|   SPACE WEATHER
Current
Conditions
Solar Wind
velocity: 348.5 km/s
density:2.5 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C2 1645 UT Jan18
24-hr: C2 1630 UT Jan18
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2240 UT
Daily Sun: 18 Jan '01 
Sunspot group 9306 exhibits a complex beta-gamma magnetic field that could harbor energy for M-class solar flares. All the other spots have simpler fields and pose less of a threat for powerful flares.
Sunspot Number: 71
More about sunspots
Updated: 17 Jan 2001
Radio Meteor Rate
24 hr max: 40 per hr
Listen to the Meteor Radar!
Updated: 17 Jan 2001 Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.2 nT
Bz: 3.2 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT Coronal Holes:
A small coronal hole is rotating toward the center of the Sun's disk. It could send a gust of solar wind toward Earth later this week. 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 Jan 18 2200 UT
| FLARE | 24 hr | 48 hr | | CLASS M | 30 % | 20 % | | CLASS X | 05 % | 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 2001 Jan 18 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | | ACTIVE | 20 % | 20 % | | MINOR | 05 % | 05 % | | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % |
High latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | | ACTIVE | 20 % | 20 % | | MINOR | 10 % | 10 % | | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % |
| What's Up in Space -- 18 Jan 2001
Subscribe to Space Weather News!  LIMB WATCHING: This week the largest visible sunspot group, AR 9306, is rotating out of sight around the Sun's western limb. Although the active region is in decay, it maintains a twisted beta-gamma magnetic field that likely harbors energy for M-class solar flares. The coming days might be a good time to watch for such eruptions, which can be a spectacular sight when viewed against black sky over the Sun's limb. Above: This SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope image shows hot gas in magnetic loops above AR 9306 on January 18, 2001.
GLANCING IMPACT: An interplanetary shock wave buffeted Earth's magnetosphere Wednesday at ~1600 UT. The disturbance was probably the outer fringe of a coronal mass ejection (CME) that billowed away from the Sun on Sunday after a solar filament collapsed. The bulk of the CME was directed away from Earth and, as expected, Wednesday's impact was only a glancing blow.  WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | LESSON PLANS | MORE NEWS | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER |
 - 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]
 | NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID: On January 5th, MIT's LINEAR program spotted a new asteroid, 2001 AV43, one week after the space rock flew by Earth at a distance of 0.009 AU. With a diameter of about 60m, 2001 AV43 is too small to be considered a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. The asteroid is notable, however, because it appears to follow a low inclination orbit that brings it about 0.5 lunar distances from Earth's orbit every 1.4 years. 2001 AV43 also experiences close encounters with Mars. |  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. Dec. 18, 2000: Ursid Meteor Surprise -- The normally meek Ursid meteor shower could surprise sky watchers with a powerful outburst on Dec 22nd. Dec. 8, 2000: The Baffling Geminid Meteor Shower -- Most meteor showers are caused by comets, but the Geminids, which peak on December 13th, seem to come from a curious near-Earth asteroid. 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. MORE SPACE WEATHER HEADLINES |
