AR 1504 Update for June 16th

Sunspot 1504 has developed a delta-class magnetic field that poses a threat for Earth-directed X-flares. Credit: SDO/HMI

Over June 13th and 14th, two solar flares and two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupted from the sun's Active Region 1504 (AE 1504). Today, June 16th, around 0900 UT (5:00 AM EDT), the combined groupings of particles reached Earth in the form of a "double CME." The impact was reported as "weak." The solar wind speed in the wake of the CME barely climbed to 400 km/s (about 1 million miles per hour). This rate is about the average for solar wind. The impact did not even trigger a geomagnetic storm.

But AR 1504 is not done yet. The region has developed a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong solar flares — and the region's huge sunspot (Sunspot 1504) is directly facing Earth.
Forecasters for the Narional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimate a 65% chance of M-flares and a 5% chance of X-flares from AR 1504 during the next 24 hours. To visit NOAA online, follow this link, www.noaa.gov/ . Please stay tuned...

To learn more about the sun and to stay current on solar activity, visit the mission home page of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/ .

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