Region Responsible for Early May Aurora Puts off Flares Wednesday Morning

news image
Special Stories
30 May 2024 12:55 AM

Above - May 10th Aurora Borealis visible over Badlands, N.P. in South Dakota

Remember the vivid aurora visible all the way to Florida in early May? The region of the sun responsible for solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that caused the aurora is back on the scene. Formally region 3664 (and now known as 3697) has survived a solar rotation and produced a strong flare early Wednesday morning. Right now, planetary impacts are registering as low. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, because of the "far SE location, energetic particles could take some time to arrive in the near-Earth environment."

The Space Weather Prediction Center will monitor the area for potential additional flares that could impact Earth's magnetic field. No geomagnetic storm conditions are anticipated for the next three days, and the aurora will be limited to the far northern latitudes. The May 10-11 solar storm was rated a G5 on the solar scale and was the strongest in over 20 years. On average, we see G5 conditions 4 times every 11 years, or roughly once every 2.5 years.

So what is a "solar rotation"? The sun, like Earth, rotates on its axis, but instead of a 24-hour cycle, it is roughly every 27 days with different latitudes rotating at different day lengths that is because "the Sun is a ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly like the solid planets and moons do [and] the Sun’s equatorial regions rotate faster (taking only about 24 days) than the polar regions (which rotate once in more than 30 days)" according to NASA. The difference in rotation speed was discovered by watching sunspots on the Sun's surface.

Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on space weather impacts and potential aurora borealis viewing based on the Sun's activity!

All Weather News
More
BREAKING: Edouard Makes Landfall in Louisiana

BREAKING: Edouard Makes Landfall in Louisiana

Tropical Storm Edouard has strengthened and m

1 Sep 2026 7:20 PM
Days of Severe Weather For The Plains

Days of Severe Weather For The Plains

The storms that materialized Sunday were NOT

1 Sep 2026 6:30 PM
El Niño Powers a Party in the Pacific

El Niño Powers a Party in the Pacific

The Pacific hurricane season is showing no si

1 Sep 2026 6:20 PM
Northeast: Soaking Showers & Severe Storms

Northeast: Soaking Showers & Severe Storms

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Each week there's been a

1 Sep 2026 6:10 PM
Monsoon Moisture Brings Flooding Across the Four Corners

Monsoon Moisture Brings Flooding Across the Four Corners

Flood Watches are in effect throughout Arizon

1 Sep 2026 10:20 AM
El Nino Pushes Sharks into Southern California Beaches

El Nino Pushes Sharks into Southern California Beaches

During El Nino, temperatures across the Easte

30 Aug 2026 10:00 AM
Southwest Heatwave Breaking Down

Southwest Heatwave Breaking Down

High pressure continues to dominate the South

29 Aug 2026 6:35 PM