An impressive coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed in coronagraph imagery today following a large prominence eruption off the west limb. The widescale plasma cloud does not appear to have an Earth directed component due to its non geoeffective positioning. Had this been directed towards Earth, major geomagnetic storming would have been likely.
Below is an up close and personal look at sunspot cluster 2422 as we head into Wednesday. The active region maintains a complex magnetic configuration with a number of relatively small delta zones present. C-Class and isolated moderate M-Class flares will be possible during the next 24 hours with a smaller threat for a major X-Class event. All imagery courtesy of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) using the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument. In addition to Sunspot 2422, a large prominence is currently in the process of lifting off on Wednesday morning. Should a coronal mass ejection (CME) be associated, it will likely be directed away from Earth. Still a great looking event courtesy of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) using the 304 angstroms channel.