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CME IMPACT SPARKS GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Arriving more than 12 hours earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept 18th (1350 UT). The impact was sharp, abruptly raising the solar wind velocity around our planet above 550 km/s and tripling the plasma density. First contact did not cause a geomagnetic storm, but now a G1-class storm is underway as Earth moves deeper into the CME's magnetized wake.
"This bright and active aurora was visible as soon as the sky got dark enough here in northeastern Scotland," reports Alan C. Tough:
"It didn't last long! " he says. "Hopefully it will fire up again later." Aurora alerts: SMS Text
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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SOME COMETS LIKE IT HOT: Yesterday, Sept. 17th, Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1) made a close approach to the sun deep inside the orbit of Mercury (0.22 AU). The comet survived. Petr Horalek photographed it emerging intact from Mount Lysa in Sabinov, Slovakia:
"Because of the glare of sunset, the comet was not visible to the naked eye, however I was able to photograph it using a 5 second exposure at ISO 100," says Horalek. "The comet's brightness is hard to estimate. Considering other stars and the comet's location over the horizon, I believe it to be magnitude 2.0 to 2.5."
Horalek's estimate agrees with that of other experienced observers. If the comet remains this bright, it could become easy to see as it recedes from the sun in the evenings ahead. Stay tuned for updates.
more images: from Michael Jaeger of Stixendorf, Austria; from Radek Grochowski of Sudetes, Poland; from Martin Gembec of the Czech Republic; from Nick James of La Palma, Canary Islands;
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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SOLAR ECLIPSE PENDANT: The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are about to try something never done before--to photograph the shadow of an annular solar eclipse from the stratosphere. On Oct. 14th, they'll launch a cosmic ray research balloon equipped with cameras to photograph the shadow zone of an eclipse over Nevada. You can support the flight by buying a Solar Eclipse Pendant:
It's yours for $99.95. The students launched this pendant on July 17th. Floating at an altitude 105,000 feet above Earth’s surface, it made contact with space, experiencing temperatures as low as -63 C.
Buy the pendent now and for no additional charge we will fly it back to the stratosphere during the annular eclipse. Just make a note in the COMMENTS BOX of your shopping cart: "Fly my pendant again!"
Note: We have photographed the shadow of an eclipse before. Here's what the total eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, looked like from the stratosphere over the Nebraska-Wyoming border:
Total eclipses make deep black shadows, in this case blacking out more than 70 miles of terrain. What does the shadow of an *annular* eclipse look like? We hope to find out. It should be fuzzier around the edges, and not nearly as dark in the middle. An overview from the stratosphere could provide a unique picture.
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Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
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 Sep 18, 2023, the network reported 3 fireballs.
(3 sporadics)
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 September 18, 2023 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 |
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: | Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) |
| 2023 RR | 2023-Sep-13 | 17.4 LD | 21.2 | 49 |
| 2023 RH2 | 2023-Sep-13 | 11.3 LD | 21.5 | 58 |
| 2023 SE | 2023-Sep-13 | 8.7 LD | 13.6 | 26 |
| 2023 RR5 | 2023-Sep-13 | 0.5 LD | 13.8 | 6 |
| 2023 RC4 | 2023-Sep-13 | 13.1 LD | 7.6 | 17 |
| 2023 SG | 2023-Sep-13 | 9.8 LD | 8.4 | 17 |
| 2023 RA10 | 2023-Sep-14 | 3.5 LD | 4.2 | 6 |
| 2023 RZ7 | 2023-Sep-14 | 9.9 LD | 11.9 | 57 |
| 2023 RL6 | 2023-Sep-14 | 8.6 LD | 9.2 | 25 |
| 2023 RE5 | 2023-Sep-14 | 2.3 LD | 13.6 | 13 |
| 2023 SP | 2023-Sep-14 | 2.3 LD | 14 | 16 |
| 2023 RZ9 | 2023-Sep-15 | 13.1 LD | 5.8 | 15 |
| 2023 SF | 2023-Sep-15 | 14.9 LD | 7.9 | 26 |
| 2023 SB | 2023-Sep-15 | 6.8 LD | 6.3 | 14 |
| 2023 RO2 | 2023-Sep-15 | 7 LD | 6 | 10 |
| 2016 LY48 | 2023-Sep-16 | 5 LD | 10.8 | 99 |
| 2023 RY7 | 2023-Sep-16 | 13.7 LD | 11.2 | 27 |
| 2023 RM5 | 2023-Sep-16 | 11.5 LD | 9.5 | 19 |
| 2023 RA15 | 2023-Sep-16 | 20 LD | 20.9 | 31 |
| 2010 TE | 2023-Sep-16 | 6.8 LD | 6 | 22 |
| 2023 RB15 | 2023-Sep-16 | 14.6 LD | 8.3 | 24 |
| 2023 RG13 | 2023-Sep-16 | 12.7 LD | 7 | 46 |
| 2023 RQ9 | 2023-Sep-16 | 10.5 LD | 7.7 | 26 |
| 2023 SA | 2023-Sep-17 | 8.2 LD | 14.7 | 15 |
| 2023 RD13 | 2023-Sep-17 | 9.1 LD | 4.9 | 17 |
| 2023 RH11 | 2023-Sep-17 | 3.6 LD | 14.3 | 17 |
| 2023 RJ11 | 2023-Sep-17 | 14.9 LD | 6.8 | 21 |
| 2023 RO9 | 2023-Sep-17 | 13.2 LD | 12.3 | 24 |
| 2023 SQ | 2023-Sep-18 | 2.2 LD | 6.1 | 35 |
| 2023 RV7 | 2023-Sep-18 | 10.7 LD | 19.9 | 34 |
| 2023 RV9 | 2023-Sep-18 | 10.1 LD | 7.2 | 40 |
| 2023 RG16 | 2023-Sep-18 | 3.6 LD | 11.8 | 17 |
| 2023 RE15 | 2023-Sep-18 | 16 LD | 3.1 | 25 |
| 2023 RF13 | 2023-Sep-19 | 10.5 LD | 7.2 | 34 |
| 2023 RK3 | 2023-Sep-19 | 18.8 LD | 9.6 | 41 |
| 2023 RV15 | 2023-Sep-20 | 12.9 LD | 14.5 | 34 |
| 2023 RV12 | 2023-Sep-20 | 9 LD | 6.6 | 21 |
| 2023 RP9 | 2023-Sep-20 | 2.3 LD | 13.2 | 29 |
| 2023 RA8 | 2023-Sep-20 | 15.5 LD | 6.6 | 27 |
| 523598 | 2023-Sep-20 | 19.8 LD | 25 | 239 |
| 2023 SJ | 2023-Sep-21 | 16.9 LD | 16.5 | 49 |
| 2023 RR6 | 2023-Sep-21 | 15.5 LD | 7.5 | 14 |
| 2023 RQ6 | 2023-Sep-22 | 15.8 LD | 9.4 | 24 |
| 2023 RU3 | 2023-Sep-23 | 19.8 LD | 11.6 | 33 |
| 2023 RD15 | 2023-Sep-24 | 6 LD | 5 | 15 |
| 2019 SF6 | 2023-Sep-26 | 16.7 LD | 8.6 | 20 |
| 2023 RF3 | 2023-Sep-28 | 15.5 LD | 7.7 | 39 |
| 2013 TG6 | 2023-Sep-28 | 3.6 LD | 4.1 | 17 |
| 2023 RF9 | 2023-Sep-29 | 10.6 LD | 9.3 | 25 |
| 2009 UG | 2023-Sep-30 | 6.1 LD | 9 | 78 |
| 349507 | 2023-Oct-03 | 16.5 LD | 21 | 696 |
| 2022 FX1 | 2023-Oct-04 | 20 LD | 9.9 | 25 |
| 2019 QO5 | 2023-Oct-05 | 19.9 LD | 9.4 | 61 |
| 2023 RF10 | 2023-Oct-05 | 15.8 LD | 5.8 | 27 |
| 2023 QC8 | 2023-Oct-05 | 15.8 LD | 6.3 | 43 |
| 2022 TD | 2023-Oct-07 | 8.9 LD | 9.4 | 10 |
| 2018 ER1 | 2023-Oct-08 | 12.5 LD | 5.3 | 27 |
| 2022 UX1 | 2023-Oct-11 | 3.1 LD | 8.6 | 9 |
| 2023 RD11 | 2023-Oct-11 | 12.8 LD | 9.5 | 39 |
| 2015 KW120 | 2023-Oct-12 | 18.2 LD | 13 | 22 |
| 2021 NT14 | 2023-Oct-13 | 18.6 LD | 8.6 | 254 |
| 2011 GA | 2023-Oct-15 | 6.8 LD | 16.6 | 230 |
| 2007 SQ6 | 2023-Oct-15 | 19.4 LD | 6.5 | 130 |
| 2019 UZ3 | 2023-Oct-16 | 9.6 LD | 8.3 | 14 |
| 1998 HH49 | 2023-Oct-17 | 3.1 LD | 14.8 | 193 |
| 2022 UO10 | 2023-Oct-19 | 7.8 LD | 9.8 | 16 |
| 2020 UR | 2023-Oct-20 | 5.8 LD | 12.9 | 9 |
| 2020 FM6 | 2023-Oct-23 | 15.5 LD | 15.9 | 149 |
| 2019 HH4 | 2023-Oct-24 | 13.3 LD | 20 | 365 |
| 2023 RA4 | 2023-Oct-24 | 8.4 LD | 3.9 | 49 |
| 2021 SZ4 | 2023-Oct-26 | 14 LD | 30 | 287 |
| 302169 | 2023-Oct-26 | 12.7 LD | 25.7 | 374 |
| 525229 | 2023-Oct-30 | 10.6 LD | 17.4 | 200 |
| 2013 UV3 | 2023-Nov-01 | 14.7 LD | 15.4 | 16 |
| 2016 WY | 2023-Nov-02 | 9.1 LD | 3.9 | 5 |
| 363505 | 2023-Nov-02 | 13.7 LD | 8 | 709 |
| 2022 JF | 2023-Nov-03 | 15.2 LD | 17.2 | 39 |
| 2023 QP8 | 2023-Nov-03 | 17.1 LD | 8.8 | 174 |
| 2016 VW2 | 2023-Nov-03 | 10.1 LD | 8.1 | 20 |
| 2019 UH7 | 2023-Nov-04 | 9.9 LD | 5.9 | 11 |
| 2014 BA3 | 2023-Nov-13 | 15.7 LD | 2.7 | 8 |
| 2021 TN3 | 2023-Nov-15 | 17 LD | 6.3 | 31 |
| 2019 VL5 | 2023-Nov-16 | 8.5 LD | 8.2 | 24 |
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 7 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (July 2022): Atmospheric radiation is decreasing in 2022. Our latest measurements in July 2022 registered a 6-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 |
| | 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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