On this day in 2017: YouTube illustration of Cycle 24's strongest solar flare



We are lucky to be alive to learn from the wisdom of the ages of our Elmers and the Living Legends of Ham Radio at the intersection of 2020 and technology. Here's a possible marker to consider.

Don't understand this stuff? You may want to at least read the CLiff notes as these are the tea leaves of the bands and solar cycles that directly relate to our weekend radio activities.

Consider an internet search for terms and looking more at SpaceWeatherLive for more information on these various phenomena.


Exactly three years ago, on September 6th, 2017, the Sun ejected the strongest solar flare and Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) of solar cycle 24.

Solar region 2673 produced four X-class solar flares
including a massive X-class solar flare of magnitude 9.3 from 1153
to 1210Z September 6, 2017.

Just over eight minutes later, powerful hard x-rays from the flare
increased D-layer ionization by several orders of magnitude, completely
blacking out HF skywave propagation on the daylight side of the Earth
for about an hour, an event called a sudden ionospheric disturbance (SID).

Solar flares are commonly followed by CMEs. Solar region 2673
ejected powerful Earth-directed CMEs on September 6th, 2017, causing
visible aurora on September 7th and 8th and a severe geomagnetic
storm the planetary Kp index reached magnitude 8 on September 8th.
The strongest solar flare measured in modern times was an X28
flare on 28 October 2003 which blacked out HF skywave propagation
on the sunlit side of the Earth for several hours. Extremely powerful
CMEs on 28 and 29 October caused severe geomagnetic storms on
29, 30, and 31 October and the Kp index reached magnitude 9
during all three days.
Check out this visualization on YouTube of this phenom:



[Thanks to Frank, W3LPL for the information]

 


HAM RADIO IS FUN AGAIN.

 

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