Another big one
BIG SUNSPOT, CHANCE OF FLARES: Yesterday, sunspot AR2339 unleashed an intense X2-class
solar flare. It might not be finished. The active region has doubled in
size since yesterday, and it has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that
harbors energy for more eruptions. Amateur astronomer Philippe Tosi
sends this picture of the behemoth sunspot from his backyard in Nîmes,
France:
As the blue-circular insert shows, several of the sunspot's dark cores
are larger than Earth itself. From end to end, the sunspot group sprawls
more than 100,000 km. These dimensions make it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. If you have one, take a look. You might catch some action. NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of M-class flares and a 10% chance of X-flares on May 7th.
CME AND COSMIC RAYS:
A CME impact during the early hours of May 6th sparked a minor
geomagnetic storm. The storm is subsiding on May 7th as Earth exits the
CME's wake. Interestingly, one side-effect of the CME is lingering: The
solar storm cloud swept away some of the cosmic rays surrounding Earth.
According to ground-based neutron monitors, cosmic ray counts are down ~4%.
source: http://spaceweather.com/