Solar Flare Monitor Screensaver
The Solar Flare Monitor screensaver is a live oscilloscope of the Sun's X-ray flux from NOAA's GOES satellites, sweeping across the A-B-C-M-X flare scale so you can watch solar flares erupt in real time. It's free, key-less, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Solar Flare Monitor screensaver works
The saver streams the GOES X-ray flux feed from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center — the same data used to classify solar flares — with no key.
It plots the last six hours of flux as a glowing strip-chart on a logarithmic scale, the way flare monitors are drawn.
Horizontal band lines mark the flare classes A, B, C, M and X, each a tenfold jump in intensity.
The current level is read out as a flare class like C2.3 and colored by severity, updating every minute as the Sun rises and falls.
A worked example
For most of the day the trace idles in the B and C range, then a flare erupts and the line leaps toward M or even X — the same spikes that can spark auroras and radio blackouts, drawn live as the Sun produces them.
Settings & tips
- Logarithmic scale spreads the flare classes evenly (recommended); turn it off for a linear view.
- Trace color recolours the flux line.
- Background sets the scope backdrop.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the flux live?
- Yes. It streams from NOAA's GOES X-ray sensors and updates every minute, so you see flares as they happen.
- What do A, B, C, M and X mean?
- They're the solar flare classes, each ten times stronger than the last. C is minor, M is medium, and X-class flares are the most powerful.
- Does it need a key?
- No. NOAA's space-weather feeds are free and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.
- How does this relate to Space Weather?
- Space Weather shows the resulting aurora and Kp index; this monitor shows the X-ray flares at the source on the Sun.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.