NOAA 3738, the largest sunspot group currently on the solar disk, started a new episode of enhanced solar flare activity from around 12UTC on 13 July, culminating in an X1.2 flare that peaked on 14 July at 02:34UTC. The location was in the trailing portion of this active region, whereas the other flares produced by NOAA 3738 took place near the main leading sunspot, where some magnetic delta structure had developed. The SDO imagery shows a white light image (left) of the region, as well as a magnetogram (right), with white indicating positive magnetic polarity (field lines coming out of the Sun), and black representing negative magnetic polarity (field lines returning into the Sun). The extreme ultraviolet ilage is from SDO/AIA 094 near the time of the flare's peak.
The eruption apparently was not associated with coronal dimming or a coronal mass ejection (CME). Space weather effects from the x-ray flares were limited to some minor disturbances of HF Com on the Earth's dayside (DRAP; map underneath). The flare itself was associated with radio bursts on various frequencies at and above 2 GHz (NOAA/USAF network). NOAA 3738 is expected to produce further M-class flaring with a chance on another X-class flare.
