Sun Sends Out Mid-Level Solar Flare

A coronal mass ejection (CME) was also associated with the July 19, 2012 flare. A CME is another solar phenomenon that can send solar particles into space and can reach Earth one to three days later, affecting electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. Initial NASA research models show that this CME is not headed toward Earth, but could impact STEREO-A.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (http://swpc.noaa.gov) is the United States Government official source for space weather forecasts and alerts. Space Weather Prediction Center reports "Region 1520, now past the west limb, continues to erupt. It produced an R2 (moderate) Radio Blackout and a CME earlier today. Although not clearly Earth-directed, forecasters are analyzing it for tangential effects on the geomagnetic field. An S1 (minor) Solar Radiation Storm soon followed the eruption."