Powerful X1.6 category solar flare erupts

SOLAR BLAST: A powerful X1.6 category solar flare erupted above sunspot
9661 at
0105 UT on October 19th. It triggered a strong radio blackout across
Asia
and Australia (these Radio blackouts can hamper Satellite communication
crucial for military operations, quite important these days). SOHO
coronagraphs have also detected a
full-halo coronal mass ejection billowing away from the
Sun. The expanding cloud will likely strike Earth’s magnetosphere on
Oct.
21st and possibly ignite Northern Lights during the Orionid meteor
shower.
(http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast17oct_1.htm?list104104)

NEW: another, weaker flare (M5) just happened 2 hours ago.

Only a minor proton storm is in progress.

The flare is clearly visible in the EIT images on:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-195.html
(click on the images for larger versions e.g. 01:48 AM on 19 Oct).

MPEGS of the event:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mpeg/

The flare site was located i AR 9661 where the large Sunspot group can be
seen
in this white light images from MDI:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/synoptic/sunspots/mdi_sunspots.gif

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/javagif/gifs_small/20011019_0358_mdi_igr.gif

Keep an eye on this page to find out when the cloud hits the SOHO
spacecraft,
and the Earths about an hour later, and how the aurora oval expands.
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/spaceweather/

More images from past solar eruptions and other news are listed here:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/