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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
SPACE WEATHER
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 516.1 km/sec
density: 1.7 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Aug02
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Aug02
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
Daily Sun: 02 Aug 07
The sun is blank --no sunspots. Solar activity should remain very low. Credit: SOHO/MDI
Sunspot number: 0
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 01 Aug 2007
Far side of the Sun:
This holographic image reveals a possible sunspot on the far side of the sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2
quiet
explanation | more data
Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Updated: 2007 Aug 02 2122 UT
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.3 nT
Bz: 0.2 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
Coronal Holes:
A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on or about August 6th. Credit: SOHO Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2007 Aug 02 2203 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
01 %
01 %
CLASS X
01 %
01 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2007 Aug 02 2203 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
20 %
MINOR
10 %
10 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
What's up in Space
August 2, 2007
Where's Saturn? Is that a UFO--or the ISS? What's the name of that star? Get the answers from mySKY--a fun new astronomy helper from Meade.

AURORA WATCH: A high-speed solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field, but it is doing little to stir up geomagnetic storms. The chance of auroras tonight is low.

SPACE STATION FLYBY: This week and next, the International Space Station will orbit over North America making many beautiful evening appearances over towns and cities from coast to coast. Guillaume Poulin took this picture of the ISS streaking over the Mont-Megantic Observatory in Quebec on August 1st:

"The picture shows the observatory dome backlit by the nearly-full Moon, as well as astronomers who temporarily interrupted their work to witness the flyover," says Poulin who works at the ASTROlab du Mont-Mégantic.

Would you like to see the ISS with your own eyes? Subscribe to Spaceweather PHONE and we'll call you when the station is about to fly over your hometown, or check Heavens-Above for flyby timetables.

EXTRA MOON OF JUPITER: If you've ever looked at Jupiter through a telescope, you know what to expect: a giant planet surrounded by four moons. Two nights ago, amateur astronomer Günther Strauch of Borken, Germany, looked at Jupiter and saw not four moons but five:


Photo details: Vixen refractor, Canon EOS 20D, 800 ASA, 10 seconds

The new moon is actually a star: "omega Ophiuchi," explains Strauch. It is a giant, 45 times more luminous than the Sun, dimmed to 4th magnitude by distance: 186 light years. This week Jupiter is passing by omega Ophiuchi, giving the impression of an extra moon. If you have a backyard telescope, take a look. Jupiter is easy to find shining brightly in the southern sky after sunset: sky map.


.2007 Noctilucent Cloud Gallery
[Night-Sky Cameras] ["Noctilucent Cloud"--the song]

Near-Earth Asteroids
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.
On August 2, 2007 there were 876 potentially hazardous asteroids.
July 2007 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2007 FV42
July 2
53 LD
15
1.2 km
2007 MB4
July 4
7.6 LD
16
130 m
2007 DT103
July 29
9.3 LD
15
550 m
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach.
Essential Links
NOAA Space Environment Center
  The official U.S. government bureau for real-time monitoring of solar and geophysical events, research in solar-terrestrial physics, and forecasting solar and geophysical disturbances.
Atmospheric Optics
  The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  From the NOAA Space Environment Center
Current Solar Images
  from the National Solar Data Analysis Center
  more links...
©2007, SpaceWeather.com -- This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips.
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