An uptick in solar activity on southern hemisphere of the Sun

Southern hemisphere of the Sun is showing an uptick in activity. Beta classified Region 1817 produced an C8.4 solar flare peaking at 21:55 UTC on Sunday, August 11, 2013. This was the largest Earth facing X-ray event since July 8.

NOAA SWPC forecasters estimated 10% chance for an M-class solar flare and 1% chance for an X-class solar flare today.

Sunspots

There are currently 6 numbered sunspot regions on the disk. 5 of them are located in southern hemisphere. Region 1818 has Beta-Gamma magnetic field and is capable of producing strong solar flares. Source of yesterday's C8.4 flare, Region 1817, is still classified with Beta magnetic field same as neighbouring Region 1819 and Region 1813 which is now becoming farside region. Region 1814 is located almost at the center of the disk and is classified with Alpha magnetic field.

Regions 1817 and 1818 continue to show significant growth.

Solar activity is expected to be low in next 30 days with a chance for M-class activity from August 12 – 22. The activity is expected mainly from Regions 1817 and 1818 as they continue to develop in spot area and complexity.

Featured image: Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams