SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind velocity: 347.4 km/s density:3.1 protons/cm3 explanation | history Updated: Today at 2245 UT Sunspot Number: 150 More about sunspots Updated: 29 Dec 2000 Daily Sun: 29 Dec '00 The moderately-large sunspot 9289 has finally stopped growing. It still exhibits a beta-gamma magnetic field that likely harbors energy for M-class eruptions. Radio Meteor Rates 24 hr max: 39 per hr More about these data Updated: 30 Dec 2000 Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 6.0 nT Bz: 0.8 nT south explanation | history Updated: Today at 2246 UT Coronal Holes: A coronal hole north of active region 9289 will cross the Sun's central meridian in a few days and probably send solar wind gusts toward Earth. Image credit: SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope. More about coronal holes SPACE WEATHER NOAA Forecasts Solar Flares: Probabilities for a medium-sized (M-class) or a major (X-class) solar flare during the next 24/48 hours are tabulated below. Updated at 2000 Dec 30 2200 UT FLARE | 24 hr | 48 hr | CLASS M | 50 % | 50 % | CLASS X | 10 % | 10 % | Geomagnetic Storms: Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm Updated at 2000 Dec 30 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 10 % | 15 % | MINOR | 05 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 15 % | 20 % | MINOR | 05 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | | What's Up in Space -- 30 Dec 2000 Subscribe to Space Weather News! AURORA WATCH: On Dec. 29th SOHO coronagraphs recorded a faint coronal mass ejection following an M1-class solar flare from the vicinity of sunspot group 9283. If the CME is Earth-directed, it could trigger aurora borealis when it reaches our planet's magnetosphere late Sunday or Monday. SUNSPOTS: The large sunspot group 9289 decayed slightly yesterday. It now covers 770 millionths of the Sun's disk, an area equal to 4.5 times the surface area of Earth. The active region still exhibits a complex beta-gamma magnetic field that likely harbors energy for M-class solar flares. QUADRANTIDS: One of the most intense annual meteor showers, the Quadrantids, will peak over North America on January 3, 2001. Observers in western parts of Canada, the USA and Mexico are favored to see an impressive flurry of shooting stars. [full story] FIREBALL, NOT: Thursday we relayed a report about a rare daylight fireball photographed on Dec. 15th by a webcam at Big Bend National Park. The same meteor was back again yesterday! It appears to be a glint of morning sunlight on the lens of the park's web camera, and not a fireball at all. [more] NEW ECLIPSE PICTURES: Sky watchers across North America enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on Christmas Day 2000. Please visit our updated Christmas Eclipse gallery for new photos and animations. WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | LESSON PLANS | MORE NEWS | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER | Space Weather News Become a Subscriber! Nov. 22, 2000: A Solar Flare Stuns Stardust -- Earlier this month an intense solar radiation storm temporarily blinded NASA's Stardust spacecraft en route to comet Wild-2. Nov. 21, 2000: Leonids Galore -- Find out what happened during the 2000 Leonids meteor shower. Nov. 7, 2000: Much Ado about 2000 SG344 -- In 2071 a relic of NASA's earliest space exploration efforts might return to Earth, if current estimates are confirmed. Oct. 26, 2000: Lunar Leonids -- On Nov. 17, 2000, the moon will plow through a stream of debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle. Oct. 10, 2000: The Moonlit Leonids 2000 -- Our planet is heading for a minefield of cosmic dust streams laid down by periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle. The result could be a series of meteor outbursts on Nov. 17 and 18, 2000. Sept. 28, 2000: Bright Planets and Random Meteors -- This week's new Moon sets a dark stage for a sporadic meteor show featuring a cast of eye-catching stars and planets. Sept. 20, 2000: A Good Month for Asteroids -- Five Near-Earth Asteroids flew past our planet during the month of September. Sept. 13, 2000: A Surprising Coronal Mass Ejection -- A solar filament collapsed and fell to the surface of the Sun, spawning a coronal mass ejection that forecasters didn't expect. Sept. 5, 2000: Sunbathing at Solar Max -- NASA scientists say that solar maximum is now in full swing. Does that mean you're more likely to suffer a sunburn at the beach? This story reveals the answer. MORE SPACE WEATHER HEADLINES |