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24 May ' 08:05
418.9 2.8 Updated: Today at 1457 UT B8 1007 UT May24 Updated: Today at: 1500 UT2 6.4 1 Updated: Today at 1456 UT
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24 May ' 02:22
453.0 2.1 Updated: Today at 0917 UT B9 0627 UT May24 C2 0124 UT May24 Updated: Today at: 0900 UT Daily Sun: 24 May 13
Sunspots AR1755
and AR1756 have 'beta-gamma' magnetic fields that
harbor energy for M-class
solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMIUpdated
24 May 201324
May 2013135
Updated 24 May 2013
3 Kp= 3 5.7 1.4 south Updated: Today at 0917 UT Coronal Holes: 24 May 13
Solar wind flowing
from this coronal hole could brush past Earth's
magnetic field on May 27-28. Credit: SDO/AIA.
STORM WARNING: A CME propelled into space by the explosion of May 22nd is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on May 24th. NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives. Bright moonlight will reduce the visibility of auroras; nevertheless, high-latitude observers could see some colored lights in the sky.
SUNSET PLANET SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Venus, Jupiter and Mercury are converging to form a bright triangle in the sunset sky. The best evening to look is May 26th, when the planets will fit within a circle less than 3 wide. Petr Horálek photographed the convergence over the Czech republic on May 24th:
There won't be another triple conjunction of planets until October 2015, so don't miss this one! Science@NASA has the .
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23 May ' 21:07
462.3 4.5 Updated: Today at 0357 UT 1847 UT May23 Updated: Today at: 2359 UT Sunspot number: 117Kp= 2 7.1 4.2 north Updated: Today at 0357 UT Updated at: 2013 May 23 2200 UTC
Updated at: 2013 May 23 2200 UTC45 %45 %35 %35 %05 %10 %55 %Friday, May. 24, 2013They came from outer space--and you can have one! Genuine meteorites are now on sale in the Space Weather Store
On May 24, 2013 there were -
23 May ' 10:07
349.1 1.6 Updated: Today at 1655 UT C3 1450 UT May23 C3 1450 UT Updated: Today at: 1700 UT2 8.3 0.5 Updated: Today at 1657 UTListen to radar echoes from satellites and meteors, live on listener-supported Space Weather Radio
SUBSIDING RADIATION STORM: around Earth is slowly subsiding. It currently ranks S2 (moderate) on NOAA storm scales, which means that satellites in Earth orbit could experience "single event upsets" in their electronic systems. The radiation storm is also a source of noise in spacecraft cameras, giving their images a snowy appearance (see below).
The movie of the CME is very "snowy." That is caused by high-energy solar protons striking the CCD camera in SOHO's . Each strike produces a brief snow-like speckle in the image. This hailstorm of solar protons is what forecasters mean by "radiation storm."
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23 May ' 02:53
When is the best time to see auroras? Where is the best place to go? And how do you photograph them? These questions and more are answered in a new book, Northern Lights - a Guide, by Pal Brekke & Fredrik Broms.
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22 May ' 20:07
When is the best time to see auroras? Where is the best place to go? And how do you photograph them? These questions and more are answered in a new book, Northern Lights - a Guide, by Pal Brekke & Fredrik Broms.
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22 May ' 13:07
425.0 2.5 Updated: Today at 1957 UT M5 1332 UT May22 M5 1332 UT Updated: Today at: 2000 UT3 6.5 Updated: Today at 1957 UTWhen is the best time to see auroras? Where is the best place to go? And how do you photograph them? These questions and more are answered in a new book, Northern Lights - a Guide, by Pal Brekke & Fredrik Broms.
CME AND RADIATION STORM: A solar radiation storm is in progress on May 22nd following an M5-class explosion on the sun's western limb. The source of the flare, which peaked at 1332 UT, was departing sunspot AR1745. SOHO coronagraphs observed a magnificent CME emerging from the blast site:
Play the movie again. The speckles dancing across the image are caused by high-energy solar protons striking the CCD camera in SOHO's coronagraph. Those protons were guided toward Earth by magnetic field lines that connect our planet to the blast site. The rain of protons is what forecasters mean by a "radiation storm." This storm ranks S2 on NOAA storm scales
Although the explosion was not Earth-directed, we cannot yet rule out the possibility that the CME could deliver a glancing blow to Earth in the days ahead. Stay tuned for further analysis.
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22 May ' 05:49
436.2 3.2 Updated: Today at 1237 UT 1008 UT May22 Updated: Today at: 1031 UT2 quiet1.5 Updated: Today at 1237 UTThey came from outer space--and you can have one! Genuine meteorites are now on sale in the Space Weather Store.
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21 May ' 23:01
454.1 6.0 Updated: Today at 0557 UT 0054 UT May22 0054 UT May22 Updated: Today at: 0500 UT Daily Sun: 22 May 13
Sunspot AR1748
has substantially decayed since it unleashed four
X-flares last week. It now poses a threat for lesser
M-flares. Credit: SDO/HMISunspot number:
119
Updated
22 May 201322
May 2013
Updated 22 May 2013
4 unsettled Kp= 4 unsettled1.2 0.7 south Updated: Today at 0557 UT Coronal Holes: 22 May 13
Wednesday, May. 22, 2013SOLAR WIND: A stream of solar wind blowing from a southern coronal hole on the sun is expected to brush past Earth's magnetic field on May 23-24. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance that the contact will spark polar geomagnetic storms.
THE SHOW BEGINS: The long-awaited sunset sky show of May 2013 is beginning. In only a few days, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will form a tight triangle in the western sky, visible to the unaided eye around the world. Last night, Fred Espenak of Portal, Arizona, photographed the trio in the early stages of convergence:
"The three planets were easily visible to the naked eye in spite of the bright twilight glow," says Espanel. "Mercury should be even easier to spot in the coming days as it climbs higher into the sky. "
In the nights ahead, the line of planets will collapse to form a triangle. At closest approach on May 26th, they will fit within a circle less than 3o wide. Start watching tonight--it's a great way to end the day. [
On May 22, 2013 there were22 m -
21 May ' 16:14
476.5 Updated: Today at 2307 UT C2 2237 UT May21 C2 2237 UT Updated: Today at: 2300 UT2 3.9 0.8 Updated: Today at 2307 UT Updated at: 2013 May 21 2200 UTC
Updated at: 2013 May 21 2200 UTC50 %50 %20 %10 %30 %30 %40 %Near-Earth asteroid is approaching the Earth-Moon system for a flyby on May 31st. There's no danger of a collision; at closest approach the asteroid will be 3.6 million miles away. Even at that distance, however, the 1.7-mile-wide space rock will be an easy target for mid-sized backyard telescopes. Using a 14-inch Celestron, Alberto Quijano Vodniza of Narino, Colombia took this picture of 1998 QE2 on May 17th:
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