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Perspective
On 19 January 2026, one of the strongest solar radiation storms of the last few decades took place. However, though the storm contained a large number of low-energy protons, the number of high-energy protons remained mostly at background levels. A few aspects of this event are discussed, and a crude reference is provided.
X-class flares and a geomagnetic storm
The magnetic cloud ("CME") associated with the strong flare late on 1 February produced by sunspot group 4366, arrived yesterday 4 February. It resulted in a -still ongoing- minor geomagnetic storm. For Belgium, this means no aurora are visible. Meanwhile, NOAA 4366 produced another strong X-class flare on 4 February. (***UPDATED 6***)