AR 3848 produced an X flare in the early hours along with a very fast Earth-directed solar eruption whose shock has also resulted in an ongoing solar energetic particle event! The fast CME should arrive tomorrow, hence a rare G4 watch has been issued #spaceweather #aurora (1/n)👇 Active region 3848 is what we call a beta-gamma-delta region. This just means that the magnetic field has a very complicated structure, prime for producing eruptive events. The image shows the surface magnetic field of the region with positive/negative field in white/black. (2/n)

Thought I would summarise why there is so much excitement in the space weather community right now. There’s a monstrous sunspot group on the Sun that’s massive enough to be visible to the naked eye (please use eclipse glasses) 🌞 👓 (1/n) This sunspot group has been continuously producing strong flares (GOES M & X) and a multitude of solar eruptions (CMEs) for which Earth is in the firing line. (2/n)