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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: 382.1 km/sec
density: 5.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2055 UT Apr22
24-hr: A1
1305 UT Apr22
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
Daily Sun: 22 Apr 08
A new sunspot indicated by the "?" is emerging at high latitudes in the sun's northern hemisphere. This could be a new cycle spot. Credit: SOHO/MDI
Sunspot number: 0
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 19 Apr 2008
Far side of the Sun:
This holographic image reveals no large sunspots on the farside of the sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 2 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3
quiet
explanation | more data
Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
What is the auroral oval?
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 5.9 nT
Bz: 2.4 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
Coronal Holes:
A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on or about April 25th. Credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2008 Apr 22 2203 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: 2008 Apr 22 2203 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
40 %
40 %
MINOR
10 %
10 %
SEVERE
05 %
05 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
40 %
40 %
MINOR
15 %
15 %
SEVERE
05 %
05 %
What's up in Space
April 22, 2008
FLYBY ALERT! Would you like a phone call when the International Space Station (ISS) is about to fly over your back yard? Sign up for Space Weather PHONE.  

AURORA OUTLOOK: Sky watchers around the Arctic Circle should be alert for auroras on April 25th and 26th. That's when a solar wind stream is due to hit Earth, possibly sparking high-latitude geomagnetic storms: gallery.

SUNSPOT ALERT: With little warning, a new double-sunspot is rapidly emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. "It's quite lovely," says Pete Lawrence who sends this picture from his backyard observatory in Selsey, UK:

"The [wavy] lines between the spots remind me of iron filings sprinkled onto a piece of paper on top of a bar magnet," he remarks.

The comparison is apt. Sunspots are islands of not matter but magnetism floating on the surface of the sun. The dark cores in this particular spot are North and South magnetic poles laid out in the manner of a classroom bar magnet. The only difference is, this bar magnet is five times wider than Earth itself.

Readers, if you have a solar telescope, keep an eye on this fast-growing spot.

more images: from Malcolm Park of London, England, UK; from Stephen Ames of Hodgenville, KY; from Jan Haltenhof of Kiel, Northern Germany;

MOONDUST AND DUCT TAPE: Going to the Moon? Don't forget your duct tape. Thirty-six years ago when Apollo 17 astronauts found themselves a quarter million miles from home with a damaged moonbuggy, a roll of "good old fashioned American gray tape" saved the day: full story.

3D BONUS: Grab your 3D glasses and examine the Apollo 17 moonbuggy:


Credit: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Erik van Meijgaarden

The fenders, which appear vividly in this 3D representation, were a source of trouble during the Apollo 17 moon landing. Shortly after unloading the rover from its storage compartment in the lunar lander Challenger, astronaut Gene Cernan accidentally snagged one of the rear fenders with a hammer. Half of the fender was torn off and he was forced to make impromptu repairs using "good old-fashioned American gray tape." The movie of Cernan tearing tape from a roll in thick spacesuit gloves is a must-see.


April 2008 Aurora Gallery
[Aurora Alerts] [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. [comment]
On April 22, 2008 there were 946 potentially hazardous asteroids.
April 2008 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2008 FH5
Apr. 2
7.6 LD
20
17 m
2001 QO142
Apr. 6
34 LD
17
685 m
2008 GF1
Apr. 7
0.8 LD
18
10 m
2005 BE2
Apr. 10
62 LD
18
1.0 km
2005 NB7
Apr. 17
16 LD
16
705 m
2008 FU6
Apr. 22
62 LD
16
1.4 km
2005 TB
Apr. 28
47 LD
18
1.3 km
2001 DQ8
Apr. 30
74 LD
17
1.1 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...
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