Contact: Barbara McGehan (NOAA)             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
         Donald Savage - (NASA)             11/5/97

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center, in Boulder, Colo., detected the first major solar flare of the new solar cycle at about 1:58 a.m. on Nov. 4. Solar flares are classified by their peak x-ray intensity and this event was of the highest classification which is a class X flare.

The flare, an intense release of energy from an area in the southwest quadrant of the sun, was measured to be many times larger than the size of Earth. The joint European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission operations center detected this event as it occurred and verified that a large coronal mass ejection took place in association with the flare. SOHO data were incorporated into Space Environment Center (SEC) forecasts.

SEC forecasters are predicting activity in Earth's magnetic field to increase over the next few days, with a geomagnetic storm from this activity to reach its greatest intensity on Nov. 7. The solar wind and particles produced as a result of this solar flare can produce Aurora displays in the northern latitudes of the United States. Power systems probably will experience only isolated effects. However, it is possible for satellites to experience surface charging, which can result in arcing between parts of the satellite. Very large geomagnetic storms can cause communication problems with satellites and affect their orbit. Such storms can also interfere with high frequency radio communications. The SOHO, WIND and ACE satellites will detect any geomagnetic storms approaching Earth about one hour before they reach Earth's magnetic field.

In March 1989, a solar flare occurred that knocked out the electrical system in all of Quebec and destroyed a large power transformer in New Jersey. That flare produced a geomagnetic storm five times greater than this one is predicted to be.

For the past three hundred years, the waxing and waning of sunspots has been quite regular. According to SEC forecaster Larry Combs, "This event heralds in the new cycle very well. For the next two to six years, we should see an increase in solar activity, especially as we approach solar maximum in the year 2000." By then, events as large as the ones in 1989 are expected to occur.

For more information on space weather, consult the SEC home page at http://www.sec.noaa.gov

To access SOHO images and movies, check the LASCO and EIT instruments, check the SOHO web site at: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/gallery