X-class flare at 1555 UTC (11:55 am ET)

Active region 12887 emitted an X-class flare today at 1555 UTC. There also appears to be a filament eruption (the precursor to a coronal mass ejection). This is the second X-class flare of Solar Cycle 25 (the first was on July 3, 2021.)

Before the flare a filament cam be seen over AR 12887 (in the blue circle).

The flare begins to brighten up at 1529 UTC.

The filament liftoff from the surface can be seen as the dark region a litle to the left of the flare in the third image.

The flare continues to brighten until its peak flux. Check out the flare in the Browse AIA/HMI Images at the SDO website.
Solar Cycle 25 is alive and well!