Power of the X-Factor
Dear <<First Name>>,
Silly me. I thought we were finally beginning to settle down from the solar storm back on October 12 that despite being short-lived, still made news headlines. But no. After a less than optimal aurora display during that storm, our Sun decided it wanted a "do-over." This time, it brought the X-Factor.
On October 28, an X1-class flare fired off as a gorgeous fireball from region 2887 while it was nearly aligned with the center of the solar disk. One couldn't have asked for a more picture perfect launch in the Earth-Strike Zone. Of course, people peddling fear-porn jumped at this new opportunity to once again raise the collective anxiety that the "end of days" is coming. But those of us in the know, know better. The "X" in X-flare does not stand for "extinction." It stands for "X-Factor" -- the unknown variable that either serves to mystify and enchant or petrify and paralyze.
Thankfully, while those in the business of scare-mongering are having a feeding frenzy now, at least some in the media are taking a more disciplined approach. I have even seen a few articles addressing the X-flare and the coming solar storm in a rational manner. A few even take the time to cite real space weather forecasters, including myself! Indeed, I have a live TV news interview on FOX scheduled for Sunday morning, Let's hope this will be the first of many.
So, turning to this week's forecast, I have two for you. The first is a formal forecast I did early this week, just before the Sun got busy. (This forecast is highlighted in the box below). However, a few days after I posted it, our Sun turned on the fireworks. From there it only took a few hours for me to realize I was going to need to do a live informal forecast to calm all the newly frazzled nerves. That informal forecast with an update on the incoming solar storm can be found here: https://youtu.be/yvjR-AYm2zs . But be warned, some of the comments on the video and in the live chat are a bit outrageous. One thing is for sure, although people's responses vary from mild to wild, no one can deny the power of the X-Factor.
Cheers,
Tamitha
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Our Sun is About to Get Busy | Solar Storm Forecast 10.25.2021
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