CHANCE OF FLARES: Big sunspot AR1890 rotating over the sun's southeastern limb has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that habors energy for strong eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of M-class solar flares and a 10% chance of X-flares on Nov. 4th. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
WEEKEND SOLAR ECLIPSE: On Sunday morning, Nov. 3rd, the New Moon passed in front of the sun, producing a solar eclipse visible from the east Coast of North America to the western side of Africa. Photographer Ben Cooper experienced the event in a way few people ever have--by racing across the path of totality in a jet airplane. "We used a Falcon 900B jet to intercept this extremely short eclipse with a perpendicular crossing of the eclipse path," Cooper says. He took this picture flying 43,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean:
Many eclipse chasers didn't bother chasing this particular eclipse because it was so short--in some places lasting only a matter of seconds. Cooper was among a dozen on board the jet who were determined to experience totality. "There was zero margin for error, with the plane, traveling near 600mph and hitting the eclipse shadow where it touched down on Earth at some 8,000 mph, required to hit a geographic point over the ocean at a precise instant," he says. "We arrived at our destination about 1 second late, so we observed even less of the eclipse than we expected. In total, we got an instantaneous totality of nearly zero seconds!" More information about the flight may be found here.
After crossing the Atlantic, the narrow path of totality touched several African nations including Gabon, the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Observers across a much wider area witnessed a partial eclipse. Particular beautiful were the sunrise scenes experienced by early risers along the east coast of the USA. Browse the gallery for many more images.
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Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
FARSIDE SOLAR ACTIVITY: Solar activity remains high on the farside of the sun. On Nov. 4th a powerful eruption hurled a CME into space almost directly opposite the sun-Earth line. SOHO recorded the expanding cloud as it emerged over the sun's limb:
The source of the eruption is probably old sunspot AR1875, which unleashed an X-flare last week while it was still on the Earthside of the sun. If the region remains active for another 7 or 8 days, it will return to the Earthside for another round of geoeffective flares. Stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: text, voice
Solar wind
speed: 374.1 km/sec
density: 1.4 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2317 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C1 2213 UT Nov04
24-hr: C3 0544 UT Nov04
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 04 Nov 13
Big sunspot AR1890 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. So far, however, this new sunspot is quiet. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 143
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 04 Nov 2013
Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2013 total: 0 days (0%)
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days
Update 04 Nov 2013
The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 144 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 04 Nov 2013
Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 2 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2 quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 5.6 nT
Bz: 3.9 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2317 UT
Coronal Holes: 04 Nov 13
Solar wind flowing from the indicated coronal hole could reach Earth on Nov. 6-7. Credit: SDO/AIA.