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Solar wind
speed: 423.9 km/sec
density: 0.4 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2347 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C1
1820 UT Apr27
24-hr: C5
0252 UT Apr27
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 27 Apr 13
Sunspot AR1731 has a beta-gamma magnetic field that habors energy for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 104
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 27 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
27 Apr 2013

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 122 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 27 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: 1 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2347 UT
Coronal Holes: 27 Apr 13
Earth is inside a solar wind stream flowing from this large and complex coronal hole. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2013 Apr 27 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
25 %
25 %
CLASS X
05 %
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 27 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
10 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
15 %
15 %
SEVERE
10 %
10 %
 
Saturday, Apr. 27, 2013
What's up in space
 

When is the best time to see auroras? Where is the best place to go? And how do you photograph them? These questions and more are answered in a new book, Northern Lights - a Guide, by Pal Brekke & Fredrik Broms.

 
Northern Lights - a Guide

THIN SOLAR WIND, FAINT AURORAS: A low-density stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field today. The breeze is not potent enough to spark full-fledged geomagnetic storms, but it is moving the needles of magnetometers around the Arctic circle. Resulting faint auroras are being overwhelmed by lunar glare and spring twilight. Space weather alerts: text, voice.

EDGE-ON SUNSPOT: Big sunspot AR1726 rotated off the Earthside of the sun yesterday, surmounting the west limb of the solar disk as it headed for the sun's farside. With exquisite timing, amateur astronomer Harald Paleske of Langendorf, Germany, took the opportunity to photograph a sunspot, edge-on:

To create this extraordinary composite image, he assembled several exposures from his 225mm Unigraph solar telescope into a single panorama spanning more than 150,000 km. It shows a maelstrom of magnetic turbulence and heaving plasma--a true solar storm.

The last time we saw it clearly, AR1726 had a delta-class magnetic field that harbored energy for powerful X-class solar flares. The flare-threat has now shifted to the farside of the sun. Earth is safe, but Mercury and Mars are in the line of fire. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

RESUMING COMMUNICATIONS WITH MARS: For much of April, NASA's communications with Mars have been suspended as the Red Planet passed behind the sun. Transmissions are resuming again this weekend. SOHO coronagraphs show Mars emerging from solar conjunction:

According to a NASA press release, command transmissions will resume, but with some restrictions for the next few days. By May 1st, the Mars orbiters will begin a full dump of data accumulated during the blackout period. Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter could have about 40 gigabits of data from its own science instruments and about 12 gigabits of data from Curiosity stored for sending to Earth.

SLIGHT LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Thursday night, the full Moon over Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia passed through the outer edge of Earth's shadow. It was the slightest of eclipses, with less than 2% of the lunar disk falling into darkness. Nevertheless, many sky watchers noticed, such as amateur astronomer Walter Borghini. He sends this picture of the shadow-zone from Casasco (AL), Italy:

As for lunar eclipses, this is as good as it gets until April 15, 2014. On that date, the the Moon will be fully engulfed by Earth's shadow and the lunar disk will turn a dark shade of sunset red. The total eclipse will be visible from the Americas and Australia: map. Until then, browse the gallery for images of last night's partial shadowfall:

Realtime Lunar Eclipse Photo Gallery


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 27, 2013 there were 1397 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
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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