Some members of the club invested infilters for their telescopes and cameras. And I think all of us have eclipse glasses. Needless to say, the weather is not co-operative, but if there’s a break in the clouds, get out and enjoy the show.

Space Weather News for May 6, 2024
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ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER X-FLARE: Solar activity has gone into overdrive. Since May 3rd, Earth-orbiting satellites have detected four X-class solar flares and an even greater number of almost X-class events. The responsible sunspot, AR3663, is still very active, and NOAA forecasters say more X-flares are possible this week. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.

X-FLARE CHAMPION OF SOLAR CYCLE 25: Active sunspot AR3663 produced two more X-flares today, a pair of X1’s on May 8th at 0145 UT and 0509 UT. This makes it the most active sunspot of Solar Cycle 25 so far. Since May 3rd, the active region has tallied six X-flares, more than any other sunspot in the past 7 years. It may continue to run up the score as it approaches the sun’s western limb later this week. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text

THE CHANCE OF FLARES JUST DOUBLED: There are now two dangerous sunspots facing Earth. In the past 48 hours, AR3664 has more than doubled in size, becoming one of the largest sunspots of the current solar cycle. It is inset in this magnetic map of the sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Among the sunspot’s dark cores, magnetic poles of opposite polarity are bumping together in explosive proximity. As a result, AR3664 now poses a threat for X-flares like its more active cousin AR3663 in the northern hemisphere.

Do you have eclipse glasses left over from April 8th? Use them to look at the sun today. AR3663 is ten times wider than Earth and can be seen with no magnification. Solar photographers, submit your images here! Solar flare alerts: SMS Text