Sun news: Possible G2 storm due overnight June 29? Aurora alert!
Bias ratings based on AllSides + Ad Fontes Media. Agreement % = sources covering this story. Always read multiple sources and think critically.
Science news, great photos, sky alerts.
Today’s top story: A coronal mass ejection (CME) that erupted from the sun late on June 26 is forecast to arrive at Earth early on June 30 (overnight on June 29 according to clocks in the Americas). It could potentially drive G1–G2 (minor to moderate) geomagnetic storming. If so, it could keep aurora-watchers across Earth’s northerly latitudes on the alert through midweek.
The sun continued churning out a steady stream of C-class flares over the past 24 hours, with AR4475 firing flare after flare including a notable double-peaked C7.4/C7.5 event around 21:00 UTC on June 27, and despite its visually decaying appearance, AR4475 remained the most prolific flare producer on the disk while AR4478, the most magnetically complex region currently facing Earth with its beta-gamma-delta configuration, continued growing and developing intermediate spots, keeping forecasters watchful for a potential upgrade to M-class activity in the coming days. Over the past day, solar activity remained at low levels. In total, the sun fired 9 C-class flares.
No M-class or X-class events occurred. The Earth-facing solar disk showed 7 numbered active regions. AR4478 (beta-gamma-delta) remains the most magnetically complex region on the disk.
It continued developing intermediate spots and showed overall growth. Its weak delta configuration persists. And as it transits toward the disk center over the coming days, its potential for stronger flares increases.
AR4475 (beta-gamma) continued an overall decaying trend in its sunspot structure. But, it remained the most flare-productive region of the period. It fired the double-peaked C7.4/C7.5 episode and multiple other C-class events.
No new Earth-directed CMEs appeared in available coronagraph imagery during the reporting period. Several CMEs were detected in LASCO imagery from the evening of June 27, including a fast event at 936 km/s at 19:12 UTC. But none carried Earth-directed components.
The broad, double-peaked C7.4/C7.5 flare from AR4475 produced a weak CME that is still being analyzed. Solar wind conditions remained slightly elevated as the influence of a coronal hole high-speed stream continued to weaken. Speeds began the period near 675 km/s.
Then they gradually declined to approximately 525 km/s by the end of the period. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) averaged a modest 2–4 nT.
Think About This
What questions does this story raise for you? Talk with your family: Why does this news matter? Who is affected? What might happen next? Is there anything you can do?
- Ask your child: “What do you think scientists discovered about news possible? What part surprised you most?”
- Explore together: Search for “news possible” on NASA Kids’ Club, DK Find Out, or National Geographic Kids for more kid-friendly facts.
- Critical thinking: Science findings can change as more research is done. Ask: “How would scientists test this? What would prove them wrong?”
KiddieDaily is built for families — balanced sources, no agenda, no ads. Always read the original source and think for yourself.
🔍 Want to verify this story? Check it on Google Fact Check Explorer →
More stories: Kid News · Archive · Fact Check