New Sunspot is Crackling With M-Flares - Debris from the M2-Category Blast May Be Heading for Earth

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded a dramatic explosion near new sunspot AR3425 during the late hours of Sept. 7th. A large amount of plasma can be seen lifting away from the flare site. Debris from the M2-category blast may be heading for Earth. NOAA analysts are currently unraveling several overlapping CMEs to determine which one, if any, might belong to this explosion. Today, Sept. 8, 2023, sunspot AR3425 was pushed past its limit. The colossal energy stored in its magnetic field erupted, blasting out a relatively weak solar flare (C4.0). But it was enough to trigger a towering spire of plasma that reached the dizzying height of roughly 200,000 km (120,000 miles) over the surface of the Sun before the material thinned out too much to see. The active region is turning to face our planet, so any future eruptions will be Earth-Directed. Thanks for watching! #solarflare #CME #newsunspot Images credit: AIA/SDO, SOHO/LASCO, Music credit: YouTube Audio Library Inception - Aakash Gandhi