AR 3697 has fired off one last parting shot while rotating out of view. The eruption caused a brief blackout of radio communications on the sunlit side of the Earth. Such events are not unusual and there is no cause for concern among the general public.
AR 3697 firing off a parting shot. (Image Credit: NASA/SDO/News9).
A cluster of sunspots designated as Active Region (AR) 3697 has fired off an X1.5 flare, while rotating out of view of the Sun. This violent eruption was followed by an M9.5 flare, which is nearly as intense as an X-class flare. The eruption caused a strong radio blackout on the sunlit side of the Earth. A coronal mass ejection (CME) was associated with the event, but the material is not directed towards the Earth.
An alert issued by the SWPC. (Image Credit: NOAA).
A CME was associated with the M-class flare as well, which may strike a glancing blow to the Earth, inducing geomagnetic disturbances. The sunspot cluster is diminishing in size as it rotates out of view. In two weeks, we will know if it survived a second trip around the Sun. For now, AR 3697 is rotating out of view, and no longer threatens the Earth, at least for the next two weeks.
The violent history of AR 3697
In early May, AR 3664 merged with AR 3668, with the combined sunspot cluster designated as AR 3664. It erupted in a series of X-class flares between 8 and 15 May. The CMEs associated with these flares overtook each other and merged, striking the Earth on 11 May and causing the most severe geomagnetic storm in two decades. AR 3664 continued to fire X-class flares during the geomagnetic storming. The region fired off the most powerful X-class flare in the current solar cycle while rotating out of view.
While moving across the far side of the Sun, AR 3664 is believed to have been associated with a far side CME. The sunspot cluster survived the trip across the far side, and rotated back into view towards the end of May, now bearing the designation AR 3697. The region continued to erupt in X-class flares, causing moderate and minor geomagnetic storms, and a moderate solar radiation storm. AR 3697 now has fired off a parting shot while rotating out of view, and may survive a second trip across the solar far side.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
