Another Mega Flare

NOAA

[per loin]

another super one:

[per loin]

Spaceweather.com is calling it an X-14

[Lawdoc]

Probably no Earth directed CME with this one. Still, another X-18. Wow!

[Az Joe]

The end is near.

I just hope we last long enough to see Bush defeat the Rats one year from today!

[Riley]

"Its a flare, its just a flare."

-Col. Kilgore
Apocalypse Now

[Izzy Dunne]

If it's out of sunspot #486, it won't be much on Earth.
486 is near the limb, pointing away from Earth.

[per loin]

Probably 486. It was looking ready this morning.

[corkoman]

I swear these flares are affecting me - I am aggravated, frustrated, angry, impatient. Wait. I'm like that anyway. nvrmind.

[John H K]

It's pegged pretty much all detectors so it's possible it's actually larger; might be the largest flare ever recorded.

Of course, not that we've been "recording" them very long.

[per loin]

Somebody has to speak to the sun about maintaining self control.

[kinghorse]

I'm not liking at all hearing about our sun misfiring. I'd just as soon not know about this :).

I sure hope the Earth Reality show playing in Marklar didn't get cancelled. Could the experimental reality show putting tigers with anglos and anglos with chinese and chinese with frenchmen and frenchmen with poison ivy have lost it's charm?

/mangled southpark reference

[commish]

I can't wait to see the SOHO data and visuals on this one!

[John H K]

If this had happened 4-5 days ago I think they would have been seeing Auroras in Ecuador.

[per loin]

Spaceweather.com has now said X-11, which is what the chart I posted looked like. But if the instruments are all pegged, how soon will we get an accurate number?

[My2Cents]

The 'rats will win...then the end will come.

[John H K]

http://www.lmsal.com/solarsoft/latest_events/gev_20031104_1929.html

Yep, 486, of course.

They're listing it at X18+. Record is X20. Measurment gets very difficult at these levels, from postings on the STD board it seems clear this actually is the largest flare ever recorded by a fairly substantial margin.

[commish]

GOES-12 has it as an X-18 on its readout.

I agree with you though, it looks to be around an 11 on the NOAA chart, and that is what Space weather has now rated it at.

[John H K]

I think the Spaceweather.com thing is automated and probably not very reliable.

Actually as I've gotten into the whole following space weather thing I've found that Spaceweather.com is sort of regarded as a bit of a joke.

[per loin]

With it being virtually over the solar horizon, it may take a bit more adjusting before they come up with a final figure.

[RightWhale]

I am aggravated, frustrated, angry, impatient

You're not alone. General irritation and annoyance resistance seems low recently.