A major solar flare measuring X1.0 erupted from the newly-numbered Active Region 3186 on January 10, 2023. The event started at 22:39, peaked at 22:47, and ended at 22:52 UTC.
- This is the third X-class solar flare since January 6, following X1.2 at 00:52 UTC on January 6 and X1.9 at 18:50 UTC — the second strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25
- It is also the 11th X-class solar flare of Solar Cycle 25
- The chances for M-class solar flares through January 13 are now at 70% and for X-class at 30%
A 10cm Radio Burst (Ten flare) lasting one minute and with peak flux of 320 sfu was associated with today’s X-class flare event.
A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.
Blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication was affected over the Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand and parts of eastern Australia.
Available imagery shows a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced by the flare but the location of this region still doesn’t favor Earth-directed CMEs.
This region rotated into view on January 9 and 10 and was responsible for an M5.1 flare at 00:16 UTC on January 10.
It was the most active region over the past 24 hours and the source of multiple C-class flares and an M1.3 flare.
The region remained quite foreshortened during the period and, therefore, an entirely accurate analysis was not possible, but it appeared to possess a delta configuration from likely mixed polarity umbrae within the leader penumbral area.
The region was also the source of numerous surges, sprays, and narrow CMEs – none of which are expected to have an Earth-directed component.
