Relatively many sunspots and yet relatively little activity

Update 2026-05-03, 02:00 UTC

Flare activity comes to rest, new regions in the south-east, development on the back, small solar storm (CME) and small coronal hole bring some space weather

2026-04-30 – Synoptics

2026-04-30, 19:15 UTC – Compared to the last rotation, the southern coronal hole has shrunk considerably. Nevertheless, we are feeling the influence of its stream interaction region right now, which is quite strong compared to the size of the coronal hole.

The three large promising active regions in the north have remained quiet, recently we have only seen weak C-class flares, with no significant coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Nevertheless, there is development, especially in the smaller regions in the south and south-east.

The active regions 4425, 4424, 4420, 4423, 4428 and two new ones in the southeast, one of them now 4429
(SDO HMI magnetogram, continuum, SDO AIA 171)

Something is happening on the largely empty far side of the sun: new regions are appearing in the south. It seems as if the southern hemisphere is awakening.

Solar Orbiter
(EUI FSI 174, EUI FSI 304, PHI FDT magnetogram, PHI FDT continuum)

We continue to observe and marvel.

2026-04-26, 22:55 UTC – M6.0 flare, radio emissions and a CME?

Region 4220 made its presence felt late on 26 April with a stronger flare (M6.0), also registering a strong broadband microwave radio burst and a Type II radio burst indicative of a CME shockwave (estimated speed 834 km/s).

SDO AIA 171, 193, 211 Base Difference + SDO AIA 304

Most of the material fell back onto the sun. Only a small amount was able to escape at first.

SDO AIA 304 Running Difference

The CME is not or barely visible in the coronagraphs: it is overlaid by another eruption on the far side (4419), in STEREO A COR2 a wafer-thin CME can be seen, not very wide, in the Heliospheric Imager nothing can be recognised at all. Met Office UK sees a small chance of a glancing blow on 30 April.

☞ Source: Owens Valley Solar Arrays ovsa.njit.edu/browser/?suntoday_date=2026-04-26

2026-04-30 – Space weather near Earth: Stream Interaction Region + CME

The stream interaction region of coronal hole CH48- has arrived (the area where fast solar wind meets slow solar wind and compresses it). Included is a suspected CME, recognisable by the “Counterstreaming Electrons” in the third row – newly added by NASA’s IMAP satellite.

The low speed and the fluctuating magnetic field have so far resulted in little geomagnetic activity. However, this may change in the next few hours. It remains to be seen whether possible aurora at higher latitudes, perhaps also at higher mid-latitudes, will be able to light up against the almost full moon.

Moon

The moon is full on 1 May. The moonrise and moonset times for Berlin, Germany:

30.4./1.5. ↑ 19:37 CEST ↓ 04:57 CEST (99.6%)
1.5./2.5. ↑ 20:53 CEST ↓ 05:13 CEST (99.9%)
2/5/3/5 ↑ 22:08 CEST ↓ 05:34 CEST (98.3%)
3.5./4.5. ↑ 23:21 CEST ↓ 06:03 CEST (94.9%)
4.5./5.5. ↑ 00:25 CEST ↓ 06:44 CEST (90.9%)