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BEAUTIFUL FOREST: Readers, if you have a solar telescope, take a look at the eastern limb of the sun today. Sean Walker of Chester, New Hampshire, reports "a beautiful forest of prominences" there. He took this picture using his Coronado PST.
THE STORM IS OVER: A coronal mass ejection hit Earth on Dec. 16th, but the glancing impact failed to re-energize geomagnetic activity. The severe magnetic storm of Dec. 14th is truly finished.
But you can still enjoy the auroras. Our gallery contains photos from Alaska to Arizona, and all points in between:
Above: "Just after sunset on Dec. 14th, the auroras came out in full glory--a brief but excellent display," says photographer Chris VenHaus of North Prairie, Wisconsin. "The partially frozen lake was a nice bonus."
December 2006 Aurora Gallery
Updated: December 17th
GOODBYE... and thanks for the X-flares. Sunspot 930 announced itself on Dec. 5th with one of the strongest flares in years--an X9, followed by an X6 on Dec. 6th, an X3 on Dec. 13th and an X1 on Dec. 14th. Not bad for solar minimum!
Now the spot is departing. The sun's rotation is carrying it toward the western limb where it disappear from view in a day or so. Rogerio Marcon of Brasil took this picture on Dec. 16th:
Photo details: 150 mm refractor, Herschel Wedge, SolarMax40.
As soon as sunspot 930 is out of sight, solar activity will return to low levels. Stay tuned for quiet.
more images: from John Stetson of Falmouth, Maine; from John Nassr of Baguio, Philippines; from Peter Paice of Belfast, Northern Ireland; from Sean Walker of Chester, New Hampshire.