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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

SpaceWeather.com
Science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment.

SPACE WEATHER
Current
Conditions

Solar Wind

speed: 589.5 km/s
density:
3.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2253 UT

X-ray Solar Flares

6-hr max:
C4 1920 UT May01
24-hr: C4 1140 UT May01
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT

Daily Sun: 01 May '03
Sunspots 344 and 349 have "beta-gamma" magnetic fields that pose a threat for M-class solar flares. Image credit: SOHO/MDI

The Far Side of the Sun

This holographic image reveals no big sunspots on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI

Sunspot Number: 160
What is the sunspot number?
Updated: 30 May 2003

Coronal Holes:

Solar wind gusts from the indicated coronal hole could reach Earth by May 6th or 7th. Image credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope.
More about coronal holes

Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 5.3 nT
Bz:
3.9 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2256 UT


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 2003 May 01 2200 UTC
FLARE 0-24 hr 24-48 hr
CLASS M 60 % 60 %
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 2003 May 01 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr 24-48 hr
ACTIVE 50 % 30 %
MINOR 35 % 15 %
SEVERE 15 % 05 %

High latitudes
0-24 hr 24-48 hr
ACTIVE 55 % 30 %
MINOR 30 % 20 %
SEVERE 15 % 05 %

What's Up in Space -- 1 May 2003
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GIANT SUNSPOT: Sunspot 349 continues to grow and now stretches more than 10 Earth-diameters from end to end. The magnetic field of this active region is moderately tangled, which means it is a likely source of M-class solar flares. Pictured right is a snapshot of the sunspot captured by French astrophotographer Denis Joye on April 30th. You can see it, too, but never stare directly at the Sun. Use safe solar projection techniques instead.

AURORA OUTLOOK: Earth is inside a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the Sun. Solar wind gusts have triggered Northern Lights as far south as Wisconsin and Michigan in the United States. The auroras were so bright in Canada and Alaska that they rivaled the glow of sunset and big-city lights. [gallery]

"This auroral arc over Menominee, Michigan, was prominent for about 4 hours before dawn on April 28th," says photographer Duane Clausen. "It was well worth watching!"

Sky watchers should remain alert for auroras tonight. The best observing sites will be at high latitudes: e.g., Canada, northern US states like Wisconsin and Michigan, and the southernmost reaches of Australia and New Zealand. The moon will be new, so even faint auroras should be visible.

WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER | SpaceWeather PHONE



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 are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.

On 1 May 2003 there were 509 known Potentially
Hazardous Asteroids

April 2003 Earth-asteroid encounters
ASTEROID

 MISS DISTANCE

 MAG.
2003 GP51

 April 2

16 LD

 18
2003 GG21

 April 3

3.4 LD

 15
2003 GQ22

 April 6

31 LD

 18
2003 FG

 April 7

23 LD

 15
2003 EF54

 April 7

36 LD

 22
2003 GR22

 April 15

22 LD

 19
2003 HM

 April 21

18 LD

 18
Notes: LD is a "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.

  • LEONIDS 2002: The Leonids have come and gone, but our meteor gallery keeps growing. Check out the latest additions, which include a stunning image of 44 meteors emerging from the radiant in Leo.
  • DAWN PLANETS: Just before dawn on Sunday, Dec. 1st, the planets Venus and Mars converged and formed a lovely triangle with the slender crescent Moon. [gallery]
  • SUMMER AURORAS: August was a good month for auroras. Visit our gallery and see what happened in the skies of Europe and North America.
  • NEARBY ASTEROID: Asteroid 2002 NY40 came so close to Earth on August 18th that people could see it through binoculars or small telescopes. [gallery]
  • PERSEIDS 2002: Sky watchers spotted plenty of bright shooting stars--including some colorful earthgrazers--during the 2002 Perseid meteor shower. [gallery]
  • AURORA SURPRISE: An unexpected geomagnetic storm began on August 1st as night fell across North America. Sky watchers spotted vivid auroras over both the United States and Canada.
  • CRESCENT SUN: See strange shadows, weird sunsets, eclipse dogs, crescent-eyed turkeys and extraordinary rings of fire photographed during the June 10th solar eclipse. [gallery]
Essential Web Links

NOAA Space Environment Center -- The official U.S. government bureau for real-time monitoring of solar and geophysical events, research in solar-terrestrial physics, and forecasting solar and geophysical disturbances.

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory -- Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. (European Mirror Site)

Daily Sunspot Summaries -- from the NOAA Space Environment Center.

Current Solar Images --a gallery of up-to-date solar pictures from the National Solar Data Analysis Center at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Recent Solar Events -- a nice summary of current solar conditions from lmsal.com.

SOHO Farside Images of the Sun from SWAN and MDI.

The Latest SOHO Coronagraph Images -- from the Naval Research Lab

The Sun from Earth -- daily images of our star from the Big Bear Solar Observatory

List of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids -- from the Harvard Minor Planet Center.

Observable Comets -- from the Harvard Minor Planet Center.

What is the Interplanetary Magnetic Field? -- A lucid answer from the University of Michigan. See also the Anatomy of Earth's Magnetosphere.

Real-time Solar Wind Data -- from NASA's ACE spacecraft. How powerful are solar wind gusts? Read this story from Science@NASA.

More Real-time Solar Wind Data -- from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Proton Monitor.

Aurora Forecast --from the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute

Daily Solar Flare and Sunspot Data -- from the NOAA Space Environment Center.

Lists of Coronal Mass Ejections -- from 1998 to 2001
What is an Iridium flare?

Vandenberg AFB missile launch schedule.

What is an Astronomical Unit, or AU?

Mirages: Mirages in Finland; An Introduction to Mirages;

NOAA Solar Flare and Sunspot Data: 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; Jan-Mar., 2003; Apr-Jun., 2003;

Recent International Astronomical Union Circulars

 

 

 




 

 
Editor's Note: Space weather and other forecasts that appear on this site are formulated by Dr. Tony Phillips. They are not official statements of any government agency (including NASA) nor should they be construed as guarantees of space weather or other celestial activity.

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Dr. Tony Phillips
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