A HUGE Type X-5 solar flare erupted from the sun at about 12:45 EDT today, August 25, 2001. It burst out of a sunspot group on the sun's southeast quadrant which had an extremely twisted magnetic field developing around it.

This is the most powerful category of solar flares; it produced an hour-long radio blackout on the sunlit side of the Earth (primarily in parts of Europe and Africa and some of the Americas) as well as sending out an accompanying coronal mass ejection. This CME was not aimed directly at the earth; however, chances are extremely good for auroral displays when this strikes our atmosphere, probably either Sunday or Monday.

Also, this week a brand new comet was discovered.

For further information, go to: www.spaceweather.com

[ 08-25-2001 05:45 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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