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Solar wind
speed: 271.1 km/sec
density: 4.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2347 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C2
2240 UT Apr22
24-hr: M1
1029 UT Apr22
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 22 Apr 13
Sunspot AR1726 poses a growing threat for Earth-directed flares, probably M-class. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 76
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 22 Apr 2013

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2013 total: 0 days (0%)
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Update
22 Apr 2013

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 109 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 22 Apr 2013

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: 2.6 nT
Bz: 0.5 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2347 UT
Coronal Holes: 22 Apr 13
Solar wind flowing from this major coronal hole could reach Earth on April 26-27. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2013 Apr 22 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
40 %
35 %
CLASS X
15 %
05 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2013 Apr 22 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
25 %
25 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
30 %
30 %
SEVERE
30 %
30 %
 
Monday, Apr. 22, 2013
What's up in space
 

Listen to radar echoes from satellites and meteors, live on listener-supported Space Weather Radio.

 
Spaceweather Radio is on the air

REMAIN ALERT FOR LYRIDS: Earth is passing through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Last night, NASA's All Sky Fireball Network detected 21 Lyrid fireballs--an above-average haul. Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office advises sky watchers to look for more tonight. The show might not be over yet. [meteor gallery]

BIG SUNSPOT, CHANCE OF FLARES: Sunspot AR1726 has developed a 'delta class' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong eruptions. This has prompted NOAA forecasters to up the odds of M-class flares to 40% and X-class flares to 15% within the next 24 hours. Because of the sunspot's almost-central location on the solar disk, any eruptions todat would likely be Earth-directed. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

The sunspot is more than a dozen times wider than Earth, which makes it an easy target for backyard solar telescopes. Amateur astronomer Dennis Simmons sends this picture, taken April 22nd, from Brisbane, Qld, Australia:

"This hi-res image was a freak capture when the seeing stabilised for some 150 frames during my morning observing session," says Simmons.

The resolution was fine enough to show not only the sunspot's planet-sized dark cores, but also thousands of smaller granules surrounding the active region. Granules are evidence of boiling on a titanic scale. The upper layers of the sun sit atop a 15-million degree nuclear furnace, and they boil much like water on a hot stove. Granules are akin to the roiling bubbles you see in a pan of boiling water, a million times amplified: Solar granules are as wide as Alaska.

Check the realtime SWx gallery for more images. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

SPACE WEATHER BALLOON: On April 20th in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Bishop, California, a group of high school students launched a "space weather balloon" into the stratosphere. Their goal is to monitor the effects of solar flares on Earth's atmosphere. Scroll below the image for more information:

The silver capsule, built by Mihai Ciustea of Sammamish WA and launched by the Earth to Sky team of Bishop CA, is bristling with sensors to measure, e.g., ozone, pressure, humidity, acceleration and other variables of interest. The capsule travels to 125,000 feet--well inside Earth's ozone layer--and lingers there for approximately two hours before parachuting back to Earth with the data. The April 20th launch was a test flight to measure baseline levels when solar activity is relatively low.

The capsule also serves another purpose: It is a bacteria collector. A door at the bottom of the capsule can open, guiding air into a filter designed to capture microbes during the flight. Mihai Ciustea hopes to find ice-nucleating bacteria and other lifeforms living high above Earth's surface. Stay tuned for updates about this mission!


Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery


Realtime Comet Photo Gallery


Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
[previous years: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011]

  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 April 22, 2013 there were 1397 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2013 GJ69
Apr 15
7.8 LD
23 m
2013 GH23
Apr 19
5.5 LD
33 m
2005 NZ6
Apr 29
24.9 LD
1.3 km
2001 DQ8
Apr 30
74.3 LD
1.1 km
2004 BV102
May 25
69.9 LD
1.4 km
1998 QE2
May 31
15.2 LD
2.1 km
2000 FM10
Jun 5
50.3 LD
1.3 km
2002 KL3
Jun 6
66.4 LD
1.1 km
1999 WC2
Jun 12
39.2 LD
1.9 km
2006 RO36
Jun 18
70.9 LD
1.2 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
Space Weather Alerts
   
  more links...
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