoff85


S&F&

Important info, especially because geomagnetic disturbances are known to cause heart attacks and strokes.

OP. Here is a good resource for you SIDC

This site reports C, X and M class flares and their impact.

Cheers