GOES X-ray Emission for June 27-29, 2012
Over the past 24 hours, sunspot group AR11513 has increased in complexity, producing several C-class flares and 2 M-class flares, an M2.4 on June 28 at 16:07 and an M2.2 on June 29 at 9:10 UT . Both AR11513 and AR11512 show some promise for more activity including M-class flare events over the next 24 hours.
Current Sunspot Groups for June 29, 2012 (solarmonitor.org)
Here is a video of the M2 flare from June 28, 2012 at 16:07. The video was created by a helioviewer.org user. It shows the flare in 304 angstrom light from the SDO/AIA instrument. A spray of material shoots out of the region after the peak of the flare. There might be a CME associate with the ejection of material.
Another video from the region on Jun 28, 2012 shows a C3 flare that peak in at 21 UT in X-rays. Shortly, after the flare a faint cloud of darker, cooler material flies away from the region off the solar disk to the left or East limb. This video in the 304 angstrom wavelength channel was shared by the helioviewer.org team.
Solar Ionospheric Monitor Observations from Birr, Ireland (courtesy: Dave Gradwell and spaceweather.com)
The extreme ultraviolet and X-rays from the M2 flare changed the density of the upper atmosphere (ionosphere) when it illuminated the sunward side of Earth. Radio wave propagation was disrupted by this temporary change and NOAA issued an R1 radio blackout alert. The wave of ionization was also observed as a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance (SID). Dave Gradwell detected the disturbance over Birr, Ireland with a SID monitor.
AR11515 has also been producing some nice activity. The region produced a C4.6 X-ray flare peaking at 4:09 UT on June 29, 2012.
