1~8~11~ Space Weather Update ~ Expanding Sunspot and the Sun Dragon~ [1]

 

 

EXPANDING SUNSPOT: Sunspot 1393 is growing rapidly, more than tripling in area since Friday. So far, however, the active region has not produced any strong flares. Solar activity remains low.

 

GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY: Forecasters said a CME might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Jan. 7th, and indeed it might have. There was no sharp change in the solar wind speed signaling a CME's passage. There was, however, a surge in ground currents in northern Norway during the late hours of Jan. 7th. Rob Stammes recorded the disturbance [2] from his laboratory in Lofoten. Ground currents often herald auroras, and true to form the skies turned vivid green:

 

[3]

 

"We witnessed a brief but beautiful outburst of auroras," says photographer Bjørn Jørgensen of Sommaroy, Norway. "Even the sea has turned green from the color of the auroras."

 

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

Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2 quiet
explanation [13] | more data [14]

Interplanetary Mag. Field
B_total: 4.7 nT
B_z: 2.7 nT north
explanation [15] | more data [16]
Updated: Today at 1346 UT

Coronal Holes: 08 Jan 12

[17]

A minor solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on Jan. 13-14. Credit: SDO/AIA.

SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts

Updated at: 2012 Jan 07 2200 UTC

Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active [18], minor storm [18], severe storm [18]

Updated at: 2012 Jan 07 2200 UTC