New-cycle sunspot 1026 is crackling with magnetic activity, and this morning it produced a C-class solar flare. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's (SOHO's) extreme UV telescope recorded the action around 0100 UT on Sept. 25th:
If you thought that flare seemed small, you were right. It was about 100-times too weak too affect Earth. During Solar Maximum, such a minor eruption would probably go unnoticed and certainly unmentioned. But during the deepest solar minimum in almost 100 years, it's a big event. A C-flare! The blast raised no radio blackouts or radiation storms--only the hopes of solar observers for something more flamboyant. Stay tuned.
