The decline in solar activity continues
Solar activity continues to decline. Aside from two or three rather peculiar flares (the third occurred on the 7th and didn't make it onto the graph), the trend remains downward. Incidentally, a visual inspection reveals these flares to be quite beautiful—and identical to one another. One of them (the one from the 7th) is shown in the video. The eruption reached a height of approximately 400,000 kilometers; had this occurred on Earth, it would have been enough to reach all the way to the Moon.
Solar X-ray flux, which was hovering near the M-class level early in the week, has dropped tenfold over the past four days and is now below the C-class threshold. One could theoretically place bets on whether it will drop to the B-class level (it is hard to recall offhand when that last happened—probably six years ago), but it is unlikely. The star isn't *that* quiet. It seems likely we will hold steady at the current level for the coming week.
The geomagnetic storm forecast is also in the green. It is a good day for sunbathing and flying to the Moon.
Laboratory of Solar Astronomy, SRI RAS
Contacts: send message