#SOLAR #FLARE AND #CME: A twist of dark plasma left the sun on Jan. 14th, propelled by a double-dip M4-class solar flare in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR3182:

The debris carved a spiraling path through the sun's atmosphere, a blender-like process that hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. First-look images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) reveal a bright CME emerging from the sun's southwestern limb. Clearly, the CME is not heading directly for Earth, but a glancing blow might be possible early next week. NOAA analysts are evaluating the possibility now.

https://spaceweather.com/