SOLAR FLAREM6.7

M6.7 solar flare

Peak
Map: M6.7 solar flare

The Sun fired off a class M6.7 solar flare that peaked on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 15:48 UTC, from sunspot region 14549, 12° north and 20° west of center: the middle of the Sun’s face, as seen from Earth. A flare this strong causes an R2 (moderate) radio blackout: high-frequency radio fades on the sunlit side of Earth, which at the time was centered on the point about 105 km (65 mi) north of Natal, Brazil, where the Sun was overhead. It also launched a coronal mass ejection (see the CME).

ClassM6.7
Radio blackoutR2 (moderate)
Began15:29 UTC
Peak15:48 UTC
Lasted29 min
Sunspot region14549
On the SunN12W20
See it on the live 3D globe →Watch live on YouTube🔔 Get alerts near you

How flares are rated

Flares are classed A, B, C, M and X by their X-ray brightness, each letter ten times the one before; the number refines it, so an M5 is five times an M1, and an X1 ten times an M1. M and X flares can disturb radio and GPS on the sunlit side of Earth within minutes, because their light arrives at the speed of light.

Did you know?

8 minutes vs. 3 days. A flare's light reaches Earth in about 8 minutes. A coronal mass ejection, a cloud of solar plasma, usually takes 1 to 3 days.

Data: NASA DONKI and NOAA GOES. Forecasts and alerts: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.

More: every space weather and near-Earth page · all events

More from around the world