SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind velocity: 465.4 km/s density:2.2 protons/cm3 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2235 UT X-ray Solar Flares 6-hr max: M3 2200 UT Sep04 24-hr: M3 2200 UT Sep04 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT Daily Sun: 04 Sep '01 Sunspots 9591 and 9601 have decayed a little, but both remain a threat for powerful flares. 9591 has a twisted delta-class magnetic field, while 9601 has a gamma magnetic field. Image credit: SOHO/MDI The Far Side of the Sun This holographic image reveals no substantial sunspots on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI Sunspot Number: 168 More about sunspots Updated: 03 Sep 2001 Radio Meteor Rate 24 hr max: 25 per hr Listen to the Meteor Radar! Updated: 04 Sep 2001 Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 4.9 nT Bz: 3.7 nT south explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2236 UT Coronal Holes: Mild solar wind gusts from the indicated coronal hole will likely buffet Earth's magnetosphere on Sept 1st. Image credit: SOHO Extreme UV 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 Sep 04 2200 UT FLARE | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | CLASS M | 70 % | 70 % | CLASS X | 15 % | 15 % | 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 Sep 04 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 30 % | 20 % | MINOR | 10 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 40 % | 25 % | MINOR | 15 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 05 % | 01 % | Web server provided by VPS Hosting | What's Up in Space -- 4 Sep 2001 Subscribe to Space Weather News! SOLAR WIND: Earth entered a high-speed solar wind stream on Sunday that continues to buffet our planet's magnetosphere. So far geomagnetic conditions have been unsettled but not stormy. Nevertheless, high-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras after nightfall. Above: NASA's ACE spacecraft registered a substantial increase in the local solar wind velocity on Sept. 3rd. WAITING FOR FIREWORKS: Sunspots 9591 and 9601 have twisted magnetic fields that harbor energy for powerful solar flares. Forecasters have been expecting a big eruption from one of these active regions, but little has happened in recent days. Of the two, sunspot group 9601, which is near the center of the Sun, poses the greatest threat for an Earth-directed explosion. ISLANDS ON THE SUN: They look like a chain of Pacific islands, but that's where the similarities end. These sunspots, afloat in a fiery sea of plasma 6000 degrees hotter than the boiling point of water, stretch ten Earth-diameters from end to end. You can see them yourself crossing the center of our star on Monday and Tuesday. But don't look directly at the Sun! Use safe solar projection methods instead. 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. On 4 Sep 2001 there were 318 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids Sep-Oct. 2001 Earth-asteroid encountersNotes: 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. - PERSEIDS 2001: Perseid watchers on August 12th spotted meteors, auroras, and a disintegrating Russian rocket! [gallery]
- MORNING PLANETS: In July and Aug. 2001, the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury put on a dazzling early-morning sky show. [gallery]
- C/2001 A2 (LINEAR): This volatile comet is still visible through small telescopes as it recedes from Earth. [gallery]
- ECLIPSE SAFARI: Onlookers cried out in delight on June 21, 2001, when the Moon covered the African Sun, revealing the dazzling corona. [gallery]
- 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]
July 27, 2001: Meteorites Don't Pop Corn -- A fireball that dazzled Americans on July 23rd probably didn't scorch any cornfields, contrary to widespread reports. June 12, 2001: The Biggest Explosions in the Solar System -- NASA's HESSI spacecraft aims to unravel an explosive mystery: the origin of solar flares. Feb. 21, 2001: Nature's Tiniest Space Junk -- Using an experimental radar, NASA 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 |