Old sunspot region 3664 returns with an M9.3 solar flare!
Sunday, 23 June 2024 15:15 UTC
Old sunspot region 3664 and more recently 3697 is back for a third visit of the earth-facing solar disk. The region received sunspot number 3723 and immediately announced its return with an impulsive and non-eruptive M9.3 (R2-moderate) solar flare that peaked at 13:01 UTC. It has decayed heavily as expected of course but there still seems to be some gas in the tank for major eruptions! Exciting!
Sunspot region 3723 is indeed the return of what was sunspot region 3664 back in May when it produced countless of M and X-class solar flares as well as multiple earth-directed coronal mass ejections. This resulted in an extreme G5 geomagnetic storm, the strongest geomagnetic storm conditions since November 2003 with memorable aurora displays seen as far south as Spain and Texas in the USA!
Correction: It seems that sunspot region 3723 is not old sunspot region 3664. Old sunspot region 3664 is just behind sunspot region 3723 and will appear on the limb within the next 24 hours.
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