You are viewing the page for Nov. 22, 2012
  Select another date:
<<back forward>>
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 337.6 km/sec
density: 1.6 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B4
2229 UT Nov22
24-hr: B9
1547 UT Nov22
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 22 Nov 12
Sunspot AR1618 has a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 75
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 22 Nov 2012

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
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 Nov 2012


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 140 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 22 Nov 2012

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 1
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 2.4 nT
Bz: 1.4 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
Coronal Holes: 22 Nov 12
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2012 Nov 22 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
10 %
10 %
CLASS X
01 %
01 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2012 Nov 22 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
40 %
35 %
MINOR
20 %
30 %
SEVERE
05 %
10 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
10 %
MINOR
25 %
20 %
SEVERE
60 %
65 %
 
Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012
What's up in space
 

They came from outer space--and you can have one! Genuine meteorites are now on sale in the Space Weather Store.

 
Own your own meteorite

CHANCE OF STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 65% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on Nov. 23rd when a pair of CMEs is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The incoming clouds were propelled toward Earth by the recent eruptions of sunspot AR1618. Black Friday might be tinged red and green by the glow of high-latitude auroras. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

BIG SUNSPOT AR1618: The magnetic canopy of sunspot AR1618 is crackling with M-class solar flares, and NOAA forecasters say an X-flare could be in the offing. AR1618 has a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for the strongest eruptions. Any flares today would likely be Earth-directed as the sunspot is directly facing our planet. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Sunspot AR1618 is so large (10 times wider than Earth) that Jett Aguilar was able to see it this morning when the sun came up over Marikina City, the Philippines:


Photo details: Canon 100-400 mm EFL lens, Canon 2x Extender and a Canon 7D DSLR (1/8000 sec, f/81, ISO 100).

"There were some clouds on the horizon," says Aguilar, "but at 06:13 AM the sun came out and I was able to image sunspot AR1618 using an unfiltered Canon 7D digital camera (1/8000 sec, f/81, ISO 100)."

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

WHALE WATCHING UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS: "Today (Nov. 20th) was one of the most amazingly beautiful days that I have ever experienced," reports Norwegian photographer Fredrik Broms. "Here in Kvaløya, outside Tromsø, we said goodbye to the Sun for the year and hello to the period of polar darkness where the sun doesn't rise." The only lights were these:

"Later in the evening, the activities of fishermen could be heard by the fjord. Soon after the first auroras started to play across the sky, a feeding humpback whale passed by only 10 m away from the shore and could be seen in the light from the moon and the auroras that were dancing over the fjord. The blow of more humpback whales could be heard in the distance. This evening will stay deep in my heart forever!"

Another evening like this could be in the offing. A pair of CMEs is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 23rd or 24th, possibly sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Northern whale watchers, be alert for humpbacks.

Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery


Realtime Eclipse 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 November 22, 2012 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2012 VB26
Nov 17
9.7 LD
34 m
2012 VE77
Nov 18
4.5 LD
23 m
2012 WR3
Nov 18
9.3 LD
32 m
2012 VN76
Nov 20
7.3 LD
13 m
2010 JK1
Nov 25
9.3 LD
56 m
2009 LS
Nov 28
55.2 LD
1.1 km
2012 WH1
Nov 29
7.6 LD
80 m
2009 BS5
Dec 11
8.4 LD
15 m
4179 Toutatis
Dec 12
18 LD
2.7 km
2003 SD220
Dec 23
59.8 LD
1.8 km
1998 WT24
Dec 23
69.2 LD
1.1 km
2003 UC20
Dec 29
25.7 LD
1.0 km
1999 HA2
Feb 5
58 LD
1.3 km
3752 Camillo
Feb 12
57.5 LD
3.4 km
1999 YK5
Feb 15
49.1 LD
2.1 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
Space Weather Alerts
   
  more links...
©2010 Spaceweather.com. All rights reserved. This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips.
©2019 Spaceweather.com. All rights reserved.