Complex active region NOAA 3561 won this week's prize for most prolific M-class flare producer against the favorite sunspot region NOAA 3559. The latter took the award for most intense M-class flare.
SIDC News
A sunspot region is evolving into a large and actively flaring region. Strong solar activity can be expected over the next few days.
Some colourful phenomena in the night sky are something quite different from the typical polar lights.
The Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) opens a Topical Issue on "Fast and slow solar winds: Origin, evolution and Space Weather effects".
Some additional imagery of and information on the X5 flare that took place on 31 December.
An X5 flare took place on New Year's Eve. This is the strongest solar flare so far this solar cycle.
Complex sunspot group NOAA 3514 unleashed an X2.8 flare on 14 December. This is the strongest solar flare so far this solar cycle.
Several solar eruptions on 27 and 28 November had an earth-directed component and caused a major geomagnetic storm on 1 December.
While the daily sunspot number skyrocketed last week, the number of strong flares was quite modest.
So far, ongoing solar cycle 25 (SC25) has been geomagnetically more active than its predecessor SC24, but remains overall well below the long-term average of SC17 to 23.
A trio of earth-directed CMEs resulted in a major geomagnetic storm.