X-class flare observed by GONG/CT

Early today (18 January, 2026), GONG station at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile captured a major solar flare with its H-alpha instrument. The X-class flare was associated with the active regions 14345 and 14341. A pattern of bright two-ribbon flare suggests the presence of a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with this event. After the eruption, CMEs undergo significant expansion (ballooning in size), and thus, while the eruption occurred east of the solar central meridian, there is a possibility that it could impact Earth when it reaches our planet's orbit.