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IMPULSIVE X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot 3912 erupted on Dec. 8th (0906 UT), producing an X2-class solar flare and a shortwave radio blackout over southern Africa. The explosion hurled a CME into space, but it will not hit Earth. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
SOLAR STORMS ARE DRIVING FARMERS CRAZY: Planting season is a hectic time for farmers. For many, it means working through the night using GPS-guided tractors to plant thousands of acres in a short period of time. The season was in full swing on May 10, 2024, when the biggest solar storm in decades struck Earth.
"Our tractors acted like they were demon possessed," says Elaine Ramstad, a Spaceweather.com reader and aurora chaser who helps out on a family farm in Northern Minnesota. "All my cousins called me during the May 10th storm to tell me that 'my auroras' were driving them crazy while they were planting."

Northern Lights over Elaine Ramstad's cousin's family beet farm on May 10, 2024
Modern farmers rely heavily on GPS. Guided by satellites, smart tractors can work around the clock, seeding perfectly straight rows with precise amounts of seed and fertilizer. When harvesting time comes, the tractors can return to exactly the same spots to pick the crops.
This kind of precision agriculture has become widespread. "I would guess 80% or more of all farmers in the Midwest use at least basic GPS for something--whether it's auto-steer or yield mapping," says Ethan Smidt, a service manager for John Deere. "At least 50% of all farmers are VERY reliant on GPS and use it on every machine all year long."
Solar activity poses a growing problem for farm-tech. During big solar storms, a layer of Earth's atmosphere called "the ionosphere" fills with bubbles, waves, and turbulence, which severely distort radio signals from GPS satellites. Sometimes tractors and harvesters can't lock on, which stops them in their tracks. Or the signal may be garbled, causing them to juke back and forth.

Crooked rows in Iowa caused by a solar storm.
May 10th wasn't the end of it. Tractors went off-course again during the autumnal storms of Oct. 6th and 10th.
Ramstad was helping her cousins defoliate sugar beets on Oct. 6th when her tractor started acting up: "As the aurora activity began, my GPS was off by close to a foot. Twice while on Autosteer, the tractor danced a row to the left, to the right — and then the defoliator was off a row, so I had to loop around and start over. By nightfall, there was no controlling the Autosteer."
Indiana farmer Michael Spencer had a similar experience: "This fall was the first time I was able to see the aurora. My hair was standing on end from the beauty, however, it did make the John Deere tech dance. When the storms were strongest around Oct. 7th, my tractor's Autosteer system would 'jump the line'--meaning, the tractor would make a quick jolt left or right and I would have to manually reset."

A beet defoliator--an example of massive hardware thrown off course by solar activity.
It doesn't take an historic solar storm to cause problems. While the May 10th storm was a rare and extreme category G5, storms in October were much more common category G3 and G4 events. All of them sent massive pieces of hardware off course.
NASA says that Solar Maximum has arrived, and it could last for another 1 to 2 years, confusing tractors again in 2025 and 2026. Stay tuned for more crooked rows. Solar storm alerts: SMS Text
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CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Christmas is coming. Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.

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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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Every night, a network of
NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On Dec 08, 2024, the network reported 11 fireballs.
(7 sporadics, 4 sigma Hydrids)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]
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 9, 2024 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 |
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) |
2020 XR | 2024-Dec-04 | 5.8 LD | 12.3 | 388 |
2024 XH | 2024-Dec-04 | 0.9 LD | 11.1 | 12 |
2024 WC18 | 2024-Dec-04 | 4.3 LD | 7.8 | 25 |
2024 XQ3 | 2024-Dec-04 | 0.1 LD | 8.6 | 1 |
2024 XZ2 | 2024-Dec-04 | 17.3 LD | 15.9 | 19 |
2024 WO1 | 2024-Dec-04 | 11.8 LD | 4.3 | 14 |
2024 XY11 | 2024-Dec-04 | 6.7 LD | 11.8 | 16 |
2024 XC2 | 2024-Dec-04 | 5.6 LD | 4.3 | 11 |
2024 WL11 | 2024-Dec-04 | 4.9 LD | 8.5 | 14 |
2021 WA5 | 2024-Dec-05 | 9.8 LD | 5.9 | 12 |
2024 XW3 | 2024-Dec-05 | 16.9 LD | 6 | 17 |
2024 WA22 | 2024-Dec-05 | 5.7 LD | 2.6 | 12 |
2024 WG5 | 2024-Dec-05 | 11.9 LD | 9.8 | 23 |
2021 XN4 | 2024-Dec-05 | 17.6 LD | 13.3 | 62 |
2024 WB1 | 2024-Dec-05 | 19.1 LD | 5.8 | 22 |
2024 WH6 | 2024-Dec-06 | 6.3 LD | 12 | 12 |
2024 XB1 | 2024-Dec-06 | 2.3 LD | 6.9 | 11 |
2024 XT8 | 2024-Dec-06 | 14.2 LD | 9.4 | 29 |
2024 XA6 | 2024-Dec-06 | 0.1 LD | 16.2 | 18 |
2024 XB3 | 2024-Dec-07 | 8.8 LD | 7.3 | 9 |
2024 XS2 | 2024-Dec-07 | 0.5 LD | 7.6 | 5 |
2024 XK6 | 2024-Dec-07 | 2.1 LD | 3.2 | 3 |
2024 WG3 | 2024-Dec-07 | 18.4 LD | 6.5 | 38 |
2024 XV11 | 2024-Dec-07 | 0.6 LD | 9.7 | 5 |
2024 XJ3 | 2024-Dec-07 | 4.2 LD | 7.6 | 12 |
2024 XE6 | 2024-Dec-07 | 3.2 LD | 18.1 | 9 |
2024 WH12 | 2024-Dec-07 | 6 LD | 6.9 | 15 |
2024 XL6 | 2024-Dec-07 | 14.7 LD | 6.9 | 14 |
2024 XP4 | 2024-Dec-08 | 12.1 LD | 12.9 | 26 |
2024 WH11 | 2024-Dec-08 | 15.5 LD | 12.2 | 28 |
2024 XT | 2024-Dec-08 | 7.5 LD | 14.8 | 14 |
2024 UU3 | 2024-Dec-08 | 16.9 LD | 4.8 | 41 |
2024 XU6 | 2024-Dec-08 | 9.7 LD | 7.8 | 8 |
2024 XH3 | 2024-Dec-09 | 2.4 LD | 8.4 | 10 |
2024 VE13 | 2024-Dec-09 | 18.1 LD | 10.2 | 67 |
2024 WV51 | 2024-Dec-09 | 1.8 LD | 23.5 | 35 |
2024 XG2 | 2024-Dec-09 | 8.9 LD | 12 | 12 |
2024 XG10 | 2024-Dec-09 | 5.2 LD | 5.9 | 14 |
2024 XP2 | 2024-Dec-09 | 16 LD | 21.2 | 45 |
2024 WZ13 | 2024-Dec-10 | 6.9 LD | 8.9 | 20 |
2024 WS17 | 2024-Dec-10 | 4.7 LD | 8.3 | 17 |
2024 XL11 | 2024-Dec-11 | 3.1 LD | 11 | 6 |
2024 XJ5 | 2024-Dec-11 | 19.8 LD | 10.9 | 27 |
2024 XZ11 | 2024-Dec-11 | 12.3 LD | 10.6 | 23 |
2018 XU3 | 2024-Dec-11 | 16.8 LD | 10.8 | 28 |
2024 XK1 | 2024-Dec-11 | 4.9 LD | 7.5 | 10 |
2024 WB14 | 2024-Dec-11 | 18.1 LD | 6.5 | 28 |
2007 XB23 | 2024-Dec-11 | 1.2 LD | 4.8 | 14 |
2024 WP11 | 2024-Dec-12 | 15.6 LD | 8.6 | 22 |
2024 XS | 2024-Dec-12 | 8.3 LD | 25.5 | 31 |
2024 XF9 | 2024-Dec-12 | 2 LD | 6.5 | 9 |
2024 WD18 | 2024-Dec-13 | 19.9 LD | 9 | 32 |
2024 XU9 | 2024-Dec-14 | 13.6 LD | 16.3 | 32 |
2024 XF4 | 2024-Dec-15 | 18.3 LD | 14.5 | 61 |
2024 XY5 | 2024-Dec-16 | 9.2 LD | 4.8 | 24 |
2024 XB6 | 2024-Dec-16 | 17.5 LD | 6.6 | 19 |
2024 XV6 | 2024-Dec-16 | 17.5 LD | 10.7 | 11 |
2024 VE7 | 2024-Dec-16 | 7.3 LD | 8 | 45 |
2022 YO1 | 2024-Dec-17 | 2 LD | 14.3 | 4 |
2024 XR6 | 2024-Dec-17 | 15.3 LD | 5.6 | 16 |
2024 XS3 | 2024-Dec-18 | 8.7 LD | 10.5 | 27 |
2020 XY4 | 2024-Dec-19 | 12.8 LD | 8.8 | 14 |
2024 XQ4 | 2024-Dec-21 | 2.8 LD | 13.2 | 16 |
2024 XN1 | 2024-Dec-24 | 18.9 LD | 6.6 | 39 |
2017 YD2 | 2024-Dec-27 | 18 LD | 9.9 | 6 |
2024 AV2 | 2024-Dec-31 | 6.7 LD | 7.8 | 17 |
2024 XP10 | 2025-Jan-02 | 19.8 LD | 8.4 | 38 |
2021 AO4 | 2025-Jan-04 | 6.9 LD | 15.1 | 11 |
2020 BC6 | 2025-Jan-05 | 9.6 LD | 22.2 | 248 |
2024 BM1 | 2025-Jan-08 | 11.5 LD | 9.1 | 22 |
2024 PT5 | 2025-Jan-09 | 4.7 LD | 1 | 12 |
2023 OS3 | 2025-Jan-09 | 19.9 LD | 3.1 | 10 |
2012 UK171 | 2025-Jan-11 | 10.7 LD | 6.4 | 46 |
2023 OS | 2025-Jan-15 | 16.6 LD | 10.9 | 48 |
2022 CE2 | 2025-Jan-16 | 11.1 LD | 13.3 | 120 |
2022 OB5 | 2025-Jan-18 | 8.9 LD | 1.4 | 6 |
2022 BX6 | 2025-Jan-28 | 19.7 LD | 14.3 | 24 |
2015 DJ155 | 2025-Jan-31 | 18.6 LD | 9.2 | 56 |
2022 AV4 | 2025-Feb-03 | 16.8 LD | 3.4 | 25 |
2018 RE3 | 2025-Feb-03 | 15.5 LD | 11.1 | 12 |
2002 CC14 | 2025-Feb-04 | 8.4 LD | 12.7 | 39 |
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. | Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere |
SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 10 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (Nov. 2024): Atmospheric radiation is decreasing in 2024. Our latest measurements in November registered a 10-year low:

What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.
.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.
Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.
| The official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| 3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory |
| Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
| current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page. See also, all satellite statistics. |
| Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
| from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. |
| from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| the underlying science of space weather |
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