SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind velocity: 516.6 km/s density:5.2 protons/cm3 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT X-ray Solar Flares 6-hr max: C3 1940 UT May15 24-hr: C9 0300 UT May15 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT Daily Sun: 15 May '01 Active regions 9454 and 9455 have beta-gamma magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class solar flares. AR 9455 unleashed two M3-class flares during the weekend. Image credit: SOHO/MDI The Far Side of the Sun This holographic image reveals no substandtial spots on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI Sunspot Number: 149 More about sunspots Updated: 14 May 2001 Radio Meteor Rate 24 hr max: 54 per hr Listen to the Meteor Radar! Updated: 13 May 2001 Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 5.3 nT Bz: 0.4 nT north explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2246 UT Coronal Holes: A large coronal hole that crossed the Sun's central meridian last Friday and Saturday sent a high-speed solar wind stream toward Earth. Image credit: Yohkoh Soft X-ray 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 2001 May 15 2200 UT FLARE | 24 hr | 48 hr | CLASS M | 40 % | 40 % | 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 2001 May 15 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 20 % | 20 % | MINOR | 05 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 25 % | 25 % | MINOR | 10 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | Web server provided by VPS Hosting | What's Up in Space -- 15 May 2001 Subscribe to Space Weather News! THE SUNSPOT THAT WOULDN'T DIE: Sunspots are normally short-lived -- rarely do they persist longer than a single 27-day rotation of the Sun. However, sunspot 9393 is an exception. It has already crossed the face of our star twice, in March and April, and now it appears to be back for a third transit. This SOHO extreme ultraviolet image (right) shows a hot spot emerging over the Sun's eastern limb on May 15th just where 9393 ought to be. The third return of 9393 is rare, but it comes as no surprise. Astronomers using a new technique called helioseismic holography saw the active region just a week ago by peering directly through the Sun! The holographic image, below, shows 9393 crossing the far side of the Sun on May 9th. Earlier this year, 9393 unleashed the most powerful solar flare ever recorded. At the time it was the largest sunspot of the current solar cycle. Now the behemoth is probably in decay. We'll find out in the days ahead as 9393 rotates into better view. GEOMAGNETIC STORM: On May 12th Earth entered a high-speed solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the Sun. Solar wind gusts triggered intermittent geomagnetic disturbances for ~36 hours. Click on the image below for photos and a charming account of aurora chasing across the prairie of North Dakota. WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | LESSON PLANS | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER | 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. [more] On 15 May 2001 there were 307 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids May 2001 Earth-asteroid encounters ASTEROID | DATE (UT) | MISS DISTANCE | 2001 GQ2 | 2001-Apr-27 12:00 | 7.7 LD | 2001 FE90 | 2001-May-06 23:37 | 49.7 LD | 1999 KW4 | 2001-May-25 23:31 | 12.6 LD | Note: LD is a "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon - TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Jan. 9, 2001, the full Moon glided through Earth's copper-colored shadow. [gallery]
- CHRISTMAS ECLIPSE: Sky watchers across North America enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on Christmas Day 2000 [gallery]
- LEONIDS 2000: Observers around the globe enjoyed three predicted episodes of shooting stars. [gallery]
Feb. 21, 2001: Nature's Tiniest Space Junk -- Using an experimental radar at the Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists are monitoring tiny but hazardous meteoroids that swarm around our planet. Feb. 15, 2001: The Sun Does a Flip -- NASA scientists who monitor the Sun say our star's enormous magnetic field is reversing -- a sure sign that solar maximum is here. Jan. 25, 2001: Earth's Invisible Magnetic Tail -- NASA's IMAGE spacecraft, the first to enjoy a global view of the magnetosphere, spotted a curious plasma tail pointing from Earth toward the Sun. Jan. 4, 2001: Earth at Perihelion -- On January 4, 2001, our planet made its annual closest approach to the Sun. Dec. 29, 2000: Millennium Meteors -- North Americans will have a front-row seat for a brief but powerful meteor shower on January 3, 2001. Dec. 28, 2000: Galileo Looks for Auroras on Ganymede -- NASA's durable Galileo spacecraft flew above the solar system's largest moon this morning in search of extraterrestrial "Northern Lights" Dec. 22, 2000: Watching the Angry Sun -- Solar physicists are enjoying their best-ever look at a Solar Maximum thanks to NOAA and NASA satellites. MORE SPACE WEATHER HEADLINES |