Another Massive Solar Eruption from the Far Side

September 11, 2026

The Sun has produced another spectacular eruption, with a huge prominence launching plasma into space from the star’s northwestern limb.

The eruption occurred in a region that has already rotated onto the far side of the Sun. That means the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) is traveling away from Earth rather than directly toward our planet.

The event was captured by several spacecraft, including NASA and ESA’s SOHO, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, and NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite.

Sun news for September 11, 2026. This video from the SOHO LASCO C2 coronagraph shows the coronal mass ejection (CME) blasting off the sun’s northwest limb, following the huge prominence eruption from a far-side region. LASCO C2 blocks the sun’s blinding face with an occulting disk, revealing the faint outer corona and the plasma streaming outward. Because the source sits on the far side, this CME is heading away from Earth. Image via NASA/ESA SOHO.

 

A Huge Eruption on the Sun’s Far Side

 

According to the latest solar observations, the same northern region that produced a large prominence eruption the previous day erupted again — and this time the prominence was even larger.

Prominences are enormous structures made of relatively cool solar plasma suspended above the Sun’s surface by powerful magnetic fields. When these magnetic structures become unstable, they can erupt and send huge amounts of material into space.

In this case, the eruption generated a CME, but its location on the far side of the Sun means the material is moving away from Earth.

That makes this particular eruption visually impressive but not an immediate threat to our planet.

Solar Activity Has Become Relatively Quiet

 

Despite the spectacular eruption, the Sun’s flare activity during the past 24 hours has been relatively low.

Between September 10 and September 11, observers recorded nine flares:

  • 8 B-class flares
  • 1 C-class flare
  • Strongest flare: C1.6

The C1.6 flare came from active region AR4530 on September 10.

Several sunspot regions are currently visible on the Earth-facing side of the Sun, although most remain relatively stable and magnetically simple.

More Solar Material Could Still Reach

Earth

 

Sun news for September 11, 2026. This full-disk video shows a huge prominence erupting from the sun’s northwest horizon, even bigger than yesterday’s blast from the same area. The eruption came from a sunspot region on the far side of our star, hidden just behind the limb. Prominences are long ropes of solar material held above the sun’s edge by magnetic fields. The GOES-19 SUVI instrument captured the show in its 304-angstrom channel. Image via NOAA.

While the latest major eruption is heading away from Earth, the Sun has produced other eruptions in recent days.

Two filament eruptions from the Sun’s southwestern region produced slow-moving CMEs. Current modeling suggests that these events could produce a weak impact at Earth around September 14 or 15.

The exact timing and strength of any impact can change as new observations become available.

Could More Auroras Appear?

 

Earth has already experienced unsettled geomagnetic conditions during this period of increased solar activity.

The planet’s magnetic field reached Kp values between 1 and 3 during the latest 24-hour period. At the same time, the solar wind remained at moderate speeds as the effects of earlier CMEs and a coronal-hole high-speed stream gradually weakened.

The forecast currently calls for quiet to unsettled geomagnetic conditions, although active periods remain possible as fast solar wind from a coronal hole interacts with Earth’s magnetic environment.

When solar wind and CMEs interact strongly with Earth’s magnetosphere, charged particles can travel toward the upper atmosphere and produce the beautiful auroras seen at high latitudes.

The Sun Is Still Keeping Scientists Busy

 

The latest eruption is another reminder that the Sun can remain active even when its flare count is relatively low.

Scientists continuously monitor solar prominences, sunspots, flares, CMEs and the solar wind because these events can influence conditions throughout the space environment around Earth.

For now, the newest massive eruption is safely traveling away from our planet. But other solar material released in recent days could still influence Earth’s magnetic field in the days ahead.

The Sun may look calm from Earth, but its surface and atmosphere are constantly changing.

Sun news for September 10, 2026. The yellow arrows point to a pair of coronal holes forming on the eastern hemisphere of the sun. A coronal hole is a region in the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, where the magnetic field opens out into space and lets fast solar wind escape. They appear dark because the escaping plasma leaves them cooler and less dense. Once these two holes rotate into a central position, their fast solar wind will start heading our way, possibly bringing active conditions around September 11. The GOES-19 SUVI instrument captured this view in its 195 angstrom wavelength channel at 3:48 UTC on September 10. Image via NOAA.

What Is a CME?

 

A coronal mass ejection, or CME, is a massive cloud of magnetized plasma expelled from the Sun.

A CME can contain billions of tons of solar material and travel through space at hundreds or even thousands of kilometers per second. If one is directed toward Earth, it can interact with our planet’s magnetic field and produce geomagnetic storms and auroras.

Not every CME is Earth-directed — and the latest massive eruption from the Sun’s northwest is a good example of one heading safely away from us.

The Sun may be 150 million kilometers away, but its activity can still have a direct influence on our planet.

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