Earth & Space Weather

~Space Weather Update~ Quiet Sun Large Coronal Hole~

Lia's picture

Submitted by Lia on

QUIET SUN: With no strong flares for more than three days, the sun's x-ray output has nearly flatlined. Solar activity is low, and NOAA forecasters put the odds of an X-flare today at less than 1%. Solar flare alerts: text, phone.

 

CORONAL HOLE: A dark hole in the sun's atmosphere--a "coronal hole"--is turning toward Earth. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the gaseous chasm, which measures more than 200,000 km from end to end, during the early hours of August 23rd:

 

 

Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows the underlying atmosphere to escape. A stream of solar wind flowing from this coronal hole should reach Earth on August 26-27. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on that date. Aurora alerts: text, phone.

 

~Space Weather Update~ Quiet Sun

Lia's picture

Submitted by Lia on

QUIET SUN: With no strong flares for more than 48 hours, the sun's x-ray output has nearly flatlined. Solar activity is low, and NOAA forecasters put the odds of an X-flare today at less than 1%. Solar flare alerts: text, phone.

 

MARTIAN TRIANGLE: The "Martian Triangle" is back. You can see it tonight beaming through the twilight in the southwestern sky after sunset. The triangle is a triple conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and blue-giant star Spica--last seen by most people on Aug. 5th when Curiosity landed on Mars. Sky maps: Aug. 21, 22.

Last night, John Chumack photographed the trio over Yellow Springs, Ohio:

 

Asia facing another back-to-back typhoon

glr_Andrea's picture

Submitted by glr_Andrea on

 

Asia facing another back-to-back typhoon threat

Posted on August 21, 2012 
August 21, 2012 – ASIA – If the typhoon turns as forecast, its eye may make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast Thursday, according to the weather bureau. As of 8 a.m., the eye of Tembin was located 620 kilometers southeast of Eluanbi, off the southernmost tip of Taiwan, moving at a speed of 8 km per hour in a northerly direction. Tembin, the 14th storm of the Pacific typhoon season, is packing winds of 119 kph, with gusts of up to 155 kph, and has a radius of 150 km, the bureau said. The typhoon is likely to move toward Taiwan on a northwesterly track Tuesday and take a more westerly turn Wednesday, the bureau said. A sea warning for Tembin is likely to be issued Tuesday morning and areas around Taiwan should be prepared for strong winds and heavy rain Wednesday to Friday, the bureau warned. Meanwhile, a tropical depression that formed near Guam on Sunday was still located 2,300 km from Taiwan as of 8 a.m. Monday and it may strengthen into a tropical storm over the next two days, the bureau said. –China Post

Minor earthquake swarm reported in southwest Iceland might be related to movement of magma

glr_Andrea's picture

Submitted by glr_Andrea on

 

Minor earthquake swarm reported in southwest Iceland might be related to movement of magma

Posted on August 21, 2012 
  
August 21, 2012 – ICELAND – A series of minor earthquakes was picked up by sensor by the geothermal area Krýsuvík on Reykjanes peninsula in Southwest Iceland on Saturday. The strongest of the earthquakes had a magnitude of 2.1 but most of them were below one. The series started shortly before 4 pm and lasted for three hours. The epicenter of the earthquakes was below the southern end of Kleifarvatn Lake, ruv.is reports. Geophysicist Kristín Waagfjörð at the Icelandic Meteorological Office said earthquake swarms like these are very common in the Krýsuvík area. In 2010 and 2011 there was constant uplift at Krýsuvík of a total of eight centimeters. At the end of last year, the land started sinking again. Earth scientists are monitoring the uplift closely. It might either be related to pressure from geothermal heat or magma which could lead to volcanic activity. Volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson writes about the conditions at Krýsuvík in the latest issue of the print edition of Iceland Review, and the risk of lava flows reaching the capital. –Iceland Review

~Space Weather Update~ We are In a Solar Wind Stream~ Wind 540

Lia's picture

Submitted by Lia on

CURIOSITY ZAPS FIRST MARTIAN ROCK: A laser on Curiosity has fired for the first time on Mars, zapping a fist-size rock named "Coronation." Light reflected from the resulting plasma cloud reveals the rock's chemical make-up. In all, Coronation was hit by 30 pulses, each delivering more than a million watts of power for about 5 nano-seconds. [full story]

 

ARCTIC AURORA SEASON BEGINS: The long days of northern summer are coming to an end, and auroras are appearing in the darkening Arctic skies. "Yesterday I saw my first stars since last spring, and tonight the first auroras!" reports Fredrik Broms, who sends this picture from Kvaløya, Norway:

 

 

"It felt almost unreal to see them dancing across the light blue sky where only Jupiter, Venus and the brightest of the stars were visible," adds Broms. "I saw both green and red rays dancing over my head while standing barefoot in the grass - a somewhat unusual combination here in Tromsø! The return of the auroras was most welcome after a summer without any stars (save one)."

 

Hurricane Gordon to hit eastern Azores

glr_Andrea's picture

Submitted by glr_Andrea on

 

Hurricane Gordon to hit eastern Azores

 – AUGUST 19, 2012

The Watchers Tweet Tweet Portugal’s Azores archipelago is bracing for Hurricane Gordon which had intensified to Category 2 and is forecast to hit the eastern-most islands early on Monday.  Additional weakening is forecast but Gordon is still expected to be a hurricane when it passes near or over the eastern Azores. It is expected to weaken to Category 1 before it passes close to Santa Maria and Sao Miguel islands. Category 1 hurricanes have enough strength to...
  •  
  •  

Portugal’s Azores archipelago is bracing for Hurricane Gordon which had intensified to Category 2 and is forecast to hit the eastern-most islands early on Monday.  Additional weakening is forecast but Gordon is still expected to be a hurricane when it passes near or over the eastern Azores. It is expected to weaken to Category 1 before it passes close to Santa Maria and Sao Miguel islands. Category 1 hurricanes have enough strength to uproot trees, blow off poorly attached roof tiles, cause coastal flooding and power outages.

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/08/19/hurricane-gordon-to-hit-eastern-azores/

The Drought Is Killing The Mississippi River

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

 

GFP Note: Extreme weather events are generally seen as physical signs of Mother Earth's ascension process.

The Atlantic Wire
Dashiell Bennett, Aug 16, 2012

The banks of the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., continue to erode as the 2012 drought deepens, Monday, Aug. 6. Barges are moving down the largest waterway with decreased loads and at slower speeds because of the risk of hitting debris or sand.

AP Photo/Robert Ray

Ship traffic on the Mississippi River was briefly shut down yesterday and salt from the Gulf of Mexico is threatening the drinking water upriver as the severe drought has pushed water levels far below their usual depths.

10 nuclear events in 10 days - New Paridigm does not like old energy...

glr_Andrea's picture

Submitted by glr_Andrea on

 

10 nuclear events in 10 days

BY ADONAI

 – AUGUST 18, 2012

The Watchers Tweet Tweet We had 10 different nuclear events reported in just 10 days. Below is a list of them with date and short description. BELGIUM (1) August 8, 2012 – Doel 3 nuclear reactor, Doel Nuclear Power Station - Shutdown Doel 3 nuclear reactor at Doel Nuclear Power Station in Belgium was shut down on August 8, 2012 under the suspicion that one of its components might be cracked. “We have found anomalies,” said Karina...
  • The Watchers

     

    Share

     

  •  

     

  •  

  •  

  •  

    246
     

     

     

We had 10 different nuclear events reported in just 10 days. Below is a list of them with date and short description.

BELGIUM

(1) August 8, 2012 – Doel 3 nuclear reactor, Doel Nuclear Power Station - Shutdown

Doel 3 nuclear reactor at Doel Nuclear Power Station in Belgium was shut down on August 8, 2012 under the suspicion that one of its components might be cracked. “We have found anomalies,” said Karina De Beule, spokesman for the ACFN, the federal agency for nuclear control.

~Space Weather Update~ SIGNIFICANT SOLAR FLARE, NOT EARTH-DIRECTED:

Lia's picture

Submitted by Lia on

SIGNIFICANT SOLAR FLARE, NOT EARTH-DIRECTED: Magnetic fields snaking over the sun's northeastern limb erupted on August 18th around 01:02 UT. The M5.5 class eruption was not Earth-directed, but it could herald a significant uptick in geoeffective solar activity as the new active region turns toward Earth in the days ahead. Solar flare alerts: text, phone.

 

NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory recorded the eruption:

Stay tuned for updates on this event.

 

RETURN OF THE ARCTIC AURORAS: It has been a while since sky watchers around the Arctic Circle have enjoyed the Northern Lights. Auroras are hard to see through the glare of the midnight sun. As summer comes to an end, however, aurora season is beginning again. Last night, B.Art Braafhart spotted a splash of green over Salla in the Finnish Lapland:

 

 

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano releasing largest amount of ash in 20 years: ground swollen around volcano

glr_Andrea's picture

Submitted by glr_Andrea on

 

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano releasing largest amount of ash in 20 years: ground swollen around volcano

Posted on August 17, 2012 
August 17, 2012 – JAPAN - Sakurajima Volcano has been steadily erupting for some time now. So much so that residents were asked to cover up and wear masks as a health and safety measure. According to researchers, this active volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture could release its largest amount of ash in two decades this year alone.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Earth & Space Weather