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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: 423.3 km/sec
density: 12.9 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1700 UT Feb09
24-hr: A0
1700 UT Feb09
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
Daily Sun: 08 Feb 08
The sun is blank--no sunspots. Credit: SOHO/MDI
Sunspot number: 0
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 08 Feb 2008
Far side of the Sun:
This holographic image reveals no large sunspots 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:
What is the auroral oval?
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.6 nT
Bz: 5.1 nT north
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 Feb. 10th. Credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2008 Feb 09 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: 2008 Feb 09 2203 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
40 %
MINOR
01 %
10 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
25 %
45 %
MINOR
01 %
15 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %

What's up in Space
February 9, 2008
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.   mySKY

AURORA WATCH: Sky watchers around the arctic circle should be alert for auroras on Feb. 10th. That's when a solar wind stream is expected to hit Earth, sparking high-latitude geomagnetic storms: gallery.

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE: When the solar wind arrives and auroras flare up, a great place to be is Earth orbit. Here is the view from the International Space Station (ISS), 200 miles high:

Crewmembers took the picture during a mild geomagnetic storm on Feb. 1st. At the time, the ISS was orbiting over the Bay of St. Lawrence and the camera (a Nikon D2Xs) pointing north with a view of Quebec and New Foundland. More images: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5.

Although the auroras appear to be below the ISS, they are in fact at about the same altitude. Indeed, from time to time, the space station flies right through the Northern Lights--an indescribable experience according to astronauts who have been there.

Will they experience the indescribable this weekend? A solar wind stream is en route and could put on a lovely show for the combined crews of the ISS and space shuttle Atlantis. Stay tuned!

SIGHTINGS: Last night the International Space Station flew over Borken, Germany--and right by the Andromeda Galaxy. Günther Strauch snapped this picture using his Canon EOS 20D:

Halfway across the Continent in Normandy, France, Stephane Palfray trained her 4.5-inch telescope on the bright streak and easily resolved the station's solar arrays and living quarters: image. The station has grown so large, "it only takes a small telescope to see the details," she says.

Today, space shuttle Atlantis docked with the ISS, adding even more to the station's size and lustre. Sky watchers in Europe and North America, ready your telescopes for a series of bright flybys in the nights ahead: flyby alerts.

more images: from John Locker of Wirral UK; from Quentin Déhais of Near Le Havre, Normandy, France; from Robert Malmström of Reutlingen-Rommelsbach, Germany; from Francesco De Comite of Mouscron Belgium; from Mark Thomas of Nottingham, England, UK; from Roy Keeris of Zeist, The Netherlands;

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. [comment]
On February 9, 2008 there were 923 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Feb. 2008 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2008 CT1
Feb. 5
0.3 LD
15
13 m
2007 DA
Feb. 12
9.8 LD
18
140 m
4450 Pan
Feb. 19
15.9 LD
13
1.6 km
2002 TD66
Feb. 26
16.7 LD
15
440 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 Weather Prediction 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...
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