Article 3 – How to check the intensity of a solar flare

HOW TO CAPTURE AND CHECK THE INTENSITY OF A SOLAR FLARE

I initially check the NOAA X-ray Flux graph and keep it open on the side of my PC screen this updates every few minutes so you can watch for the rapid upwards curve that heralds a solar flare. You can also keep the most relevant of the six GONG monitors open to check the location of the flare and the most active part of the disc whether it be a flare or prominence etc?

Once a flare has gone off the NOAA graph will give a rough indication of its magnitude. I have included an example below that shows what appears to be an M2-class event on the 3 June 2012. The precise magnitude may follow a few hours later after the NOAA duty forecaster has had a chance to check all the available instrumentation/data and posted it on the Edited event log and the log for the last 60 days. These are then posted on an edited events log and part of which is posted below with the precise intensity being highlighted in red text. This event on the 3 June 2012 was assigned an M3.3-class magnitude.

There is also a very useful Solarmonitor link to check the magnitude of solar flares.

Now if you check the Edited Daily Log [part of 3 June 2012 log below] I have highlighted in red text the place where the flare is assigned anM3.3-class flare intensity level.

Event start time end time Event magnitude

7360 + 1257 //// 1321 SAG C RSP 034-180 VI/1

7360 1257 //// 1305 SVI C RSP 047-180 III/1

7360 + 1259 1259 1259 SVI G RBR 245 160

7370 + 1507 //// 1513 SAG C RSP 025-180 III/2 1496

7370 1511 1516 1535 HOL 3 FLA N16E38 SF ERU 1496

7370 + 1513 1513 1513 SAG G RBR 245 220 1496

7380 1514 1515 1529 SVI 3 FLA N19E38 SF 1496

7390 1537 1537 1540 HOL 3 FLA S26W83 SF

7400 + 1609 //// 1610 SVI C RSP 040-082 III/1

7410 + 1748 1755 1757 G15 5 XRA 1-8A M3.3 7.0E-03 1496

7410 + 1750 //// 1755 SAG C RSP 025-180 V/2 1496

7410 + 1751 1754 1755 SAG G RBR 245 13000 1496

7410 + 1751 1754 1755 SAG G RBR 410 25000 1496

7410 + 1752 1753 1754 SAG G RBR 2695 320 1496

7410 + 1752 1753 1754 SAG G RBR 4995 340 1496

7410 + 1752 1753 1754 SAG G RBR 8800 550 1496

7410 + 1752 1754 1755 SAG G RBR 610 500 1496

7410 + 1753 1753 1755 SAG G RBR 1415 210 1496

7410 + 1753 1753 1757 SAG G RBR 15400 320 1496

7410 1753 //// 1817 SAG C RSP 025-150 II/2 760 1496

Solar Flare Magnitudes: Here is a useful video guide by NASA

There are lots of solar flare captures on my website and so here is a chance to view them all in chronological order of magnitude starting with the largest at the top. They are all my own work except where others obtained the initial data there is a credit to the right hand side. The date and universal time is included in the file names of my movies. Further, here is a list of the largest solar flares ever recorded since 1976. Here are the excellent movies made by the TRACE team of big solar events.

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Article 3 – How to check the intensity of a solar flare