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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 336.0 km/sec
density: 4.1 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B2
1950 UT Nov02
24-hr: B2
1005 UT Nov02
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2340 UT
Daily Sun: 02 Nov 10
Big sunspot 1117 has left the Earth-facing side of the sun, leaving sunspot 1120 alone with the birds. Credit: SDO/HMI. 2-day movie: 8 MB mpg
Sunspot number: 30
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 01 Nov 2010

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2010 total: 45 days (15%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 813 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Updated 01 Nov 2010


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 79 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 01 Nov 2010

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 1
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 4.7 nT
Bz: 3 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2346 UT
Coronal Holes: 02 Nov 10
There are no large coronal holes on the Earth-facing side of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2010 Nov 02 2200 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: 2010 Nov 02 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
15 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
15 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
 
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010
What's up in space
 

ON SALE NOW: The David H. Levy Comet Hunter -- offering the clearest views of Comet Hartley 2.

 

ROBOT SET TO JOIN SPACE STATION CREW: On Wednesday, Nov. 3rd, space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to leave Earth for one last trip to the International Space Station. Among the passengers is R2 (short for Robonaut 2), a humanoid robot set to become a permanent member of the space station crew. With dexterous fingers, strong arms, and camera eyes, R2 can potentially perform tasks ranging from simple housekeeping to setting up delicate science experiments. Read more about R2 from Science@NASA and stay tuned to nasa.gov for launch updates.

BE ALERT FOR 'HARTLEY-ID' METEORS: If Comet Hartley 2 is going to produce a meteor shower, tonight is the night. According to experts, there is a slim chance that dust from the comet could hit Earth's atmosphere on Nov. 2nd and 3rd, producing a slow flurry of meteors streaming from the constellation Cygnus. If you're out after sunset, be alert for Hartley-ids.

RETURN OF THE MEGA-FILAMENT: Remember that spectacular mega-filament of magnetism sprawling across the sun's southern hemisphere in October? It's back....almost. For the past 10 days, the filament has been out of sight transiting the farside of the sun. This image from NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft suggests that the magnificent structure is about to return:

STEREO-B is stationed above the sun's eastern limb with a good view of things just over the horizon. The ultraviolet hotspot pictured above is where the filament would be if it is still intact. A continuing series of eruptions like this one might have decimated the structure, leaving it in tatters. We'll find out soon enough. Solar rotation is turning the region toward Earth and it should begin to be visible around Nov. 5th. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

BALLOONING SPIDERS SPIN SUN HALO: "Yesterday, the skies over Flagstaff, Arizona, were full of spider silk," reports photographer Brian Klimowski. "Young spiders were 'ballooning' by the hundreds of thousands." This created an unusual type of sun halo, shown here from the shadows of a Flagstaff rooftop:

"The most visible strands of silk were oriented perpendicular to the viewer-sun axis," notes Klimowski. "This created the appearance of a silky halo encircling the sun. Additional photographs show local towers shrowded with the silk strands, and even a close-up of one of the interlopers!"

Ballooning--i.e., the use of silky threads as a mechanical kite--is a popular form of transportation among many small spider species and some caterpillars, too. If these creatures are hatching where you live, be alert for silky halos, and submit yor pictures here.


October 2010 Aurora Gallery
[previous Octobers: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001]

  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 November 2, 2010 there were 1157 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2010 TQ19
Oct 8
9.6 LD
18
37 m
2010 TS19
Oct 10
3.7 LD
18
31 m
2010 TD54
Oct 12
0.1 LD
14
7 m
2010 TB54
Oct 13
6.1 LD
20
19 m
1999 VO6
Oct 14
34.3 LD
16
1.8 km
2010 TK
Oct 16
4.5 LD
18
37 m
1998 TU3
Oct 17
69.1 LD
13
5.2 km
2010 TG19
Oct 22
1.1 LD
15
70 m
1998 MQ
Oct 23
77.7 LD
15
1.9 km
2007 RU17
Oct 29
39.2 LD
15
1.1 km
2003 UV11
Oct 30
5 LD
12
595 m
3838 Epona
Nov 7
76.8 LD
14
3.4 km
2005 QY151
Nov 16
77.7 LD
17
1.3 km
2008 KT
Nov 23
5.6 LD
21
10 m
2002 EZ16
Nov 30
73.9 LD
16
1.0 km
2000 JH5
Dec 7
47 LD
-
1.5 km
2010 JL33
Dec 9
16.6 LD
13
1.3 km
2008 EA32
Jan 7
76.5 LD
-
2.1 km
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 web links
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
  The official U.S. government space weather bureau
Atmospheric Optics
  The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Solar Dynamics Observatory
  Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.
STEREO
  3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
Heliophysics
  the underlying science of space weather
Science Central
   
  more links...
 
 
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