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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 323.9 km/sec
density: 5.4 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2311 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C5
1748 UT Nov30
24-hr: C5
1748 UT Nov30
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 30 Nov 12
Emerging sunspot AR1625 is crackling with C-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 89
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 30 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 30 Nov 2012


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 113 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 30 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: 3.7 nT
Bz: 0.7 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2311 UT
Coronal Holes: 30 Nov 12
Solar wind flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on Dec. 2-3. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2012 Nov 30 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
20 %
15 %
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 30 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
10 %
MINOR
05 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
25 %
15 %
SEVERE
25 %
10 %
 
Friday, Nov. 30, 2012
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

CHANCE OF STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of polar geomagnetic storms today, Nov. 30th, when a coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Geomagnetic storm alerts: text, voice.

SOLAR ACTIVITY: The most active region on the solar disk today is emerging sunspot AR1625. It is crackling with C-class solar flares, like this one (C4.6) recorded on Nov. 29th by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The eruption did not hurl a CME into space. Neither Earth nor any other planet will be affected.

More flares could be in the offing as AR1625 emerges in close proximity to another active sunspot, AR1623. If the magnetic canopies of the two sunspots intermingle, they could reconnect and erupt, producing something stronger than a C-flare. Stay tuned for updates. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

ASPHALT RAINBOW: Usually rainbows are seen near storm clouds. A few days ago, Geoff Chester was riding his bike in Arlington, Virginia, when he looked down and found one in the asphalt. "Here's a picture from my cellphone camera," says Chester. "You can see the rainbow arc to the right."

According to atmospheric optics expert, this is not a rainbow, but rather a glass bead bow. He explains: "Crews marking paint lines on roads often scatter small glass beads onto the paint. The glass beads retro-reflect light and this enhances the visibility of the markings at night. The glass beads - if sufficiently spherical - also produce rainbows. The difference is that the refractive index of glass is greater than that of water and the bow is only about 21° in radius compared to the rainbow's 42°. The glow around the shadow of Geoff's head is an antisolar point phenomenon - a heigenschein - produced by refraction through the glass spheres."

"Looks like the mystery is solved," adds Chester. "Although technically the trail is closed dusk to dawn, I know of many folks who use it as a bike commuter route after dark, especially this time of year. The beads enhance visibility. I got plenty of strange looks from passersby as I was taking the pictures!"

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery


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 30, 2012 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2012 VN76
Nov 20
7.2 LD
13 m
2010 JK1
Nov 25
9.2 LD
56 m
2009 LS
Nov 28
55.2 LD
1.1 km
2012 WH1
Nov 29
7.6 LD
71 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
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
2012 DA14
Feb 15
0.09 LD
57 m
2009 AV
Feb 25
59.7 LD
1.0 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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