Space Weather 2023

Space weather 2023

Tuesday, 14 March 2023 (THIS TIME WE WERE VERY LUCKY!) A 'MEGA-EVENT' An extremely rare Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) travelling faster than 3,000 km/per second which compares with the Carrington Event in 1859 was ejected from our Sun on the 13th of March and could have taken down all earth's satellites, the internet and electricity grid here on Earth but missed us!

Something big just happened on the far side of the sun. During the early hours of March 13th, SOHO coronagraphs recorded a farside halo CME leaving the sun faster than 3000 km/s.

We should, once again, be on our knees today, praying to God with all our thanks after our planet, not for the first time recently was in the right place at the right time after yet another coronal mass ejection, (CME) missed us once again. This one, however, was very powerful and if it had been an earthquake would no doubt have been off the Richter scale. It was what our American friends call, a 'DOOZY,' our British friends call a 'CORKER' and the Aussies, a 'RIPPER!'

Had this CME hit our planet's defence mechanism, the magnetosphere head-on, well, we would today be sat behind our telephone and computer screens without any power. . . No internet, no power, no electricity, no satellites. . . Nothing. I certainly wouldn't be writing this post!



Saturday, 4 March 2023 More Signs And Wonders! The 6th X-Class Flare of 2023 exploded from the sun's surface yesterday and it came from departing sunspot AR3234. G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 4th and 5th in response to an incoming CME, hurled into space by the M8.6-class flare of Feb. 28th, the CME is not heading directly for Earth.

Departing sunspot AR3234 produced another X2-class solar flare on March 3rd (1752 UTC). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash!

The fireworks just keep on coming—The 6th X-Class Flare of 2023 exploded from the sun's surface yesterday and it came from departing sunspot AR3234.  According to Spacewether.com the explosion also produced a coronal mass ejection (CME), shown here above. The bulk of the CME will clearly miss Earth.

After fantastic Auroras were seen earlier this week in the north and southern hemisphere, a Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 4th and 5th in response to an incoming CME, hurled into space by the M8.6-class flare of Feb. 28th, the CME is not heading directly for Earth.



Saturday, 4 March 2023 'SIGNS AND WONDERS!'—A third major quake in less than a month lets-loose in the middle of a cyclone north of New Zealand—We have seen 29 great earthquakes already this year, one every 2.3 days. During the same period in 1903, just 2 major quakes had been recorded—1913, 11 major quakes, 1923 only 13—1933, 14 major quakes, in 1943, just 7—We are witnessing great earthquakes!

Credit Earthwindmap and USGS.

Well folks, there we go, for the third time in less than a month a major quake, (mag 6 or higher) has rock 'n rolled' in, or around an active cyclone. Early this morning a very powerful mag 6.9 rocked the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand and was the third major quake in this area in the last three days. What is extremely interesting is this morning's powerful quake is the fact it occurred in the middle of two cyclones Kevin and Judy. . .

This unusual pattern has become a regular occurrence in 2023. For instance, yesterday for the second time this month, a major quake struck an area during a cyclone.  Yesterday at around 19:00 hrs, (UTC) a powerful magnitude 6.5 major quake, (mag 6 or higher) rocked the West coast of the South Pacific island Vanuatu at the same time the island was being pounded by Tropical Cyclone KEVIN-23, see map below.



Credit Earthwindmap and USGS. Once again a major quake coincides with another geological occurrence!

For the second time this month, a major quake struck an area during a cyclone.  Yesterday at around 19:00 hrs, (UTC) a powerful magnitude 6.5 major quake, (mag 6 or higher) rocked the West coast of the South Pacific island Vanuatu at the same time the island was being pounded by Tropical Cyclone KEVIN-23, see map above.

Just sixteen days ago, a powerful magnitude of 6.1 was recorded in the Kermadec Islands, above North Island, New Zealand during the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle, see map below. 




Thursday, 23 February 2023 The major quakes keep coming! A magnitude of 7.4 on the RSOE disaster map has been officially reported as a very powerful, shallow, magnitude of 6.8 by USGS. (why do they always reduce the size?) close to the Tajikistan-Xinjiang border region: Almost 50,000 dead after the Turkey-Syria quake!

We had another very strong quake early this morning and I haven't seen anything about it anywhere on MSM. The quake was recorded as a magnitude of 7.4 on the RSOE disaster map but has been officially reported as a very powerful, shallow, magnitude of 6.8 by USGS. (why do they always reduce the size?)

The epicentre was close to the Tajikistan-Xinjiang border region, it is a baron landscape so luckily there should not be much damage and hopefully no casualties. The major quake, (mag 6 or higher) is very interesting though in its location. It is almost on the exact same horizontal longitude as the mag 7.8 quake which killed almost 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria recently. It's about  1700 miles East of the Turkey quake with Iran sandwiched exactly between both of them.


In a week of terrible consequences from the seismic activity and the powerful magnitude 7.8 killer quake in Turkey followed by a cluster of massive aftershocks this week, it is probably not surprising solar activity has got in on the act with our sun's 4th X-Class Flare yesterday, after all, solar and seismic activity are usually linked together.

For instance, on January 9th this year, a very powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake rocked Indonesia at precisely 18:47 UTC—Just 3 minutes later at 18:50 our Sun launched a powerful X-Class flare from sunspot AR3182! I have never seen these two powerful events so closely linked together before. Full story  It's no coincidence, for example in 1957 when the sun produced a record-breaking year in sunspot activity, our planet record its record-breaking number of major quakes, which was there for all to see until USGS altered their records Full story Asked why they altered their records from so long ago, they answered. . .



Saturday, 21 January 2023 AR3190, the biggest sunspot in years and visible to the naked eye has so far failed to deliver: However, an enormous plasma discharge, more than 500,000 km long released from sunspot AR3192 ZIG-ZAGGED more than half a million km and zapped the massive sunspot. More seismic activity records two more major quakes last night!

It has been an incredibly exciting week the massive Sunspot AR3190, (magnified above) the biggest sunspot in years and visible to the naked eye has so far failed to deliver, which is maybe a good thing. . . Credit SDO/HMI

Sunspot AR3190, (magnified above) the biggest sunspot in years and visible to the naked eye has so far failed to deliver. The impressive sunspot, more than 4 times larger than the earth has not ejected the massive X-Class solar flare many astronomers were hoping for. 

However, yesterday, sunspots AR3192 and Ar3190 briefly introduced each other when a bolt of lightning connected the two sunspots together, see left, credit Spaceweather.com. . . 

An enormous plasma discharge, more than 500,000 km long released from sunspot AR3192 ZIG-ZAGGED more than half a million km and zapped the massive sunspot AR3190.     


Wednesday, 18 January 2023 Locked n' loaded! Massive sunspot AR3190 takes aim and faces earth: It's the biggest sunspot in years (More than 4 times the size of earth) and is now facing our planet directly. It is so big it can be seen with the naked eye and is responsible for two very powerful major quakes in Indonesia

Massive sunspot AR3190 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbours energy for powerful solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI and Spaceweather.com.

2023 has seen a very exciting start for astronomers already with three powerful X-Class solar flares and a plethora of sunspots. Our Sun is still brisling with powerful sunspots with the biggest sunspot in years now facing our planet. Sunspot AR3190 is so big it can be seen with the naked eye. (Warning never look at the sun without proper protection for your eyes)

Sunspot AR3190 is at the moment more than four times the size of the earth and it is facing our planet, meaning if the sunspot explodes, releasing a powerful coronal mass ejection the resulting solar flare would hit earth full on. However, NASA is predicting only a 15% chance of a powerful X-Class flare during the next 48 hours, that can change, however. Sunspot AR3190 can be seen lower left on the Hellioviewer video below.


Monday, 16 January 2023 Solar Activity continues! Dramatic twisting eruption from the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR3182 to graze earth's magnetosphere today with a barrage of large sunspots emerging from the eastern limb of the sun. Solar activity brings quake activity, two major quakes strike today!
The first two weeks of 2023 have seen a plethora of solar activity recording three X-Class Flares. With a barrage of large sunspots emerging from the eastern limb of the sun, we can expect more high-energy activity next week. 

Of course, high active solar energy is usually accompanied by major quake activity (mag 6 or higher)  and the last few days have been no exception. This morning a very deep magnitude 6.3 quake rocked the Izu Islands near Japan, see the map below.

Earlier a magnitude of 6.0 was recorded in the Indonesia region of Nias. The two major quakes, (mag 6 or higher bring the total to 5 so far in 2023 with a very powerful magnitude of 7.6  which rocked Indonesia on Jan 9.




Sunday, 15 January 2023 After nearly two weeks of constant solar activity and threats from numerous DANGEROUS sunspots, Earth's magnetosphere has received a powerful shock wave from a Coronal Mass Ejection, (CME). A Near Miss: A sign from Heaven... 2012 the year the world was supposed to end almost did!

Credit Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) 
After nearly two weeks of constant solar activity and threats from numerous DANGEROUS sunspots, Earth's magnetosphere has received a powerful shock wave from a Coronal Mass Ejection, (CME). The CME left the sun three days earlier and managed to spark bright red auroras as far south as Scotland according to Spaceweather.com.

SOLAR FLARE AND CME: A twist of dark plasma left the sun on Jan. 14th, propelled by a double-dip M4-class solar flare in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR3182: The debris carved a spiralling path through the sun's atmosphere, a blender-like process that hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. First-look images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) reveal a bright CME emerging from the sun's southwestern limb. Clearly, the CME is not heading directly for Earth, but a glancing blow might be possible early next week. NOAA analysts are evaluating the possibility now.


Wednesday, 11 January 2023 Another X-Class Solar Flare from the dangerous sunspot AR3186 was recorded late last night, the third X-Class Flare this week! Active sunspots AR3181, AR3182, AR3184 and AR3186 are all showing very unstable 'delta class' magnetic fields and could be potentially dangerous.

Our Sun is very very active and continues to produce very strong explosions. Last night our Star popped off yet another X-Class Solar Flare from the new sunspot AR3186 late last night, the third X-Class Flare this week and NOAA predicting a 30% chance of another X-Class Flare in the next 48 hours. Active sunspots AR3181, AR3182, AR3184 and AR3186 are all showing very unstable 'delta class' magnetic fields and could be potentially dangerous.

According to Spaceweather.com; two more sunspots are coming. Helioseismic echoes reveal a pair of large farside active regions just behind the sun's eastern limb. They will rotate into view later this week, adding their dark cores to an already very-spotted solar disk.



When space weather meets major seismic activity! 

I have been blogging about quakes and spaceweather since 2008 but I have never witnessed this before. . .

This afternoon, a very powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake rocked Indonesia at precisely 18:47 UTC—Just 3 minutes later at 18:50 our Sun launched a powerful X-Class flare from sunspot AR3182! I have never seen two powerful events so closely linked together before! I'm flabbergasted. . .

The powerful major quake, (mag 6 or higher) rocked the Pacific Ring Of Fire, the second in as many days. This one was a magnitude 7.6 struck Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, in Indonesia. 




Friday, 6 January 2023 Only 6 days in and 2023 has its first X-Class Solar Flare! The Newly-emerging sunspot AR 3182 popped off an X1.2 flare It comes just 3 after the monster sunspot group probably fired off another X-Class flare on the far side of our Sun! We can expect an uptick in seismic activity here on Earth. . .

Only 6 days in and 2023 has its first X-Class Solar Flare! The Newly-emerging sunspot AR 3182 popped off an X1.2 flare in the early morning hours of Jan 6. On January 3 the sunspot group blasted off a warning with a probable X-Class Flare with a giant eruption on the far side of the sun, the magnetic storm from the blast will miss planet Earth. See Giff below. As you can see on Solar Dynamics Observatory Giff above, sunspot AR3182 has now edged itself onto the Earth-facing side of the Sun.
NOAA is forecasting a 10% chance of more X-Class flares in the next 24 hours as the monster sunspot group turns further toward Earth. According to Spaceweather.com a pulse of X-rays and extreme UV radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout across South Pacific. And of course with high activity on our Star, we can expect an uptick in seismic activity here on Earth. . .


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