FARSIDE CME: A spectacular CME rocketed away from the sun's northwestern limb during the early hours of March 18th: movie. The probable source was old sunspot AR1429, still active as it transits the far side of the sun. Earth will not be affected by the cloud.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY, SWEDEN-STYLE: "BBQ - check. Great mates - check. Guiness - check. Northern Lights - check. We had it all last night!" says Neal Cheeseman of Arvidsjaur, Sweden, who celebrated St. Patrick's Day as shown below:
"Happy St. Patricks Day (Sweden Style) everybody!"
The night after St. Patrick's Day might be just as green. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of high-latitude geomagnetic storms as a high-speed solar wind continues to buffet Earth's magnetic
field. Aurora alerts: text, phone.
more images: from Jónína Óskarsdóttir of Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland; from Peter Scott of Durness, Scotland, UK; from Francis Anderson of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories Canada; from Chad Blakley of Abisko National Park, Sweden; from Iurie Belegurschi of Iceland; from Dirk Obudzinski of Cleary Summit, Alaska; from Petra Schneider of Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland; from Greg Kretovic of AuTrain, Michigan;
Solar wind
speed: 541.4 km/sec
density: 0.0 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1705 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B4 1152 UT Mar18
24-hr: C1 0237 UT Mar18
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 1700 UT
Daily Sun: 18 Mar 12
New sunspot 1435 is growing rapidly and could soon pose a threat for solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 89
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 17 Mar 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 17 Mar 2012
The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 102 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 17 Mar 2012
Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 2 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 4 unsettled
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 1.9 nT
Bz: 0.1 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1706 UT
Coronal Holes: 18 Mar 12
Earth is inside a solar wind stream flowing from this coronal hole. Credit: SDO/AIA.
