Huge Filament Eruption - A Coronal Mass Ejection Maybe Heading Our Way

A large filament located in the northern hemisphere erupted today beginning after 03:00 UTC (Nov 3). The huge eruption produced a chain reaction of events that could lead to a geomagnetic storm on Earth. The action began at 03:00 UTC when the filament rose up and sliced through the sun’s atmosphere. This rope of solar material and magnetic fields erupted in connection with a C1.4 flare from AR3473. While some of the plasma returned back to the sun, some was launched into space. As much of the filament is located in a geoeffective position, the solar material that was fired into space may be heading our way as a CME. We’ll know when NOAA forecasters have completed modeling and analysis. Low energy proton levels streaming past our planet rose slightly, but remains well below the minor (S1) radiation storm threshold for now. Sun activity remains moderate after the production of two M-flares over the past 24 hours. Today’s forecast is an 85% chances for C flares, a 35% chance for M flares, and a 5% chance for X flares. Earth’s geomagnetic field is quiet today (November 3). Quiet conditions are expected during the rest of today. An increase in activity is expected tomorrow through November 5, due to a glancing blow from the coronal mass ejection (CME) that the sun hurled on October 31. Thanks for watching! #solareruption #CME #spaceweather Images credit: AIA/SDO, SOHO/LASCO C2/C3, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credit: YouTube Audio Library