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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 382.2 km/sec
density: 0.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C6
1831 UT Nov10
24-hr: C6
1831 UT Nov10
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 10 Nov 11
Sunspot 1339 is in a state of slow decay, but it still poses a threat for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 220
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 09 Nov 2011

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Updated 09 Nov 2011


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 180 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 09 Nov 2011

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.9 nT
Bz: 3.6 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2346 UT
Coronal Holes: 10 Nov 11
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2011 Nov 10 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
50 %
50 %
CLASS X
10 %
10 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2011 Nov 10 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
25 %
MINOR
01 %
20 %
SEVERE
01 %
05 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
30 %
MINOR
01 %
25 %
SEVERE
01 %
10 %
 
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
What's up in space
 

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Satellite flybys

COLORFUL CONJUNCTION : The red planet Mars and the blue star Regulus have gathered together in the pre-dawn sky for a close conjunction that will be at its best on the morning of Friday, Nov. 11th. Wake up early, look east, and behold the colors.

INCOMING CME? Yesterday, Nov. 9th around 1330 UT, a magnetic filament in the vicinity of sunspot complex 1342-1343 erupted, producing a M1-class solar flare and hurling a CME into space. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the progress of the expanding plasma cloud:

Although the eruption was not squarely aimed at Earth, the CME is likely to deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field on Nov. 11th or 12th. This could add to the impact of another CME already en route. The earlier cloud was propelled by a filament eruption (movie) on Nov. 7th and is also expected to deliver a glancing blow on Nov. 11th.

Analyses of these events are still preliminary, and the forecast may change. For now it is safe to say that high-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Nov. 11-12. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

SPOTTED SUNRISE: Solar Cycle 24 is gaining steam with more sunspots, solar flares, and CMEs than we've seen in years. This development is having a visible effect on the solar disk; it's not blank anymore. Today's snapshot from Jett Aguilar of Quezon City, the Philippines, reveals a distinctly spotty sunrise:

"At sunrise this morning, I was finally able to capture the active sun with its face stippled with sunspots," says Aguilar. "Giant sunspot AR1339 was particulary visible."

To take the picture, he used an off-the-shelf Canon 50D digital camera with a Canon EF 100-400 mm lens. Other readers who wish to try this should be careful. Never look at the sun through unfiltered optics even when the solar disk is dimmed by clouds and haze. Focused sunlight can permanently damage your eyes. Instead, point your camera using the LCD screen or, better yet, buy a safe solar telescope. The view is dynamite and it is only going to improve as Solar Cycle 24 approaches maximum in 2012-2013.

  Near Earth Asteroids
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.
On November 10, 2011 there were 1256 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2011 FZ2
Nov 7
75.9 LD
--
1.6 km
2005 YU55
Nov 8
0.8 LD
11.2
400 m
2011 UT91
Nov 15
9.9 LD
--
109 m
1994 CK1
Nov 16
68.8 LD
--
1.5 km
1996 FG3
Nov 23
39.5 LD
--
1.1 km
2003 WM7
Dec 9
47.6 LD
--
1.6 km
1999 XP35
Dec 20
77.5 LD
--
1.0 km
2000 YA
Dec 26
2.9 LD
--
80 m
2011 SL102
Dec 28
75.9 LD
--
1.1 km
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach.
  Essential web links
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
  The official U.S. government space weather bureau
Atmospheric Optics
  The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Solar Dynamics Observatory
  Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.
STEREO
  3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
Heliophysics
  the underlying science of space weather
Science Central
Trade Show Displays
   
  more links...
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