X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE – CME headed toward Earth

Via SpaceWeather.com A full-halo CME is heading for Earth following a long-duration X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 18th. The CME’s arrival on Jan. 20th could spark strong geomagnetic storms with auroras at mid-latitudes.

Sunspot 4341 erupted on Jan. 18th (1809 UTC), producing an X1.9-class solar flare. The explosion lasted for hours, which makes this flare even more powerful than than its “X1.9” rating would suggest. This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory says it all: (animation may take a few seconds to load)

Radiation from the flare ionized Earth’s atmosphere over the Americas, especially South America. This caused a shortwave radio blackout that may have lasted more than an hour at frequencies below 10 MHz.

Of greater interest is the CME. The explosion launched a full halo CME with a significant Earth-directed component. NASA models predict that it will reach Earth during the early hours of Jan. 20th. The impact could cause a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm with mid-latitude auroras. Stay tuned for updated forecast models.