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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
SPACE WEATHER
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 305.6 km/sec
density: 1.4 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2243 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec03
24-hr: A3
1255 UT Dec03
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
Daily Sun: 03 Dec 07
Tiny sunspot 977 poses no threat for strong solar flares. Credit: SOHO/MDI
Sunspot number: 26
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 03 Dec 2007
Far side of the Sun:
This holographic image reveals no sunspots on the far side of the sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 1
quiet
explanation | more data
Current Auroral Oval:

Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Updated: 2007 Dec 03 2140 UT
What is the auroral oval?
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 2.4 nT
Bz: 0.8 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
Coronal Holes:
A weak solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole could hit Earth on Dec. 5th. Credit: Hinode X-ray Telescope
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2007 Dec 03 2204 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
01 %
01 %
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: 2007 Dec 03 2204 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
05 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
10 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %

What's up in Space
December 3, 2007
Where's Saturn? Is that a UFO--or the ISS? What's the name of that star? Get the answers from mySKY--a fun new astronomy helper from Meade.

ASTEROID SHOWER: The best meteor shower of 2007--an "asteroid shower"--peaks on Friday, December 14th. Sky watchers in rural areas can expect to see dozens to hundreds of shooting stars. Get the full story from Science@NASA.

SIGHTINGS: If you live in the United States, this is a good week to see the International Space Station. The giant spacecraft is flying over many US towns and cities during the evening hours of Dec. 3rd-6th. During a typical flyby, the station shines two or three times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, making it a wonderful naked-eye object. The station also looks great through a backyard telescope:

"I never thought I would see so much detail," says Scott Adler who took the picture on Nov. 20th using his 10-inch 'scope in Wallsend, Australia. Prominent in the photo are the station's newly-extended P6 solar arrays and a glistening new set thermal radiators: labels. These new additions to the ISS make the station bigger and brighter than ever. Don't miss it!

MARS AND MEBSUTA: "Mars is passing by the bright star Mebsuta in the constellation Gemini," reports Günther Strauch. "It looks very nice to the naked eye." Here is the view from his backyard in Borken Germany on Dec. 2nd:


Photo details: Canon EOS 20D, 18mm, 30 sec, 800 ASA

To see the conjunction, look east a few hours after sunset. Mars is unmistakably red and bright, an easy find, especially with Mebsuta so nearby: sky map.

When you've located Mars, note its position in the sky for nightly monitoring. Mars is approaching Earth for a close encounter on Dec. 18th; for the next 2+ weeks the Red Planet will brighten and expand, becoming even more conspicuous and a wonderful target for backyard telescopes. Have a Merry Martian Christmas!


Comet 17P/Holmes Photo Gallery
[Interactive World Map of Comet Photos]
[sky map] [ephemeris] [3D orbit] [Night Sky Cameras]

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 December 3, 2007 there were 907 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Dec. 2007 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2007 VD184
Dec. 9
7.8 LD
18
95 m
3200 Phaethon
Dec. 10
47 LD
14
5 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 Links
NOAA Space Weather Prediction 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.
Atmospheric Optics
  The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  From the NOAA Space Environment Center
Current Solar Images
  from the National Solar Data Analysis Center
  more links...
©2007, SpaceWeather.com -- This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips.
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