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~Space Weather Update~ Good Bye to Our Big Sunspot~ [1]

Lia's picture

Submitted by Lia on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 10:44

MENACE UNREALIZED: After more than a week of solar storm warnings, sunspot AR1476 is turning away from Earth with a mostly unblemished record of quiet. The decaying behemoth never lived up to its potential as a source of X-class [2] solar flares. It did, however, make a great target for astrophotographers. Even now the sunspot is decorating sunsets around the world:

 

[3]

 

Russ Vallelunga took the picture on May 14th from Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona. "Wildfires around the Phoenix metropolitan area led to a dim setting sun," says Vallelunga. "This allowed me to capture the sunspots 1476 and 1478 with an exposure of 1/125 second at ISO 100." More photo details may be found here [3].

 

NOAA forecasters estimate a 15% chance of M-class flares and no more than a 1% chance of X-flares from AR1476 during the next 24 hours. The chance of photo-ops: 100%.

 

more images: from VegaStar Carpentier [4] of Paris, France; from Mike Borman [5] of Evansville, Indiana; from Maximilian Teodorescu [6] of Dumitrana, Romania; from Alberto Lao [7] of Binondo, Manila, Philippines; from Art Whipple [8] of Tracys Landing, Maryland; from John W. O'Neal II [9] of Amherst, Ohio; from Pete Lawrence [10] of Selsey, West Sussex, UK; from Göran Strand [11] of Frösön, Jämtland; from Eric von der Heyden [12] of Traisa, Hessen, Germany

 


Solar wind
speed: 372.1 km/sec
density: 3.5 protons/cm3

explanation [13] | more data [14]
Updated: Today at 1735 UT


X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C1
1700 UT May15
24-hr: C1 0945 UT May15
explanation [2] | more data [15]
Updated: Today at: 1700 UT



Daily Sun: 15 May 12


[16]


Decaying sunspot 1476 poses a declining threat for M-class [2] solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI



Sunspot number: 156
What is the sunspot number? [17]
Updated 14 May 2012

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
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

Updated 14 May 2012

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 130 sfu

explanation [18] | more data [19]
Updated 14 May 2012



Current Auroral Oval:

[20]


Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES



Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2
quiet
explanation [21] | more data [22]


Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 5.9 nT
Bz: 2.4 nT north

explanation [23] | more data [24]
Updated: Today at 1736 UT



Coronal Holes: 15 May 12


[25]


There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.

Category: 

  • Earth & Space Weather [26]

Source URL: //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/space-weather-update-good-bye-our-big-sunspot

Links
[1] //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/space-weather-update-good-bye-our-big-sunspot
[2] http://spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html
[3] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Russ-Vallelunga-sunset01_1337054985.jpg
[4] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=VegaStar-Carpentier-AR1476-visible-to-the-naked-eye-05.13.2012-VegaStarCarpentier1_1336977498.jpg
[5] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Mike-Borman-s051312spot1476ha_1336973701.jpg
[6] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Maximilian-Teodorescu-AR-1476-lucky-shot-color_1336940805.jpg
[7] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Alberto-Lao-DSC08616-Medium_1336953941.jpg
[8] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Art-Whipple-120512_1217U_1336949951.jpg
[9] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=John-W.-ONeal-II-20120513_1339_1336944464.jpg
[10] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Pete-Lawrence-2012-05-13-Red-White-Blue_1336944375.jpg
[11] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=GApran-Strand-GS_20120512_SunOverview_1336940120.jpg
[12] http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Eric-von-der-Heyden-conv_Drizzle15_sonne13052012157_g3_b3_ap793wl_6aawklein_1336930209.jpg
[13] http://spaceweather.com/glossary/solarwinddata.html
[14] http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ace/MAG_SWEPAM_24h.html
[15] http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/xray_5m.html
[16] http://spaceweather.com/images2012/15may12/hmi4096_blank.jpg
[17] http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotnumber.html
[18] http://www.ips.gov.au/Educational/2/2/5
[19] http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/f10.gif
[20] http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/gif/pmapN.gif
[21] http://www.spaceweather.com/glossary/kp.html
[22] http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/kp_3d.html
[23] http://spaceweather.com/glossary/imf.html
[24] http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ace/MAG_24h.html
[25] http://spaceweather.com/images2012/15may12/coronalhole_sdo_blank.jpg
[26] //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/type-post/earth-space-weather