Large Solar Flares

[faster328]

Did anyone know that peak flux levels above X15 are estimated? Plus there is dispute about what is the largest solar flare ever recorded since 1976? Is it the 2003/11/04 flare (X45), the 1991/06/01 flare (X17+), or the 1989/08/16 flare (X28.5+)?

Image of 1989/08/14 (5629 (β-γ-δ) is the big region at the southwestern limb/bottom right, 5643 (β-γ-δ) is the big region at the northeastern limb/top left), 2 big regions.

Image source: https://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/mitaka_solar/wl-fulldisk-photo/calendar/1989/jpg/wl19890814_001.jpg

Discuss anything about large solar flares here.

Edited June 17 by faster328

[Vancanneyt Sander]

Saturation level of the GOES-13 to current satellite is X24,86 (with correction factor X17,4ish). GOES-7 (1987-1996) saturated above X11,6 (with correction factor!). Between GOES-7 and 13, no flares reached saturation level.
Any flare above saturation level is estimated.

[faster328]

45 minutes ago, Vancanneyt Sander said:

Saturation level of the GOES-13 to current satellite is X24,86 (with correction factor X17,4ish). GOES-7 (1987-1996) saturated above X11,6 (with correction factor!). Between GOES-7 and 13, no flares reached saturation level.
Any flare above saturation level is estimated.

What about before GOES-7? Multiple flares on the first half of June 1991 saturated the X-ray sensor.

[Vancanneyt Sander]

42 minuten geleden, faster328 zei:

Multiple flares on the first half of June 1991 saturated the X-ray sensor.

Read my post again… GOES-7 data from 1987 to 1996 saturated at X11,6 (with correction factor!)

[faster328]

X11.6 then is X16.57 now.

[Jesterface23]

[Insert meme here]

...

GOES 7 and prior satellites might not have the /0.7 correction factor. Looking at GOES 7, it may be closer to /0.77, but we'll see what it is eventually.

[faster328]

What is GOES-7 X11.6 to GOES-16 now?

[Jesterface23]

2 minutes ago, faster328 said:

What is GOES-7 X11.6 to GOES-16 now?

Removing the correction factor of 0.7, it would originally be a X8.12 flare. It may end up falling around X11, give or take a little bit.

......

Actually, it is an X11.6 saturated flare with the old data. So maybe it goes up to X15, give or take a little.

[faster328]

The X11.6+ flare is now X15.06+.

[Aten]

1 hour ago, Jesterface23 said:

Removing the correction factor of 0.7, it would originally be a X8.12 flare

No you need to divide by 0.7 not multiply.

[Jesterface23]

15 minutes ago, Aten said:

No you need to divide by 0.7 not multiply.

That was assuming  X11.6 was already divided by 0.7 provided by previous comments. But I double checked to see what the actual non-science data was and it actually was X11.6 with no corrections made yet.

[faster328]

So, the 6 June 1991 flares are all X15.06+. Which of the 6 flares saturated the GOES detector the longest (the longer the saturation, the larger the flare - this was proved by mathematical modelling for the 5 largest SC23 flares), being the largest flare of June 1991?