Sun news: M5 flare erupts, sun-stuff may glance Earth

Today’s top story: The sun just fired its strongest flare in days! The M5.8 (moderate) flare erupted from sunspot region AR4436 in the northeast around 13 UTC yesterday. The blast sent a fast chunk of sun-stuff – a coronal mass ejection (CME) – racing into space. Scientists have detected a fast, powerful pressure wave racing ahead of this CME. The bulk of the ejecta is heading away from Earth, but our planet could receive a glancing blow early on May 13. If so, this could trigger G1 (minor) auroras. Stay tuned, aurora hunters! Over the past day, solar activity reached high levels. In total, the sun fired 10 flares: 1 M-class, 8 C-class (common) and 1 B-class (weak). - Strongest flare: M5.8 from AR4436, peaking at 13:19 UTC on May 10. It triggered an R2 (moderate) radio blackout, disrupting high frequency communications across eastern Africa. - Lead flare producer: AR4432 generated the vast majority of the remaining activity. It fired 8 C-class flares and 1 B-class event. The Earth-facing solar disk showed 5 numbered active regions. A significant partial halo CME accompanied the M5.8 flare from AR4436. It first appeared at 13:48 UTC on May 10, erupting off the east limb in the SOHO spacecraft’s LASCO C2 imagery. The bulk of the ejecta was aimed well east of Earth. However, initial WSA-ENLIL modeling points to a possible glancing blow arriving at Earth early UTC on May 13. If the Earth-directed component is confirmed, Kp could reach 5, indicating G1 (minor) storm potential. However, significant uncertainty remains. The CME may deliver only a weak disturbance or miss entirely. Solar wind conditions reflected the waning influence of a positive-polarity coronal hole high-speed stream. Speeds declined from slightly elevated to normal by its end. The total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stayed weak. The Bz component remained near neutral and variable. The slight swings from north to south were too weak to drive any significant geomagnetic response. Consequently, Earth’s magnetic shield stayed firmly closed. Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed quiet (Kp 0–2). No geomagnetic storm conditions occurred. The weak and variable IMF kept conditions calm throughout. No sustained southward Bz developed. Forecasters expect low activity to continue over the next three days. A 45% chance exists for M-class flares, primarily from AR4432 and AR4436. A slight chance (5%) for an isolated X-class (strong) event also remains. - May 11 (Monday): Expect quiet-to-unsettled conditions (Kp 0–3). Isolated unsettled intervals are possible from weak coronal hole influences. No significant aurora enhancement expected beyond the usual auroral zone: Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland and northern Scandinavia. - May 12 (Tuesday): Expect mostly quiet conditions (Kp 0–2) as background solar wind prevails. However, a mild high-speed stream from a mid-latitude coronal hole may arrive late in the day. That could introduce unsettled-to-active conditions toward day’s end. - May 13 (Wednesday): The most interesting day ahead. A potential glancing blow from the May 10 CME could arrive early UTC. It may combine with coronal hole effects. A chance of G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm intervals (Kp 5) exists. If storm conditions develop, auroras could reach Seattle, Minneapolis, Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands. Quiet-to-unsettled conditions are more likely if the CME component is weaker than modeled. - May 14 (Thursday): A new coronal hole fast wind stream may begin arriving later in the day. A slight chance of G1 (minor) storm intervals exists as solar wind speeds ramp up again. We sometimes feature sun images obtained using hydrogen-alpha filters. Read why. Bottom line: Sun news for May 11, 2026: An M5.8 (moderate) flare erupts from AR4436! A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) may glance Earth on May 13. A G1 (minor) storm and auroras are possible midweek. Stay alert! The post Sun news: M5 flare erupts, sun-stuff may glance Earth first appeared on EarthSky.