~Space Weather Update~Weak Impact, M Class Flare, As The Sun Turns [1]
WEAK IMPACT: A weak disturbance in the solar wind swept past Earth on Feb 5th at ~1400 UT. It may have been the long-overdue CME of Jan 31st, finally arriving after five days in transit. The weak impact did not spark a geomagnetic storm. Aurora alerts: text [2], voice [3]
AS THE SUN TURNS: Carried along by the sun's 27-day rotation, big sunspot AR1967 is turning away from Earth. Ironically this is making the active region even more dangerous. AR1967 is moving toward a location where the sun's spiraling magnetic field [4] is well-connected to our planet and energetic particles can be funneled in our direction. An explosion there could spark a radiation storm around Earth. Click to watch the sun turn:
[5]
AR1967 has a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong eruptions. The past 24 hours has been relatively quiet, but that could be the calm before the storm. NOAA forecasters estimate an 80% chance of M-class [6] solar flares and a 50% chance of X-class [6] solar flares on Feb. 5th.. Solar flare alerts: text [2], voice [3]
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery [7]
MUST-SEE AURORA MOVIE: "We are enjoying one of our best years ever," reports Chad Blakley, an aurora tour guide [8] in Sweden's Abisko National Park. "So far we have seen auroras on 29 out of the 31 nights we have looked. Last night was extra special. The sky exploded in color and I was lucky to capture the phenomenon with several different cameras from multiple angles." Click to view the resulting footage:
[9]
"The lights were so powerful that the images became overexposed with a shutter speed of less than one second," he continues. "I can honestly say that this was one of the greatest displays of natural beauty that I have ever seen."
The show is apt to continue tonight. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of geomagnetic storms on Feb. 3-4 when an approaching CME is expected to deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field. Aurora alerts: text [2], voice [3]
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Solar wind
speed: 377.4 km/sec
density: 0.6 protons/cm3
explanation [10] | more data [11]
Updated: Today at 1725 UT
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X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: M1 1620 UT Feb05
24-hr: M1 1620 UT Feb05
explanation [12] | more data [13]
Updated: Today at: 1700 UT
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Daily Sun: 05 Feb 14
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[14]
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Earth-facing sunspot AR1967 has a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class [6] solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
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Sunspot number: 183
What is the sunspot number? [15]
Updated 05 Feb 2014
Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2014 total: 0 days (0%)
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%)
Update 05 Feb 2014
The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 188 sfu
explanation [16] | more data [17]
Updated 05 Feb 2014
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Current Auroral Oval:
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[18] |
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
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Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 2 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2 quiet
explanation [19] | more data [20]
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Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 9.5 nT
Bz: 1.8 nT south
explanation [21] | more data [22]
Updated: Today at 1657 UT
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Coronal Holes: 05 Feb 14
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[23]
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A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on or about Feb. 9th. Credit: SDO/AIA