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Solar wind
speed: 312.8 km/sec
density: 4.7 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2347 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C3
2226 UT Nov26
24-hr: C3
2226 UT Nov26
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 26 Nov 14
Earth-facing sunspots AR2216 and AR2217 pose a threat for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 120
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 26 Nov 2014

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2014 total: 1 day (<1%)
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%)

Update 26 Nov
2014

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 169 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 26 Nov 2014

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/Ovation
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.9 nT
Bz: 0.9 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2348 UT
Coronal Holes: 26 Nov 14
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.

Spaceweather.com posts daily satellite images of noctilucent clouds (NLCs), which hover over Earth's poles at the edge of space. The data come from NASA's AIM spacecraft. The polar "daisy" pictured below is a composite of near-realtime images from AIM assembled by researchers at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).
Noctilucent Clouds
Switch view: Europe, USA, Asia, Polar
Updated at: 11-25-2014 13:55:03
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2014 Nov 26 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
20 %
20 %
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: 2014 Nov 26 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
05 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
15 %
MINOR
25 %
15 %
SEVERE
20 %
10 %
 
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014
What's up in space
 

Would you like a call when things are happening in the night sky? Sign up for backyard astronomy alerts from spaceweather.com: voice or text.

 
SpaceweatherPhone

THANKSGIVING SKIES: In the USA, Thanksgiving is the bigggest travel holiday of the year. That's good news for sky watchers, because there are some things you can see only from the window of an airplane. Find out what from Science@NASA.

SPACE WEATHER BALLOON EXPLODES: On Nov. 23rd, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a Space Weather Buoy to the stratosphere. Carried aloft by a suborbital helium balloon, the payload contained a pair of X-ray/gamma-ray sensors to measure cosmic radiation levels inside Earth's ozone layer. About 90 minutes after launch, this is what happened:

The balloon exploded: #1, #2, #3, #4.

It's supposed to do that. As a weather balloon ascends, it expands into the rapidly thinning air high above Earth. The diameter multiplies until the growing sphere is as wide as a small house. Eventually, the rubber fabric of the balloon reaches its elastic limit, and it ruptures. If it didn't, we would never get the payload back!

This balloon exploded at an altitude of 102,986 feet. The almost-silent blast was captured by a camera looking up from the payload below. Next, a parachute opened and the payload descended to Earth, landing in a remote corner of Death Valley where an Earth to Sky recovery team retrieved it yesterday.

The students and their mentor Dr. Tony Phillips of spaceweather.com are examining the radiation data now. This is the first time they have flown two radiation sensors. Cross-calibrating the two sensors in a single flight will allow the team to fly them separately on future missions, launching multiple balloons in rapid succession to investigate the dynamics of solar storms. Stay tuned for updates.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

AURORA WATCH: In most places on Earth, seeing auroras is rare. In Sweden's Abisko National Park, not seeing them is even rarer. "Last night was the 10th time we have seen the auroras during the last 11 days!" reports tour guide Chad Blakley. "Our group of eight witnessed a very nice aurora display dancing over Lake Torneträsk for several hours." He photographed the display using a Nikon D600:

"For many of our guests this was the most impressive display they had ever seen," adds Blakley. "I never grow tired of sharing the excitement the first time someone sees the Northern Lights."

Tonight could be 11 out of 12. A high-speed solar wind stream is heading for Earth and it could arrive on Nov. 25-26. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance polar polar geomagnetic storms during the next 24 hours. Aurora alerts: text, voice

Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery


Realtime Comet Photo Gallery


  All Sky Fireball Network

Every night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.

On Nov. 26, 2014, the network reported 13 fireballs.
(11 sporadics, 1 November omega Orionid, 1 Leonid)

In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]

  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 26, 2014 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2014 WR7
Nov 21
3 LD
25 m
2014 WS7
Nov 21
4.4 LD
15 m
2005 UH3
Nov 22
44.4 LD
1.3 km
2014 WF201
Nov 23
6.2 LD
41 m
2014 WY119
Nov 26
4.4 LD
24 m
2014 WC201
Dec 2
1.4 LD
30 m
2014 WU200
Dec 10
1.2 LD
7 m
2007 EJ
Jan 12
68.9 LD
1.1 km
1991 VE
Jan 17
40.6 LD
1.0 km
2004 BL86
Jan 26
3.1 LD
650 m
2008 CQ
Jan 31
4.8 LD
36 m
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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